The 12 Most Controversial Best Picture Oscar Winners of All Time

“If anybody’s [planning on] boycotting the Oscars, don’t, because Chris Rock is gonna annihilate every one of us in the first 20 minutes of the show, and it will be well worth watching”.

So what else can you expect?

Sometimes, I wonder if the Academy does this to him on objective, perhaps to mold him into this generation’s Peter O’Toole. They’re excited about him doing that. They know that movie stars usually step aside and let men and women with nerves of steel take the literal fall for them on camera.

“The show can’t solve the diversity problem in the academy, and the academy can’t solve the diversity problem in the entertainment industry, which is really the bigger problem – not what gets nominated for Oscars, but what gets made and who gets hired”, Pond said. The comedian has pretty much gone radio silent since the nominations were announced, only tweeting, “The #Oscars”.

“That opening Chris Rock monologue is going to be key to how the overall telecast is perceived”, said Dave Karger, chief correspondent for Fandango.com. In fact, after 25 years in filmdom, DiCaprio has never won an Oscar, walking away empty handed year after year. But probably the best bet is Matt Damon, who put on a one-man show as a stranded astronaut in “The Martian”.

Britain is expected to do well again this year, with British films or talent accounting for 41 nominations, around a third of the total. Some also might see a little uptick if they have the right backend deal, thanks to the box office bump that most Oscar nominated films experience.

“It’s an incredible moment to make, watch and celebrate documentary films, which are such an important part of our cultural landscape, reflecting stories crucial to our democracy and entertaining us at the same time”, said lead researcher Caty Borum Chattoo from American University’s centre for Media and social impact. Plus, Lady Gaga has been out in full force recently.

The British star has already won the Golden Globe and the Bafta, and is up against Blanchett’s co-star Rooney Mara for Carol, as well as Redmayne’s co-star in The Danish Girl, Alicia Vikander. Earlier this month, she knocked it out of the park with her performance of the National Anthem at the Super Bowl and her tribute to the late David Bowie at the Grammys. “I’m not saying that the Oscar necessarily helps Tom Hanks or Julia Roberts in their prime, but at the same time, it makes them all that more cast-able and desirable to directors”.

First-time nominee Rylance, who is an acting vet but mostly known for his stage work, could be the upset for his performance in the Cold War thriller.

The Hollywood awards season reaches its glittering climax at Sunday’s Oscars, with bleak survival epic “The Revenant” tipped to clean up on a night overshadowed by a simmering race row.

Sam Smith has been nominated for the best original song Oscar for Writing’s On The Wall, the theme to James Bond film Spectre.