LOS ANGELES – Unfiltered Conan O’Brien, K-pop takeover stage and no Tilly Norwood awards at all.
This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is “leaning into the big cultural moments,” according to CEO Bill Kramer.
Sunday’s Oscars ceremony comes at a time of change for the academy, which recently signed a landmark deal with YouTube and is grappling – like the rest of the world – with the impact of AI.
Kramer and center President Lynette Howell Taylor said in a recent interview with NBC News that they are mindful of the challenges the Oscars face in an ever-changing media environment and in a year when often depressing headlines have dominated the news cycle.
“Everybody knows all the time what’s going on outside the Dolby Theater, what’s going on around the world,” said Howell Taylor. But, he stressed, “this night is about promoting artists and celebrating filmmakers.”
The academy, a nonprofit organization for film professionals, makes most of its revenue from broadcast rights to awards shows. That means the Oscars have to do an increasingly difficult job: They have to attract and entertain audiences watching from 225 countries around the world, as well as the anxious entertainment industry crowd sitting in Hollywood’s 3,400-seat Dolby Theater.
The 2025 Oscars, also hosted by O’Brien, attracted 19.7 million viewers in the US, a five-year high. Critics praised O’Brien, who is not too political when it comes to his comedy, for his “silliness and enthusiasm”.
He returns to the stage on Sunday after previewing some of his Oscar night comedies at clubs around Los Angeles. It is not clear whether he will delve into topics such as the Iran war, which has improved daily life for many, or the Warner Bros. acquisition deal. Discovery, which is expected to change the future of this industry.
Howell Taylor and Kramer said they did not ask O’Brien to bring up politics or any other topics in his monologue.
“We give him a lot of creative freedom, and he doesn’t disappoint,” Kramer said.
In addition to tapping O’Brien to return as emcee, the academy also featured artists from Netflix’s “Kpop Demon Hunters” and Warner Bros.’ “Sinners” brings selected songs from hit movies.
The In Memoriam section, which is often one of the most talked about and debated sections, is expected to be filled with industry giants who have died in the past 12 months. The list includes Robert Redford, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall and Rob Reiner, just to name a few.
For the past few years, the academy has installed an online gallery to add faces from television shows, which it will do again this year.
“There’s an incredible sensitivity to that episode in the show,” Howell Taylor said of the In Memoriam arrangement. “The biggest challenge is that there is not enough time to put everyone in the air.”
And while the 98 awards have yet to be played, the academy and its management are already looking ahead to the upcoming festivities and how to keep people interested.
In December, the organization signed a deal to take the Oscars broadcast to YouTube starting in 2029, after more than 50 years on ABC.
Moving the Oscars to the Google-owned platform will allow for new types of radio interactions, such as second-screen experiences such as commentaries or audience polls, Kramer said.
“What we wanted was a single domestic and international deal that reached a large global audience,” Kramer said.
Artificial intelligence – which has been a bright spot among Hollywood creators – has also been a talking point between the school and its members.
After last year’s Oscars, the agency added language about artificial intelligence to its rules, saying a film’s use of AI and digital tools “will neither help nor hurt” its nomination chances.
“It was important to recognize that AI is a tool, and in all areas of the institution, people are using this tool,” Kramer said. “However, it must be used in the right way, and there must be the approval of the people, in the end we will have to make a decision about what it means for the awards, which is something we are still discussing.”
One thing they are sure of? An artificial actor, like the controversial AI actress Tilly Norwood, will never be eligible for an Oscar.
“An Oscar is given to a person,” said Howell Taylor, “and that’s something that will last.”
