MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The Oscar nominations will be announced this morning.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The ceremony was delayed twice due to the fires raging through Los Angeles. Just yesterday, two new wildfires broke out. Tens of thousands of people were placed under evacuation orders and warnings.
MARTIN: NPR entertainment correspondent Mandalit del Barco covers Hollywood's awards season, and she's with us now to tell us more about it. Hi, Mandalit.
MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE: Hi, Michel.
MARTIN: So obviously, this year's awards season feels different because of the fires. Can you give us a sense of how the entertainment industry is doing?
DEL BARCO: Yeah. You know, there's been some debate over how awards season should carry on in Hollywood. Some people think that these awards ceremonies should be canceled or toned down or maybe transformed into fundraisers for the fire survivors and the first responders.
But, you know, there are a lot of people who work in film and TV who are affected by the fires, not just those A-list actors who lost their houses in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, but so many people behind the scenes from screenwriters to costume designers, caterers and local businesses that really rely on the industry. Many of them lost their homes or were displaced by the fires.
And during the worst of it, film and TV production stopped, and most have now resumed. But, you know, productions also stopped for a while during the COVID pandemic and then again during the Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes. So this just feels like the latest in a series of really tough moments for the industry and for LA.
MARTIN: Yeah, I can imagine. OK, so the list is finally coming out. What should we be listening for this morning?
DEL BARCO: Well, we might start with "Emilia Perez." That's Netflix's Spanish-language musical drama about a trans drug lord in Mexico. It's France's entry to the Oscars, and it stars Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and Karla Sofia Gascon. Here are two of them singing.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "EMILIA PEREZ")
KARLA SOFIA GASCON: (As Emilia Perez, singing in Spanish).
ZOE SALDANA: (As Rita Mora Castro, singing in Spanish).
DEL BARCO: Another film, the drama "The Brutalist," is a sure bet for many nominations, including for actor Adrien Brody. He plays an architect who immigrates to the U.S. after World War II. And, of course, the musical "Wicked," with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Sing it with me, Michel.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WICKED")
CYNTHIA ERIVO: (As Elphaba, vocalizing).
MARTIN: Nobody wants to hear me sing, but...
(LAUGHTER)
DEL BARCO: Well...
MARTIN: ...Thanks for the invitation (laughter).
DEL BARCO: After we learn about the nominations today, comedian and former "Late Night" host Conan O'Brien will emcee the Oscars ceremony on March 2.
MARTIN: And, Mandalit, I take it that a lot of folks are going to head away this weekend to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. That stayed on schedule this year. I think you get to go - jealous. But what are you going to be watching there?
DEL BARCO: Well, I'm planning to see a few different documentaries, including one about John Lennon and Yoko Ono, one about Pee-wee Herman and another about Sly Stone. That one was made by Questlove.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "SLY LIVES!")
ANDRE 3000: Sly was the creator.
CHAKA KHAN: Writer.
ANDRE 3000: Innovator.
Q-TIP: Poet.
JERRY MARTINI: Genius.
ANDRE 3000: When it came together, the sound - it was so future.
MARTIN: Mandalit, you were telling us that a lot of folks in the film industry are directly affected by these fires. Some of them have lost their homes. Are they still planning to go to Sundance?
DEL BARCO: Yeah, they are. In fact, one filmmaking team behind a zombie apocalypse film called "Didn't Die" is planning on going. I talked to producer Erica Fishman.
ERICA FISHMAN: We've created this plan to be in this place to celebrate this thing that we built together, and it feels essential and comforting that we are able to do that still.
DEL BARCO: So this really is a moment for the filmmaking community to come together during a really hard time. And Sundance is the first time we'll see some of the indie films that might just be nominated for next year's Oscars.
MARTIN: That is NPR entertainment correspondent Mandalit del Barco. Mandalit, thank you.
DEL BARCO: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF KHRUANGBIN'S "JUEGOS Y NUBES") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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