Oscars 2026 live — all the winners, speeches and big moments at the 98th Academy Awards

Welcome to Tom’s Guide live Oscars 2026 coverage

Welcome to Tom’s Guide live coverage of the Oscars 2026. It’s set to be a night full of A-list stars, tearful (overly long) speeches, and a fond look back at the best movies of 2025.

This year’s Academy Awards are shaping up to be a fiercely fought contest between "Sinners" and “"One Battle After Another".” It’s a race that is tough to call. But we’re going to try, with our own competitive Oscars 2026 prediction game. We’ll run you through most of the categories and give you our predictions of which movie will be taking home the Oscar gold.

Then, when the show starts at 7 p.m. ET, we’ll bring you the latest live updates, a confirmed list of every winner, and our up-to-the-minute reactions to the 98th Academy Awards.

Best Visual Effects

And the nominees are...

• “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
• “F1”
• “Jurassic World Rebirth”
• ”The Lost Bus”
• "Sinners"

Kelly Woo: “Avatar: Fire and Ash” swept the guilds, so that’s what I’m going with.

Malcolm McMillan: I wouldn’t necessarily vote for it — my vote would probably go to “F1” — but this is the only Oscar I expect “Avatar: Fire And Ash” to win tonight.

Martin Shore: The big reason to revisit Pandora is because it looks as good as it does on the big screen; I can’t see a world in which “Avatar: Fire and Ash” doesn’t win.

Rory Mellon: James Cameron’s sci-fi franchise has this category on lockdown, so “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is the obvious choice.

Best Film Editing

And the nominees are...

• "F1”
• "Marty Supreme"
• "One Battle After Another"
• “Sentimental Value“
• "Sinners"

KW: "One Battle After Another" picked up all the right precursors. That chase through the hills alone deserves the win.

MM: Best Editing tends to (but doesn’t always) go to the Best Picture winner, so look at this to be a bellwether award. I’m picking “One Battle After Another,” regardless of how it does further down the line.

MS: Tougher call, but I think it’s "One Battle After Another."

RM: “One Battle After Another,” the Best Picture frontrunner, should do well in the technical categories.

Best Costume Design

And the nominees are...

• “Avatar: Fire and Ash“
• "Frankenstein"
• "Hamnet"
• "Marty Supreme"
• "Sinners"

KW: In craft categories, I always look to the guild. "Frankenstein" took the period prize there, and Oscar usually follows suit.

MM: I’d love for "Sinners" to win this one, but frankly, all of the nominees (save “Avatar: Fire and Ash”) wouldn’t get a complaint from me if they won. So I’m not going to be mad when "Frankenstein" takes this award home as a consolation prize.

MS: I have my fingers crossed for this to be one of "Frankenstein’s” wins of the night.

RM: Hard to see the Academy overlooking “Frankenstein’s” incredible gothic outfits.

"Sinners,” the most nominated movie in Oscar history

When I left the theater after seeing “Sinners,” I knew I had just witnessed something special. But even I couldn’t have guessed that I’d just witnessed one of the most special movies in Oscars history, at least, by the numbers. On January 22, the nominations for this year’s Academy Awards were announced, and "Sinners" secured a record 16 Oscar nominations.

Now, getting a lot of nominations and winning a lot of awards aren’t guaranteed to be correlated. Just last year, “Emilia Pérez” scored 13 nominations and won just two awards. Granted, it had its own controversy to deal with, but there are multiple movies with 10+ nominations and zero wins.

So will "Sinners" take home a record number of wins to go with its record number of nominations? Probably not; the record for wins is 11, shared by “Ben-Hur,” “Titanic,” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” and the competition from "One Battle After Another" is far too fierce to let "Sinners" take home that many wins. But I’ll be truly surprised if it doesn’t take home at least three awards tonight. — Malcolm McMillan

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

And the nominees are...

• "Frankenstein"
• "Kokuho"
• "Sinners"
• "The Smashing Machine"
• "The Ugly Stepsister"

KW: Again, look to the guild. "Frankenstein" will prevail for the stunning work on Jacob Elordi’s Creature.

MM: This is another technical award I expect "Frankenstein" to win in lieu of bigger prizes later in the night.

MS: "Frankenstein" seems the likely winner, though “Kokuho” could scoop a win here after missing out on a spot in Best International Feature.

RM: Jacob Elordi’s transformation into a patchwork monster alone makes "Frankenstein" worthy of this Oscar, and I don’t foresee an upset here.

Best Cinematography

• "Frankenstein"
• "Marty Supreme"
• "One Battle After Another"
• "Sinners"
• "Train Dreams"

KW: This is a close one and all of the nominees are worthy, but "One Battle After Another" picked up the three most important precursors.

MM: This should go to “Train Dreams,” but this is a lock for “One Battle After Another,” and I am not mad about it.

MS: At the risk of repeating myself… this feels like a "One Battle After Another" win. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that one stretch of road and how they staged that car chase.

RM: "One Battle After Another" has the precursor wins, forcing me to pick it (I’m in this to win), but justice for “Train Dreams."

Best Production Design

And the nominees are...

• "Frankenstein"
• "Hamnet"
• "Marty Supreme"
• "One Battle After Another"
• "Sinners"

KW: "Frankenstein" will make it a trifecta with Costume and Makeup, a rare feat.

MM: "Sinners" is a dark horse here, but I fully expect "Frankenstein" to win.

MS: This could be another "Frankenstein" lock.

RM: Guillermo del Toro's movies have a strong track record in this category, and I expect that to continue with "Frankenstein.”

A new category for the first time in 20+ years

“Best Casting” is the first new addition to the Oscars since Best Animated Feature was added to the roster back in 2002. It was announced back in 2024 — after years of lobbying to bring the category to the competition — and recognizes casting directors’ work in selecting the right actors to bring filmmakers’ stories to life on the big screen.

“Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognize and celebrate,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang in a 2024 statement. “We congratulate our Casting Directors Branch members on this exciting milestone and for their commitment and diligence throughout this process.” — MS

Best Casting

And the nominees are...

• "Hamnet"
• "Marty Supreme"
• "One Battle After Another"
• "The Secret Agent"
• "Sinners"

KW: As a new category, there are no precedents to ponder. Still, it seems like a sure victory for Francine Maisler, a respected veteran who put together an outstanding cast in “Sinners.”

MM: Even if "Sinners" didn’t deserve to win this award (it does), Francine Maisler would probably win anyway as a nod to her legacy and the goodwill she has in the industry.

MS: Much as the other films on the roster all boast phenomenal performances, this goes to "Sinners" for me.

RM: "Sinners" is an ensemble piece with pretty much the whole cast celebrated over the past year, and its other acting nominations make it an obvious favorite

Best Sound

And the nominees are...

• "F1"
• "Frankenstein"
• "One Battle After Another"
• "Sinners"
• "Sirât"

KW: Well, “F1” had to earn its Best Picture nomination somewhere, and it’s here.

MM: “F1” baby! Fast cars go vroom! Don’t be shocked to see “Sirât” steal this one, though.

MS: I haven’t managed to see “Sirât” at the time of writing, so I’d say this feels like a "Sinners" win, too.

RM: I’m torn between the Brad Pitt-starring racing blockbuster and “Sinners,” but going “F1” just because it must have some fans somewhere to nab a Best Picture nomination. “Warfare” being absent from the category is my main grumble.

Best Original Song

And the nominees are...

• “Dear Me” from "Diane Warren: Relentless"
• “Golden” from "KPop Demon Hunters"
• “I Lied to You” from "Sinners"
• “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from "Viva Verdi!"
• “Train Dreams” from "Train Dreams"

KW: Up, up, up with “Golden.” The smash hit was not only ubiquitously played last year, it won most of the important precursors, including the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media.

MM: If you were a gambler, betting on any song other than “Golden” would be akin to throwing your money into a toilet full of gasoline, lighting it on fire, then flushing it. It’s my second biggest lock of the night.

MS: Miles Caton has all my support here, give the win to “I Lied to You.”

RM: I almost went for “I Lied to You” as I could sniff an upset, but “Golden” is the safest choice, and better safe than sorry!

Conan O’Brien returns to host his second Oscars

The 98th Academy Awards will be hosted by Conan O’Brien, returning for his second Oscars hosting gig after emceeing last year’s awards show. The former late-night talk show host makes for a solid choice, in my opinion. Charismatic enough to keep viewers engaged, and able to walk the line between playfully poking fun at the pomp and excess of Hollywood, without crossing over into outright mockery. I’m sure he’ll have some funny gags tonight.

Best Score

And the nominees are...

• "Bugonia"
• "Frankenstein"
• "Hamnet"
• "One Battle After Another"
• "Sinners"

KW: Ludwig Göransson should walk away with his third Oscar for masterful work in a movie so deeply enmeshed with music.

MM: "Sinners" — and this is borderline a lock for me. As good as Jonny Greenwood is, Ludwig Göransson is just as good and produced an iconic score for a movie all about music. That’s not even taking into account he’s already a multi-time winner (which I think helps) here and is really well-liked in the industry.

MS: Much as I loved Jonny Greenwood’s piercing piano-work on "One Battle After Another" and Max Richter’s work on “Hamnet,” this is a "Sinners" lock for me.

RM: “Sinners,” its musical component is too integral to overlook

Best International Feature

And the nominees are...

• "It Was Just an Accident"
• "The Secret Agent"
• "Sentimental Value"
• "Sirat"
• "The Voice of Hind Rajab"

KW: Two of these films are also nominated for Best Picture. But I think Joachim Trier’s inclusion in Best Director signals broader support for “Sentimental Value.”

MM: Everything in my being wants to say “Sentimental Value,” but I’m going with its fellow Best Picture contender, “The Secret Agent.” A lot of Brazilian voters in the Academy.

MS: I wouldn’t be surprised if it was “Sentimental Value,” but I’m opting for “The Secret Agent” here.

RM: I feel like this is the category where the Academy gives “Sentimental Value” its flowers

Best Animated Feature

And the nominees are...

• "Arco"
• "Elio"
• "KPop Demon Hunters"
• "Little Amelie or the Character of Rain"
• "Zootopia 2"

KW: ”Kpop Demon Hunters” cleaned up at all the precursors. This might be the lockiest of locks.

MM: Much like I will be stunned if “Golden” doesn’t win, I’ll be shocked if “KPop Demon Hunters” doesn’t win, in no small part due to its hit song. “Zootopia 2” is a dark horse here, though.

MS: I’d personally love the delightfully charming “Little Amelie” to land the win here, but it’s gonna be “KPop Demon Hunters,” right?

RM: Social media will be furious if anything but “KPop Demon Hunters” wins. Stand down, K-pop fans, I think your horse has got this one.

And the Tom’s Guide Movie Award winners are …

Ahead of the 2026 Oscars, Tom’s Guide’s streaming team sat down to highlight some of the very best movies of 2025, celebrating (among other things) the Best Theatrical Movie of the last 12 months, Netflix’s best release of 2025, and I got to shout my mouth off about “No Other Choice” getting entirely shut out of the Oscars since it came out on top in our Best Thriller category. We also asked our readers to choose their top watch of 2025, too, and more than 3300 people had their say (though I won’t spoil which film came out on top).

If you’re looking forward to seeing which filmmakers The Academy will recognize this evening, why not check out the inaugural Tom’s Guide Movie Awards to see which films we loved the most, too?

— MS

Best Adapted Screenplay

And the nominees are...

• “Bugonia“
• "Frankenstein"
• "Hamnet"
• "One Battle After Another"
• “Train Dreams“

KW: "One Battle After Another" will add this to the trophy pile.

MM: "One Battle After Another" just won this award from the Writers Guild of America. That doesn’t make it a lock, but I will be surprised if it doesn’t win here as well.

MS: Ditto what everyone else is seeing; it’s another "One Battle After Another" win here, I feel.

RM: “One Battle After Another", a front-runner for Best Picture, so a screenplay win seems logical.

Best original screenplay

And the nominees are...

• “Blue Moon“
• “It Was Just an Accident“
• "Marty Supreme"
• “Sentimental Value"
• "Sinners"

KW: Just as its biggest rival will prevail in adapted, "Sinners" will win original screenplay.

MM: Just like with “One Battle After Another,” I expect that "Sinners" will repeat its WGA win here.

MS: Anything else than "Sinners" in this category feels like it’d be a real surprise.

RM: Same logic as before, "Sinners" is the other major Best Picture contender, so it also wins in its screenplay field, keeping the battle alive going into the final few awards.

Best Supporting Actor

And the nominees are...

• Benicio del Toro ("One Battle After Another")
• Jacob Elordi ("Frankenstein")
• Delroy Lindo ("Sinners")
• Sean Penn ("One Battle After Another")
• Stellan Skarsgard ("Sentimental Value")

KW: While I’d love for this to go to Stellan Skarsgard or Delroy Lindo, it’s very unlikely. When a supporting actor wins SAG and BAFTA, 13 out of 15 times, he goes on to win Oscar. And that’s Sean Penn.

MM: I think this is where “Sentimental Value” gets its flowers, with Stellan Skarsgård taking home his first Academy Award in a decades-long career. Sadly, I don’t think Benicio will be drinking a few small beers with a tiny golden statuette.

MS: Much as I’d love to award this to Jacob Elordi or Benicio del Toro (his “few small beers” dance deserves that trophy, frankly), I could see this being a Sean Penn win.

RM: Sean Penn, based on his wins at the BAFTAs and the Actor Awards.

Best Supporting Actress

And the nominees are...

• Elle Fanning ("Sentimental Value")
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas ("Sentimental Value")
• Amy Madigan ("Weapons")
• Wunmi Mosaku ("Sinners")
• Teyana Taylor ("One Battle After Another")

KW: This is, by far, the hardest category to predict. Amy Madigan, Wunmi Mosaku and Teyana Taylor each took precursors. SAG is the most predictive of all of them, so I’m going with Madigan.

MM: I’ve picked Teyana Taylor in an Oscars pool I’m participating in, but I’m starting to think there’s a real chance Amy Madigan gets a deserved win for her villainous performance in “Weapons.” I’m okay with being wrong here.

MS: I’d like to board the Amy Madigan hype train, myself, but would also not be surprised to see Wunmi Mosaku or Teyana Taylor lifting that trophy.

RM: 40 years between Oscar nominations is the type of narrative the Academy loves to recognize, so even with the horror genre often being overlooked, I’m saying Amy Madigan.

Can you guess the Oscar Best Picture winners?

Best Actress

And the nominees are...

• Jessie Buckley ("Hamnet")
• Rose Byrne ("If I Had Legs I’d Kick You")
• Kate Hudson (“Song Sung Blue”)
• Renate Reinsve ("Sentimental Value")
• Emma Stone ("Bugonia")

KW: Jessie Buckley is the second lockiest of locks in this year’s Oscars.

MM: Buckley.

MS: If this block of text isn’t five people predicting Jessie Buckley will win, I don’t know what we’re doing here.

RM: Jessie Buckley, it’s not even a debate.

Best Actor

And the nominees are...

• Timothée Chalamet ("Marty Supreme")
• Leonardo DiCaprio ("One Battle After Another")
• Ethan Hawke ("Blue Moon")
• Michael B. Jordan ("Sinners")
• Wagner Moura ("The Secret Agent")

KW: Another topsy-turvy race. Early on, Timothée Chalamet looked unbeatable, but he didn’t win the most important precursors. As his star dimmed, Michael B. Jordan’s brightened. I think that SAG win paves the way for Oscar glory.

MM: The SAG Awards may be rebranded as The Actor Awards, but they’re still not highly predictive of a Best Actor Oscar win. That said, I do think Michael B. Jordan beats out Timothée Chalamet, with Ethan Hawke coming in a surprisingly close third (not that we’ll ever know).

MS: After lifting the trophy at the Actor Awards, this feels like a Michael B. Jordan win to me — sorry, Timothée, I don’t think you’re bagging that Oscar just yet.

RM: Momentum is big in the Oscar race, and Michael B. Jordan has picked up speed at the perfect moment. I might be a card-carrying member of Club Chalamet, but his campaign has lost steam at the worst possible time. The cocky interviews probably didn’t help his cause.

Best Directing

And the nominees are...

• Chloe Zhao ("Hamnet")
• Josh Safdie ("Marty Supreme")
• Paul Thomas Anderson ("One Battle After Another")
• Joachim Trier ("Sentimental Value")
• Ryan Coogler ("Sinners")

KW: Paul Thomas Anderson is due. He’s got 14 nominations, no wins — that will be corrected this year.

MM: The last Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film winner not to win the Oscar for Best Director was Sam Mendes in 2019. Before that, it was Ben Affleck for Argo in 2012. This is a highly predictive award, and so Paul Thomas Anderson is a prohibitive favorite to win after taking home the DGA precursor.

MS: The real question is "One Battle After Another" or “Sinners,” or in this case, will it be Paul Thomas Anderson or Ryan Coogler? My money’s on PTA here.

RM: After 14 nominations without a win across various categories over the years, I think 2026 is the year Paul Thomas Anderson finally gets his hands on a gold statue.

Best Picture

And the nominees are...

• "Bugonia"
• "F1"
• "Frankenstein"
• "Hamnet"
• "Marty Supreme"
• "One Battle After Another"
• "The Secret Agent"
• "Sentimental Value"
• "Sinners"
• "Train Dreams"

KW: This is a two-horse race between "One Battle After Another" and “Sinners.” The latter has seemingly surged in recent weeks, thanks to the SAG ensemble win. But I still think “OBAA” will win the big prize. It took almost all of the other major precursors and many guild awards, indicating broad support across the industry. Will I be shocked at a "Sinners" upset? Not at all, but I still think it’ll be a very close No. 2 to “One Battle After Another.”

MM: "Sinners" will deliver the stunning moment of this Oscars ceremony when it beats out “One Battle After Another.” It would be one of the most shocking upsets in the history of the Academy Awards, but I have a gut feeling that the "Sinners" hive is real and will take the crown thanks to the use of ranked choice voting. I think it’s a lot of people’s first or second favorite, and certainly in most people’s top 3. I can see "One Battle After Another" scoring more first-place votes but then falling further down the rankings for those who didn’t think it’s a masterpiece.

MS: Even though there are plenty of deserving films in the running, I’ve long assumed Best Picture would be a two-horse race between "One Battle After Another" and “Sinners,” and after it picked up Best Film at the BAFTAs, I think "One Battle After Another" might land the win over Ryan Coogler’s thriller (but I would be more than happy to be wrong).

RM: I’m sticking with the prediction I’ve had all awards season and going with "One Battle After Another." It has the precursor awards and the industry support to hold off “Sinners” formidable challenge.

Which movie will win Best Picture tonight?

Where to watch the Oscars 2026 red carpet coverage

The Oscars don’t officially start until the ceremony, but the real spectacle begins hours earlier when Hollywood hits the red carpet in couture, diamonds and the occasional “bold” fashion choice. The main lead-in is “The Oscars Red Carpet Show,” airing at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT on ABC and Hulu. Hosted by Tamron Hall and Jesse Palmer, the official 30-minute special highlights the nominees, performers and presenters as they arrive.

Coverage actually started much earlier with “On the Red Carpet at the Oscars,” which began at 3:30 p.m. ET across ABC’s local stations and streams on ABC News Live.

Oscar movies on 4K Blu-ray

There’s no better time to revisit some of the greatest Oscar-winning movies ever made, preferably in the best quality possible. If you’ve got a great TV (especially an OLED), 4K Ultra HD discs still deliver the best picture and sound you can get at home.

Tom’s Guide’s resident 4K collector Phil Rodrigues — who owns more than 300 discs — has recommended 12 Oscar-winning movies that look incredible in 4K. From “The Silence of the Lambs” to Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” every pick is available on Amazon now, meaning you can get them in time for Oscars weekend.

Check out the full Oscars 4K movies collection here

Red carpet photos: The stars are shining

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More red carpet pics

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The Oscars are about to begin!

We're about five minutes from showtime, so hit the bathroom, gather your snacks and beverages, finish your Oscar pool ballot, and get comfy because the night is just beginning.

And heeere's Conan to start the show

Host Conan O'Brien kicks off the Oscars with a sketch referencing a bunch of the year's movies, including "Weapons," "F1," "Marty Supreme," "Hamnet," "One Battle After Another," "Kpop Demon Hunters," "Sentimental Value" and "Sinners."

'This year, everything's going great!'

Conan's opening monologue began with cracks on the state of the world, Timothée Chalamet's remarks about ballet and opera, and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos being at a theater "for the first time."

He segued into jokes about the nominated films. The thing I most like about Conan as a host is his genuine enthusiasm for movies. Nothing is too snarky; mostly dad jokes. Like "F1" getting a sequel called "Caps Lock." I admit: I laughed.

Conan also mentioned the fact that he co-starred with nominee Rose Byrne in "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You." (He was fantastic in the movie, BTW.)

He saved his more cutting digs for certain political figures, the U.S. healthcare system and AI.

And a musical bit!

Conan ends his opening act with a musical number, based on his winning a faux achievement award, complete with Josh Groban and a bird flying his trophy in.

The first category is best supporting actress. And the winner is ...

Last year's supporting actress Oscar winner, Zoe Saldaña, announced this year's recipient:

Amy Madigan, "Weapons"

This was a very tough category to predict. The precursors were split between Madigan, Wunmi Mosaku ("Sinners") and Teyana Taylor ("One Battle After Another."

Madigan, a longtime veteran of the industry, took the stage and was a true delight. "I'm a little flummoxed," she said, before paying tribute to her fellow nominees.

She thanked the movie's writer/director Zach Creggar, as well as her family and husband Ed Harris.

The big change coming to the Oscars

Coming back from a commercial break, Conan brings up the fact that the Oscars will move from ABC to YouTube in 2029. He starts to assure everyone that nothing will change — only to be interrupted by a loud, aggressive commercial from Jane Lynch.

Fingers crossed this joke remains just that.

The best animated feature winner is ...

"Kpop Demon Hunters."

Absolutely no surprise here, and I fully expect "Golden" to take best song later in the show.

The best animated short winner is ...

"The Girl Who Cried Pearls" by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski

Before announcing the winner, Will Arnett got a lot of applause when he declares animation is created by people, not AI. "It's art, not a prompt." Word.

The first Oscar-nominated song performance

"Sinners" star Miles Caton takes the stage for the first song performance of the evening, "I Lied to You." It's a gorgeously designed, soulful number and makes me want to rewatch "Sinners" immediately. They get a standing ovation, which makes me wonder if maybe "Golden" doesn't have the category in the bag.

The costume design winner is ...

"Frankenstein."

The entire TG streaming team picked this one. I think "Frankenstein" will pull off the rare "three-peat" of winning costume design, makeup and production design.

The Makeup and Hairstyling winner is ...

"Frankenstein."

OK, 2 of 3! Guillermo del Toro's movie looks to clean up in the craft categories.

The first-ever Casting Oscar is up

A perfect choice by the show: The five presenters each come from one of the nominated films: Paul Mescal ("Hamnet"), Gwyneth Paltrow ("Marty Supreme"), Chase Infiniti ("One Battle After Another"), Wagner Moura ("The Secret Agent") and Delroy Lindo ("Sinners").

The Casting winner is ...

Cassandra Kulukundis, "One Battle After Another."

A bit of a surprise here. This race was always down to Kulukundis and Francine Maisler for "Sinners." I thought it would go to the latter, as Maisler is a longtime veteran of the industry and this could be a sort of make-good to "Sinners" if it loses Best Picture. Still, Kulukundis did a fantastic job, if only for finding Chase Infiniti.

The Live-Action Short winner is ...

It's a tie!!!!

When was the last time this happened? I didn't know this could be a thing. Neither did the first winner:

"The Singers" - Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt

And the other winner is:

"Two People Exchanging Saliva" - Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata

Musteata notes this is the third tie in Oscar history. I'll have to fact-check that later.

The Best Supporting Actor winner is ...

Sean Penn, "One Battle After Another"

Hilariously, Penn isn't at the Oscars this evening. Presenter Kieran Culkin notes he "couldn't be here or didn't want to," and accepts it on his behalf.

How many ties have there been in Oscar history?

Apparently, there have been six Oscar ties. The first tie occurred 1932 in the Best Actor category. The most famous was in 1969 when Katharine Hepburn ("The Lion in Winter") and Barbra Streisand ("Funny Girl") tied.

The Best Adapted Screenplay winner is ...

"One Battle After Another" - Paul Thomas Anderson; based on the novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon

The screenplay categories are locks, for the two biggest movies of the night.

The Best Original Screenplay winner is ...

"Sinners" – Ryan Coogler

As I said, these screenplay categories have been wrapped up for ages.

Unfortunately, this might be the last time we see Coogler on the stage, if he loses Best Director to Paul Thomas Anderson and Best Picture to "One Battle After Another." So, he uses his time wisely to thank everyone he possibly can.

In Memoriam: Rob Reiner

The "in memoriam" section of the Oscars is always sobering, but this one is particularly so, as they dedicated an individual segment to Rob Reiner, given by Billy Crystal. Reiner was one of the greats and seeing a retrospective of his work highlights what a tragedy his murder really was.

Remembering the stars gone by

After the Rob Reiner tribute, the rest of the In Memoriam honors the other industry members who have died in the last year, including three-time nominee Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, Catherine O'Hara, Val Kilmer, Diane Ladd, Graham Greene, Michael Madsen and Robert Redford.

The Best Production Design winner is ...

"Frankenstein" – Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau

And "Frankenstein" has done it — it pulled off the "design trifecta." Winning Production Design, Costume Design and Makeup is very rare. Previous winners include "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2004), "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2015), and "Mad Max: Fury Road" (2016).

The Best Visual Effects winner ...

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett

Cute that Sigourney Weaver got to hand over the trophy to her colleagues.

The Best Documentary Short winner is ...

"All the Empty Rooms" – Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones

You should check out this really affecting short film that memorializes the untouched bedrooms of kids killed in school shootings. One of the parents is there to decry gun violence and advocate for change.

The Best Documentary Feature Film winner is ...

"Mr Nobody Against Putin" – David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin, Helle Faber, and Alžběta Karásková

My colleagues and I didn't enter picks for this category, but I would've chosen this as my prediction. It's about oligarchs, control of media, and how small acts can erode a country's identity. This doc is about the Ukraine-Russia war, but it resonates closer to home.

The Best Score winner is ...

"Sinners" – Ludwig Göransson

Another pretty inevitable category. "Sinners" was so much about music, and Göransson's score masterfully blended blues, folk and more modern elements.

The Best Sound winner is ...

"F1" – Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, and Juan Peralta

Look, I think we can all agree "F1's" Best Picture nomination is ... dicey. But the sound work truly was excellent.

The Best Film Editing winner is ...

"One Battle After Another" – Andy Jurgensen

I think that the car chase scene alone won this and will also win Cinematography.

The Best Cinematography winner is ...

"Sinners" – Autumn Durald Arkapaw

Oooh, a pleasant surprise! I thought "OBAA" had this in the bag for the car chase scene alone, but I'm glad to see the stunning work in "Sinners" recognized. And for Arkapaw as the first woman to win this award.

Up, up, up!

It's been awhile since that "Sinners" performance. Finally, "Golden" gets its turn, and it is as rousing as always. I thought the staging was a little boring, though.

The Best International Feature Film winner is ...

"Sentimental Value" (Norway) in Norwegian, Swedish, and English – directed by Joachim Trier

This was definitely a hot race, since both "Sentimental Value" and "The Secret Agent" were nominated in Best Picture. But ultimately, "Sentimental Value" had broader support (just look at its three acting nominations and directing nom).

The Best Song winner is ...

"Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters – Music and lyrics by Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, 24, Ido, and Teddy Park

The first K-pop song to win an Oscar. Hopefully, not the last.

The Best Director winner is ...

Paul Thomas Anderson, "One Battle After Another"

This was foretold after Anderson won the DGA. The Oscars are usually in lockstep with the guild in this category. And well-deserved. Prior to this evening, Anderson had been nominated 14 times without a win. It's been a long time coming!

The Best Actor winner is ...

Michael B. Jordan, "Sinners"

Yessssssssss!

I've been watching his career since he was Wallace on "The Wire." Let's gooooo!

The Best Actress winner is ...

Jessie Buckley, "Hamnet"

Buckley was the lockiest of locks going into the ceremony. She's been destined to win this since "Hamnet" first made the festival rounds. Fortunately, her next film, "The Bride!", came out after Oscar voting had ended. It was terrible enough to possibly have sunk her bid.

And last but certainly not least, the Best Picture winner is ...

"One Battle After Another"

The two-horse race turned out to be a little less of a photo finish than I'd imagined. "Sinners" certainly got its flowers, but all the precursors were right and "OBAA" prevailed.

What a night

And the broadcast ends with another sketch. Conan is told he's been tapped as Oscars host for life. He's shown to a corner office — much like Sean Penn's in "One Battle After Another." Uh oh ....

Bragging rights

OK, who won our informal office Oscars pool? Me! Well, it was a tie. My colleague Rory Mellon and I both got 18 out of the 20 categories we predicted. (We both missed out on Cinematography and Casting.)

A few Oscars 2026 takeaways

That's a wrap on the 2026 Oscars. It wasn't the most scintillating of ceremonies, though all of the nominated movies were very worthy.

I was surprised there weren't more speeches tinged with politics. There were a few, especially in minor categories, and some references by presenters. Overall, though, most of the big winners played it safe.

Conan O'Brien was a very genial host. He had a few gasp-inducing quips, but otherwise, wasn't really provocative or that memorable.

Mostly, it was a fairly predictable night, even if more categories felt like a toss-up this last week. But the fact that two TG staffers correctly predicted 18/20 races indicates it all went pretty much according to plan.

Still, I leave this Oscars happy with the state of movies in general. Can't wait to see what this next year brings.