THE 92ND ACADEMY AWARDS
ABC, 8:00 p.m. ET
There’s no host this year, but there is some intrigue. Netflix has two movies up for Best Picture, The Irishman and Marriage Story – two excellent films that, if either claims the victory and the Academy’s top Oscar, surely will shake the foundations of Hollywood more than a tectonic-shift earthquake. Also, watch for the battle of the Newmans: Randy Newman is up for a Best Original Score Oscar for Marriage Story, while his younger cousin Thomas is nominated in the same category for 1917. Randy Newman also is up for Best Original Song, for the Toy Story 4 song “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” which he will perform live on tonight’s Oscar telecast. If either Newman wins a statuette, they’ll be adding to the Newman family musical legacy at the Oscars, which is astounding. Randy and his composing and musical scoring relatives – Alfred, Lionel, Emil, David, and now Thomas – already have won 12 Academy Awards between them, and have been nominated a total of 93 times.