The stories behind all 5 Oscar-nominated original songs
(Fien Jorissen / For The Times)
The 2026 original song contenders come from deep inside the characters singing them: a simple man wistfully looking back on his ordinary life; a budding bluesman with talent to burn down the house; a 17-time Oscar nominee; a demon-hunting K-pop star channeling the real-life singer-songwriter behind her; and a joyous expression of life from inside a documentary’s main “character,” a retirement home for musicians.
‘Dear Me’ from ‘Diane Warren: Relentless’
Oscars predictions: Our expert picks which film is taking home best picture
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Elle Fanning breaks down what makes her movie star tick in ‘Sentimental Value’
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
In this episode of The Envelope podcast, the “Sentimental Value” star reflects on growing up onscreen and following in big sister Dakota Fanning’s footsteps.
An exclusive look behind the scenes as Dolby Theatre transforms for the Oscars
Sound mixers, stagehands, electricians and camera operators have spent the last three weeks preparing the Dolby Theatre for the 2026 Oscars.
(Ye Fan / The Academy)
Eight months ago, production designers Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley began proposing new ideas for the 2026 Academy Awards stage. Three months ago, contracted companies started building sets for the show. Three weeks ago, the Oscars production team loaded its equipment into the Dolby Theatre: more than 800 lighting fixtures, a custom PA system and massive fiber optic cables that run underground. Now, with less than 72 hours until the ceremony, Oscars co-executive producer Rob Paine said their “circus” is finally camera-ready.
Electricians run cables through underground manholes at the Dolby Theatre to power generators for broadcast trucks.
(Ye Fan / The Academy)
An oral history of the ‘Sinners’ musical sequence: Inside the year’s best scene
Ryan Coogler, writer and director of “Sinners,” describes its showstopping six-minute musical sequence as “maybe the most important scene in the movie.”
(Bexx Francois / For The Times)
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Ryan Coogler was deep into writing “Sinners” when he realized the movie was missing something: He needed a moment that would jolt the audience and plunge them into a different space.
“Instead of watching the rest of the movie from here,” Coogler tells me, pointing to his head, “you take them here,” he says, patting his heart. “Like ripping you out of one movie and dropping you into another.”
‘Sinners’ made Oscar history and the ceremony hasn’t even begun
Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” starring Michael B. Jordan, has made Oscar history.
(Eli Ade / Warner Bros. Pictures)
Ryan Coogler’s period vampire drama “Sinners” set an Oscar record Thursday morning, earning 16 nominations, the most ever received by a single film.
The total surpassed the previous high of 14 nominations, a milestone shared by “All About Eve” (1950), “Titanic” (1997) and “La La Land” (2016).
Rose Byrne may ‘regret’ her Golden Globes speech, but she’s embracing her Oscars moment
Rose Byrne, nominated for an Oscar for lead actress for her performance as a mother at her wits’ end in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.”
(Ryan Pfluger / For The Times)
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When Rose Byrne won a Golden Globe last month for her starring role as a mother on the verge of a nervous breakdown in Mary Bronstein’s “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” her acceptance speech briefly threatened to overshadow the actual honor. In it, she explained that her longtime partner, Bobby Cannavale, was absent from the ceremony because he was at a reptile convention in New Jersey, where he hoped to fulfill their children’s dreams by purchasing a bearded dragon.
It was a charming and funny aside that some users of social media naturally used to criticize Cannavale and try to gin up a controversy. (Insert eye-roll emoji here.) Byrne, now an Oscar nominee for the same role, found herself having to explain that parenthood almost always comes with scheduling conflicts and answer follow-up questions about the reptilian addition to her family.
‘Sentimental Value’ isn’t a critique of Netflix. ‘It’s an encouragement’
Actor Stellan Skarsgård, left, with writer-director Joachim Trier of “Sentimental Value,” the year’s most Oscar-nominated international feature.
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
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Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” is nominated for an impressive nine Academy Awards, among them the first best picture nod for a Norwegian film and the auteur himself for both directing and co-writing (with longtime collaborator Eskil Vogt) the family drama’s original screenplay.
But perhaps the film’s most remarkable achievement, Oscar-wise, is four first-time acting nominations.
Are Oscar voters following the new rule to watch everything? We asked around
(Photo illustration by Avery Fox / Los Angeles Times; Photos by Getty Images and Unsplash)
To vote for the Oscars, you have to watch all the nominated movies.
This may seem obvious. But until this year, the motion picture academy operated entirely on the honor system, strongly encouraging members to see everything before voting.
Now voters have to show their work — up to a point.
How to watch the 2026 Oscars and everything else you need to know
Conan O’Brien will host the 2026 Academy Awards, which will air Sunday on ABC.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
The 2026 Oscars are just hours away.
The 98th Academy Awards will be held Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, where Hollywood’s biggest names will celebrate the best films of the year for a final time.
Getting ready for the 98th Oscars
Chance Gugler touches up the red carpet backdrop on Friday ahead of today’s 98th edition of the Academy Awards in Hollywood.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
What goes into the
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What should win on Oscar night? And what should have been nominated? Our critic has thoughts
Clockwise from left, Joaquin Phonix in the movie “Eddington,” Diego Luna in “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” Benicio Del Toro in “The Phoenician Scheme” and Amanda Seyfried in “The Testament of Ann Lee.”
(A24; Roadside Attractions; TPS Productions / Focus Features; Searchlight Pictures)
If this year’s best picture nominees had a theme, it’s: Back off and let me do my work, whether it’s lady-bossing, creature-building, race-car driving, “Hamlet”-writing, ping-pong playing, revolution-stoking, juke-joint opening or logging the timber that built America. I dug moments in every one of them. But my work isn’t done until I pick the nominee I wish would win in each of these categories — and then shout out to the skipped films that deserved to be in the conversation.
The women of ‘One Battle After Another’ aren’t afraid to ‘shake the table’
Teyana Taylor, left, Chase Infiniti and Regina Hall of “One Battle After Another.”
(Bexx Francois / For The Times)
Teyana Taylor has ordered two plates of chicken wings for the table. After last night, she’s not taking any chances.
The rest of us do not know this when we meet inside a deserted restaurant at a West Hollywood boutique hotel. Chase Infiniti arrives first and slides into the middle of the booth we’ve picked out, thinking ahead so it’ll be easier for her two “One Battle After Another” co-stars to join us. Regina Hall and Taylor show up together a couple of minutes later, still talking about last night’s Governors Awards, which reunited the trio after a few weeks apart.
All the 2026 best picture Oscar nominees, ranked from worst to best
Michael B. Jordan, left, and Miles Caton in the movie “Sinners,” nominated for 16 Oscars — a new record.
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
This was a year of big swings and I’m not just talking about Timothée Chalamet’s ping-pong serve. The Academy Awards feel like they’re in motion, too — a body less affixed to an idea of what a best picture contender is and more willing to race after talent from around the globe. But they can’t all be winners. Here’s my ranking of the 10 nominees, from whiff to smash.
10. ‘Hamnet’
‘Sinners’ and Michael B. Jordan scrambled the Oscar race with Actor Awards wins
The cast of “Sinners” with their Actor Awards for motion picture ensemble: from left, Li Jun Li, Omar Benson Miller, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, Michael B. Jordan, Jack O’Connell, Jayme Lawson, Miles Caton and Lola Kirke.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
The 32nd Actor Awards scrambled a best picture race that had felt settled after “One Battle After Another” won the top prize at the Producers Guild Awards.
We pay attention to the Actor Awards because the show takes place while Oscar ballots are out and are, for the most part, a reliable precursor to the Academy Awards. How trustworthy will they be for the acting winners this year? Let’s take a look.
Conan O’Brien unrolls the 2026 Oscars red carpet
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Oscars security tighter than ever: 1-mile police buffer amid Iran war
Workers move a decorative Oscar statue during preparations for Sunday night’s Academy Awards ceremony.
(Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images)
It’s been more than two decades since the Oscars were celebrated as the United States was launching a war in the Middle East.
In 2003, the Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre occurred just days after U.S. troops invaded Iraq, elevating security concerns surrounding Hollywood’s biggest night so much that they tightened security like never before.
2026 Oscar nominations: The complete list of nominees
“Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” lead the field of 2026 Oscar nominees with 16 and 13 nominations each, respectively.
(Photo illustration by Avery Fox / Los Angeles Times; Photos from A24; Focus Features; Getty; Netflix; Victor Juca; Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Sinners” has made Oscars history.
The 98th Academy Award nominations were announced Thursday and Ryan Coogler’s musical horror earned 16 overall nominations, breaking the record for the most nominations for a film previously held by “All about Eve” (1950), “Titanic” (1997) and “La La Land” (2016). “Sinners’” nominations include best picture, directing, original screenplay and individual acting nods for stars Michael B. Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo.