Oscar stage will be dressed up in golden 1970s glam

“It’s often been said anecdotally that the only award of merit that has monetary value is the Oscar”, said veteran publicist and awards strategist Tony Angellotti. Both she and Spike Lee announced that they would not be attending the award show, while Tyrese Gibson suggested that Rock should give up his hosting duties. “I’ve talked to so many who say it did virtually nothing for them, whether it’s Louise Fletcher who won for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” or Linda Hunt, who won for ‘The Year of Living Dangerously'”.

Unlike the first time that Rock hosted the show, he is not simply being judged as host of the most important awards show in Hollywood.

This is interesting considering this year Oscar winners will be allotted only 45 seconds for their acceptance speech. The actor has a huge chance to be part of an Oscar-winning reunion with his Titanic co-star Kate Winslet, who is nominated for her role in Steve Jobs.

Between handicapping sites, wins from various guilds and simple Oscar chatter, predictions harden fairly quickly into conventional wisdom.

Rock has been making unannounced appearances at the Comedy Store in West Hollywood in recent weeks to prepare for the show, and he’s hinted that the diversity debate prompted him to completely re-work his opening monologue.

Among the eight nominees in the Best Film category this year, The Revenant, The Martian, Room and Brooklyn fit that bill in some way or the other as do, not so coincidentally, every nominee in the Best Actor and Best Actress categories. Honestly, I didn’t notice the lack of nominations until people started talking about it. Says Paloma Rao, VJ. I’d be thinking “this shit is live”.

Under fire for nominating an all-white slate of actors for two years in a row, the academy last month vowed to double the number of women and minority members by 2020.

Who do you want to win at the 2016 Oscars?

His first Oscar nomination came in 1994 for his performance in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. However, although Bridge Of Spies is undeniably good cinema, Spielberg will probably go into the Oscars this year knowing his latest probably will not win. For best supporting actress, newcomer Alicia Vikander is the category leader for her performance in “The Danish Girl”.

According to the odds, “The Revenant” is the favourite victor for Best Picture -followed by “Spotlight” and “The Big Short”; Alejandro G. Iñárritu, director of “The Revenant” is expected to win an Oscar as best director, competing against George Miller (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) and Adam McKay (“The Big Short”).

Brian McLaughlin, a producer and instructor at LA’s film school, said: “I think it was just timing, he was just up against tough competition, not that he isn’t this year”.