The countdown is on to the 97th Oscars. The Academy today released teaser art ahead of the March 2 awards show featuring a gold-plated Conan O’Brien (see below), who will host the shindig for the first time.
No stranger to hosting awards shows, however, O’Brien hosted the Emmys to strong reviews in 2002 and 2006 and The MTV Movie Awards in 2014.
Of course, the Oscars ceremony will be held as the Los Angeles region continues to recover from the devastating wildfires that ravaged the region last month. O’Brien, himself was displaced due to the fires, and told the AP in a recent interview that that show’s organizers “want to be sensitive to what’s happend” to residents.”
“Everybody I know has been affected,” O’Brien told The Associated Press late last month. “I’m out of my house. Fortunately, my house, … the fire got very close but my house survived. But we won’t be back in there for a long time. And I’m the lucky one. I mean, I know so many people who lost their homes and I’m just, was ridiculously lucky. So we want to make sure that that show reflects what’s happening and that we put a light on the right people in the right way.”
Show organizers have promised this year’s awards will “celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires.”
The fires twice-postponed the nominations, which finally were announced Jan. 23, with Emilia Pérez emerging as the leading nominee with 13, followed by The Brutalist and Wicked with 10 apiece.
The 97th Oscars will air live on ABC Sunday, March 2, starting at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET and streaming live on Hulu.
