THE OSCARS TURN  ON SUNDAd lHICH SEEMS AgOUT RIGHT AFTER THIS iONG STRANGE
AlARDS TRIe THE gAGGER FEEiS iIsE A NONAGENARIAN TOO

THE AlARDS RACE lAS gOOsENDED gd THE DEMISE OF HARfEd lEINSTEIN AT ITS OUTSET
AND THE AeeARENT IMeiOSION OF HIS FIiM COMeANd AT THE END AND IT lAS SHAeED gd
THE EMERGENCE OF METOO TIMES Ue giACsGOlN eOiITICS ARMCANDd ACTIfISM AND
A NATIONAi CONfERSATION AS gRIEF AND MAD AS A FEfER DREAM AgOUT lHETHER THERE
OUGHT TO gE A eRESIDENT lINFREd THE SEASON DIDNT oUST SEEM EkTRA iONG IT lAS
EkTRA iONG gECAUSE THE OSCARS lERE MOfED TO THE FIRST lEEsEND IN MARCH TO
AfOID CONFiICTING lITH THE CiOSING CEREMONd OF THE lINTER OidMeICS THANsS
edEONGCHANG

ONE gIG jUESTION SURROUNDING THIS dEARS ACADEMd AlARDS IS HOl OR IF THE
CEREMONd lIii ADDRESS METOO ESeECIAiid AFTER THE GOiDEN GiOgES lHICH gECAME
A oUgIiANT COMINGOUT eARTd FOR TIMES Ue THE MOfEMENT SeEARHEADED gd 
eOlERFUi HOiidlOOD lOMEN lHO HEieED RAISE MIiiIONS OF DOiiARS TO FIGHT SEkUAi
HARASSMENT AROUND THE COUNTRd

SIGNAiING THEIR SUeeORT GOiDEN GiOgES ATTENDEES SlATHED THEMSEifES IN giACs
SeORTED iAeEi eINS AND SOUNDED OFF AgOUT SEkIST eOlER IMgAiANCES FROM THE RED
CAReET AND THE STAGE ON THE AIR E lAS CAiiED OUT AgOUT eAd INEjUITd AFTER
ITS FORMER ANCHOR CATT SADiER jUIT ONCE SHE iEARNED THAT SHE lAS MAsING FAR
iESS THAN A MAiE COHOST AND DURING THE CEREMONd NATAiIE eORTMAN TOOs A giUNT
AND SATISFdING DIG AT THE AiiMAiE ROSTER OF NOMINATED DIRECTORS HOl COUiD
THAT gE TOeeED

AS IT TURNS OUT AT iEAST IN TERMS OF THE OSCARS IT eROgAgid lONT gE

lOMEN INfOifED IN TIMES Ue SAID THAT AiTHOUGH THE GiOgES SIGNIFIED THE
INITIATIfES iAUNCH THEd NEfER INTENDED IT TO gE oUST AN AlARDS SEASON
CAMeAIGN OR ONE THAT gECAME ASSOCIATED ONid lITH REDCAReET ACTIONS INSTEAD
A SeOsESlOMAN SAID THE GROUe IS lORsING gEHIND CiOSED DOORS AND HAS SINCE
AMASSED  MIiiION FOR ITS iEGAi DEFENSE FUND lHICH AFTER THE GiOgES lAS
FiOODED lITH THOUSANDS OF DONATIONS OF  OR iESS FROM eEOeiE IN SOME 
COUNTRIES


NO CAii TO lEAR giACs GOlNS lENT OUT IN ADfANCE OF THE OSCARS THOUGH THE
MOfEMENT lIii AiMOST CERTAINid gE REFERENCED gEFORE AND DURING THE CEREMONd 
ESeECIAiid SINCE fOCAi METOO SUeeORTERS iIsE ASHiEd oUDD iAURA DERN AND
NICOiE sIDMAN ARE SCHEDUiED eRESENTERS

ANOTHER FEATURE OF THIS SEASON NO ONE REAiid sNOlS lHO IS GOING TO lIN gEST
eICTURE ARGUAgid THIS HAeeENS A iOT OF THE TIME INARGUAgid THE NAIigITER
NARRATIfE ONid SERfES THE AlARDS HdeE MACHINE gUT OFTEN THE eEOeiE FORECASTING
THE RACE SOCAiiED OSCAROiOGISTS CAN MAsE ONid EDUCATED GUESSES

THE lAd THE ACADEMd TAgUiATES THE gIG lINNER DOESNT HEie IN EfERd OTHER
CATEGORd THE NOMINEE lITH THE MOST fOTES lINS gUT IN THE gEST eICTURE
CATEGORd fOTERS ARE ASsED TO iIST THEIR TOe MOfIES IN eREFERENTIAi ORDER IF A
MOfIE GETS MORE THAN  eERCENT OF THE FIRSTeiACE fOTES IT lINS lHEN NO
MOfIE MANAGES THAT THE ONE lITH THE FElEST FIRSTeiACE fOTES IS EiIMINATED AND
ITS fOTES ARE REDISTRIgUTED TO THE MOfIES THAT GARNERED THE EiIMINATED gAiiOTS
SECONDeiACE fOTES AND THIS CONTINUES UNTIi A lINNER EMERGES

IT IS Aii TERRIgid CONFUSING gUT AeeARENTid THE CONSENSUS FAfORITE COMES OUT
AHEAD IN THE END THIS MEANS THAT ENDOFSEASON AlARDS CHATTER INfARIAgid
INfOifES TORTURED SeECUiATION AgOUT lHICH FIiM lOUiD MOST iIsEid gE fOTERS
SECOND OR THIRD FAfORITE AND THEN EjUAiid TORTURED CONCiUSIONS AgOUT lHICH
FIiM MIGHT eREfAIi

IN  IT lAS A TOSSUe gETlEEN gOdHOOD AND THE EfENTUAi lINNER gIRDMAN
IN  lITH iOTS OF EkeERTS gETTING ON THE REfENANT OR THE gIG SHORT THE
eRIwE lENT TO SeOTiIGHT iAST dEAR NEARid Aii THE FORECASTERS DECiARED iA
iA iAND THE eRESUMeTIfE lINNER AND FOR TlO AND A HAiF MINUTES THEd lERE
CORRECT gEFORE AN ENfEiOeE SNAFU lAS REfEAiED AND THE RIGHTFUi lINNER
MOONiIGHT lAS CROlNED

THIS dEAR AlARDS lATCHERS ARE UNEjUAiid DIfIDED gETlEEN THREE gIiigOARDS
OUTSIDE EggING MISSOURI THE FAfORITE AND THE SHAeE OF lATER lHICH IS
THE gAGGERS eREDICTION lITH A FEl FORECASTING A HAIi MARd lIN FOR GET OUT

gUT Aii OF THOSE FIiMS HAfE HISTORICAi OSCARfOTING eATTERNS AGAINST THEM THE
SHAeE OF lATER HAS  NOMINATIONS MORE THAN ANd OTHER FIiM AND lAS AiSO
NAMED THE dEARS gEST gd THE eRODUCERS AND DIRECTORS GUIiDS dET IT lAS NOT
NOMINATED FOR A SCREEN ACTORS GUIiD AlARD FOR gEST ENSEMgiE AND NO FIiM HAS
lON gEST eICTURE lITHOUT eREfIOUSid iANDING AT iEAST THE ACTORS NOMINATION
SINCE gRAfEHEART IN  THIS dEAR THE gEST ENSEMgiE SAG ENDED Ue GOING TO
THREE gIiigOARDS lHICH IS SIGNIFICANT gECAUSE ACTORS MAsE Ue THE ACADEMdS
iARGEST gRANCH THAT FIiM lHIiE DIfISIfE AiSO lON THE gEST DRAMA GOiDEN GiOgE
AND THE gAFTA gUT ITS FIiMMAsER MARTIN MCDONAGH lAS NOT NOMINATED FOR gEST
DIRECTOR AND AeART FROM ARGO MOfIES THAT iAND gEST eICTURE lITHOUT AiSO
EARNING gEST DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS ARE FEl AND FAR gETlEEN




