It’s All Come Down To This – The 97th Oscars

By Movie Geeks | March 1, 2025

Contributed by Melissa Thompson, Michelle McCue

Hollywood’s high holiday and biggest night is almost here.

The pinnacle of the awards season, the 97th Oscars, is at hand and 2024 was certainly an exciting time for film enthusiasts! The conclave have made their choices, the votes have been tallied and we’re all just waiting for the big reveal Sunday night. Will there be any wicked surprises? Which actors and actresses will take home the gold? And what movie will be named Best Picture of the Year?

With previous precursor award wins (BAFTA, DGA, WGA, PGA) all over the map, even five top Oscar experts – Gold Derby’s Debra Birnbaum, Variety’s Clayton Davis, The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg, Deadline’s Pete Hammond, and Indiewire’s Anne Thompson – weren’t quite sure of their ultimate picks. This unpredictable season is one of the most difficult conundrums for the experts and a nail-biter to the very end. (video)

For the past 15 years, We Are Movie Geeks has been among the global journalists invited by The Academy in the pressroom as the winners make their way backstage with their statues for their first interviews. Once again, we’ll be there and giving live updates – on X and Facebook.

Earlier this week host Conan O’Brien helped with the Red Carpet rollout for the 97th Oscars on Wednesday, February 26, 2025.

Previously announced Oscars presenters include Mark Hamill, Miles Teller, Dave Bautista, Harrison Ford, Gal Gadot, Andrew Garfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Margaret Qualley, Alba Rohrwacher, Zoe Saldaña, Rachel Zegler, Joe Alwyn, Halle Berry, Sterling K. Brown, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Ana de Armas, Lily-Rose Depp, Robert Downey Jr., Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, Goldie Hawn, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Cillian Murphy, Connie Nielsen, Amy Poehler, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, June Squibb, Ben Stiller, Emma Stone, Oprah Winfrey and Bowen Yang.

On Tuesday, February 25, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held a cocktail reception and private dinner for the nominees of the 97th Oscars. The evening also included the annual nominee class photo.

172 nominees populated the iconic class photo at the Oscar Nominees Dinner held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The official pre-Oscars nomination celebration and the annual class photo are generally held during a Beverly Hills Hilton luncheon, which was cancelled earlier this year due to
the LA wildfires.

The A-list nominees turned out in force, with only a small handful absent, Kieran Culkin and Elton John among the MIA nominees. Many were enjoying their first time being nominated, with others being recognized for multiple nominations – Diane Warren has 16!

Dinner was, of course, prepared by Wolfgang Puck— New York steak, roasted salmon, pan roasted jidori chicken and blackpepper gnocchi cacio e pepe, served family-style.

Excitement was definitely the vibe of the night, as we roll full steam ahead to Sunday’s 97th Annual Academy Awards.

Catch up on the 10 Best Picture Nominees.

Are you in an Oscar pool or hosting a party? WAMG has your Oscar ballot for your golden party!

The Oscars will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with the official live red carpet show airing at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.