Oscar Blitz 2026 – Live Diary

Well, folks, we finally made it. It’s the big night at last, the 98th Academy Awards! Over the span of about four hours, we’ll see lifelong dreams realized, hearts broken, and Diane Warren continuing to eat shit. As we go, I’ll continue my annual tradition of commenting in real time right here on the blog. Maybe someday I’ll do a live stream or something, but for the moment, this is the best outlet for (near) instant reactions.

Keep it locked on this post throughout the evening as the events unfold. Refresh regularly. And as always, enjoy the show!

12:00pm PDT – Just posting the diary itself. We’re still four hours away from showtime (I love how they’re starting an hour earlier so they can finish before midnight). As is tradition, I will give less than two shits about the red carpet stuff, so I’ll be back when the time comes for the actual ceremony. Join me then!

4:00pm – Conan as Aunt Gladys is about the most perfect way to start the show. “Bette Davis with lupus!”

4:03pm – Okay, having HUNTR/X instantly fall for Gladys/Conan almost redeems the existence of that movie. Almost.

4:05pm – Wait, how could Conan be in two places at once? Only Michael B. Jordan can do that!

4:07pm – Oh god, Ted Sarandos does look like Blofeld.

4:12pm – That had to be a bit, right? There’s no universe where that many people cheer for the Documentary Short category.

4:13pm – No Amazon nominations and a joke about how the British actually arrest their pedophiles. Yup, Conan will be the last human host of the Oscars.

4:16pm – Conan salutes international diversity in creating film, and I’m genuinely surprised that ICE didn’t burst in at that exact moment.

4:19pm – Zoe Saldaña reading these highfalutin lines about Supporting Actress when one of the nominees played a crazy-looking child murderer is… a choice.

4:21pm – Supporting Actress goes to… Amy Madigan! WOO! 1-for-1!

4:22pm – Using the acceptance speech to muse about unnecessarily shaving your legs is honestly what all these speeches should be about.

4:29pm – The most unbelievable part of that YouTube bit is that you can actually skip the ads after seven seconds.

4:30pm – And the first nominee for “Bit That Will Not END” is Channing Tatum pretending Will Arnett isn’t an actor.

4:31pm – Animated Feature goes to KPop Demon Hunters, as we all knew it would. 2-for-2.

4:33pm – Maggie Kang looks so elegant in her dress… unlike the $10 hooker sitting next to Timothée Chalamet.

4:35pm – Animated Short goes to The Girl Who Cried Pearls. That was one of the two I actually liked in this year’s set, so I’m happy, especially because I was certain that in an off year the voters would for the way too cutesy and safe Forevergreen. 2-for-3, and I’m not the least bit upset.

4:37pm – A Canadian film just won an Oscar, so Donald Trump will charge them a 15% tariff in order for them to take it home.

4:39pm – Miles Caton performing “I Lied to You” live may end up being the best moment of the entire night. My GOD his voice is immaculate! And they’re recreating the time travel aspect of the one-shot in the film is a brilliant bit of broadcast stagecraft. Out-fucking-standing!

4:42pm – Misty Copeland shows up at the very end to add some ballet to the mix, and presumably to flip off Chalamet once we go to break.

4:48pm – We’re into our second bit of the night about how much AI sucks, and as funny as they are, the fact that the Academy hasn’t banned its use yet speaks far louder.

4:49pm – Hey it’s “Watch Devil Wears Prada 2” to present Costume Design.

4:50pm – Oh my GOD! They did count the CGI from Avatar! What the fuck! BULL! SHIT!

4:52pm – Costume Design goes to Frankenstein as expected. 3-for-4.

4:54pm – As does Makeup & Hairstyling. No surprises yet. 4-for-5.

5:04pm – The first ever Oscar for Casting goes to… One Battle After Another! It looked like Sinners was as close to a lock as possible for an award that’s never been given away before. First true surprise of the night. 4-for-6.

5:13pm – Kumail Nanjiani jokes about turning features into shorts, and despite the gag and title puns, he has a point.

5:14pm – Live Action Short is… A TIE! Holy shit! The first goes to The Singers, and the second to Two People Exchanging Saliva? Really? That pretentious horseshit?! Well, two bites at the apple, and I still stand at 4-for-7.

5:19pm – So we’ve already had one winner played off stage, and another who had the mic retracted during an historic moment of an ultra-rare tie. Maybe, just maybe, cut off the A-listers’ speeches. They’ll have talk show appearances for weeks to come. Let the below-the-line folks have their moment!

5:21pm – Supporting Actor goes to Sean Penn, who didn’t show up. Well, that makes up some time on the speeches. 5-for-8!

5:28pm – I’m loving all these bits about how streamers, tech, and corporate consolidation ruining movies, but since no one’s actually DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT, it just feels like pissing into the wind.

5:30pm – Why are the introductory bits for the Screenplay categories always the worst written.

5:32pm – Adapted Screenplay goes to One Battle After Another. Paul Thomas Anderson finally has an Oscar. No surprise here. 6-for-9.

5:33pm – Anderson says he wrote the film for his children. Even the part where Sean Penn gets a boner?

5:34pm – Candidate #2 for “Bit That Will Not END!” is Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans arguing about Avengers anniversary gifts.

5:37pm – Original Screenplay goes to Sinners! First win of the night for the record-breaker, probably doesn’t bode well for their Best Picture chances, but well earned nonetheless. 7-for-10. I love that Ryan Coogler is stammering and geeking out in his speech.

5:43pm – Wow, doing In Memoriam less than two hours in? That’s pretty early and… wait, why does Billy Crystal look like a thin George Lucas?

5:47pm – Okay, this loving tribute to Rob Reiner is making me cry, you guys. I’m not often in favor of prioritizing some late names over others, but I can’t argue against this. That was truly beautiful.

5:51pm – Same goes for Rachel McAdams’s tribute to Diane Keaton.

5:56pm – I can’t even hate on Barbra Steisand beaming about Robert Redford. In a year where we lost so, so many transcendent talents, devoting so much time to this annual somber exercise is about as appropriate as can be.

6:04pm – Pedro Pascal’s shirt looks like it was made of glass and someone smashed it with a bat.

6:05pm – Frankenstein gets Production Design. Again, pretty much going as expected. 8-for-11.

6:08pm – Visual Effects go to Avatar, because Avatar. Yawn. 9-for-12.

6:14pm – Okay, Jimmy Kimmel coming out and pretending to be host is the first great bit of the night. The fact that he’s presenting the Documentary categories is super important, as he was nearly destroyed for daring to tell the truth.

6:16pm – All the Empty Rooms gets Documentary Short, meaning I finish 1-for-3 on the shorts. 10-for-13 overall.

6:17pm – Wow, bringing up one of the parents of the dead kids was pretty ballsy, not to mention a powerful direct political statement.

6:20pm – Documentary Feature goes to Mr. Nobody Against Putin. Denmark couldn’t make the International Feature shortlist, but they get the Documentary prize. I feel bad for Geeta Gandbhir, as only the fourth person nominated on both sides of the documentary contest, but the only one to lose both. 10-for-14.

6:24pm – We’ve heard a lot of messages against oligarchs, tech slop, and media consolidation during the ceremony so far, but half the ads have been for Disney content and crypto.

6:25pm – With 10 categories to go, it’s a 3-1 advantage for One Battle After Another. I get the feeling that this trend will continue the rest of the way.

6:28pm – Nominee #3 for “Bit That Will Not END” goes to the “audience” questions from the Bridesmaids cast.

6:33pm – Original Score goes to Sinners! Those are the two that I was certain it would win. Everything else ranges from “crap shoot” to “guaranteed loss.” 11-for-15!

6:34pm – Ellie Kemper: “What is sound?” Oh what I wouldn’t give for an awkward cutaway to Marlee Matlin.

6:36pm – Sound goes to F1, because noise. 12-for-16.

6:39pm – Oh NOW they cut to Marlee Matlin, while we’re talking about the Sci-Tech and Governor’s Ball. You blew that one, control booth!

6:46pm – Film Editing goes to One Battle After Another. 13-for-17. Andy Jurgensen dedicating the award to his aunt, who used to be an archivist with the Academy, is a lovely shout out.

6:52pm – Cinematography goes to Sinners! Wow! Legitimate upset over One Battle After Another and Train Dreams. 13-for-18, but more importantly, we have ourselves a Best Picture contest. One Battle leads 4-3. Oh, and just for fun, Autumn Durald Arkapaw becomes the first woman to win in this category!

6:53pm – And now we have the performance of “Golden,” only the second Original Song performance of the night, and we’re three hours in. I’m guessing the other three won’t be shown because they have no chance. I mean, anything to keep Diane Warren off the stage.

6:56pm – And there it is. To hear the rest of the nominees, scan a QR code. Way to choose sides.

7:02pm – “No to war. Free Palestine.” BOOM! Javier Bardem wins the night!

7:04pm – International Feature goes to Norway and Sentimental Value! This one was wide open. I’m glad I got it right, cause it was a genuine wild card. 14-for-19.

7:07pm – Lionel Richie is here to present Original Song because Disney really wants you to watch American Idol.

7:10pm – “Golden” wins Original Song, in a presentation where they announced the nominees out of alphabetical order, front-loading the three that didn’t get to be performed. Weird and meaningless. Whatever, moving on. 15-for-20.

7:15pm – Best Director goes to Paul Thomas Anderson as expected. After 11 losses, he has two wins. It’s his turn. 16-for-21.

7:20pm – Best Actor is also presented out of order for no discernible reason.

7:21pm – MICHAEL B. JORDAN WINS BEST ACTOR!

7:23pm – I mean, this should have been a no-brainer. All the nominees gave great performances, but Jordan gave TWO! I don’t even care that I got this wrong on the prediction. We got it right on the result! I’m over the moon! And Jordan’s speech is incredible. 16-for-22.

7:32pm – Jessie Buckley wins Best Actress. Totally expected, as she’s swept Awards Season, and by a hair, she wouldn’t have gotten my vote here. But I’m overjoyed. She’s one of the best actresses in the world, and she’s done more in five years than Meryl Streep’s done in a lifetime. 17-for-23.

7:33pm – And the final nominee for “Bit That Will Not END” is “Let’s Reference the Word ‘Love’ a Bunch of Times.” Also, bad form to have Nicole Kidman, the woman who lies to us every day about making movies better, announcing Best Picture.

7:36pm – And Best Picture goes to… One Battle After Another! My head was right, but my heart was wrong. Final tally, 18-for-24.

7:39pm – Ending on a bit where Conan goes out like Sean Penn in One Battle is not only hilarious (Got Crabs?), but it makes me wonder if there was a separate bit filmed in case Sinners won.

7:50pm – And there we have it folks! A 75% score is technically passing, so I’ll take it. A lot of good moments, some truly great ones, and only one complete bullshit winner (Two People Exchanging Saliva literally didn’t even know what it was satirizing). Still, a great show overall, and a fun night to be a movie fan. Final note for the evening, KPop Demon Hunters won more awards than Marty Supreme, Hamnet, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, F1, Bugonia, and Train Dreams. I’m not saying it’s a better film. By no means is it better. But when only three Best Picture nominees win more than two, maybe we really do need to consider going back to five nominees. I’ll be back on Wednesday with more reactions once I’ve had a couple days to process everything. Good night, everyone!

Join the conversation in the comments below! How psyched are you for tonight’s show? What film will be the big winner? Will Conan O’Brien stick the landing as host for the second year running? Let me know! And remember, you can follow me on Twitter (fuck “X”) as well as Bluesky, subscribe to my YouTube channel for even more content, and check out the entire BTRP Media Network at btrpmedia.com!