Why you need to spring forward & fall back this weekend
The Oscars telecast starts an hour earlier than ever before
Hollywood’s stars will align this Sunday night at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and already I know what you’re thinking: Margot Robbie can’t wait to burn her pink duds. This bud’s for you, dollface: let it go now.
For everyone else, I say: set your clocks for 6:30 pm ET this Sunday so you can watch the red carpet arrivals. The awards ceremony begins at 7:00 pm on ABC.
Like you, I don’t know who will emerge victorious in the contest for Actress in a Leading Role, which I’ve dubbed “Stone vs. Gladstone.” Perhaps a quick reader poll can crowdsource us all in the right direction.
Of course, when I caught Barbra Streisand recently accepting her Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild, I remembered a tie in this category would not be unprecedented. Indeed, Streisand and Katharine Hepburn both received the exact same number of votes for Best Actress in 1969. So I hope Emma and Lily make time to review this classic moment before Sunday.
If there’s a major upset and Annette Bening wins, that’s cool, too.
On the other hand, I am willing to bet “20 Days in Mariupol” will walk away with honors for Documentary Feature Film. This is a bold claim, given I haven’t seen any of the other four films nominated here! But Lydia Polgreen’s super compelling opinion piece last July definitely put this one on my radar. Plus, “Navalny” presciently prevailed in this category in 2023, when the war in Ukraine was only one year old.
(A very serious disclaimer to all would-be viewers of “20 Days in Mariupol”: the official warning at the start of the film reads: “This program contains graphic imagery of war that may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.”)
I cannot overstate what an understatement this is. Sickened by what I saw, I wept throughout “20 Days.”
Fortunately, after watching “The Last Repair Shop,” I cried tears of profound, uplifted joy. At just under 40 minutes, this is a long short, which highlights both students and staff in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Their common bond is a love of music and very personal attachments to their musical instruments. The title is quite literal, too: this is the very last repair shop of its kind in America, on the verge of extinction. If it weren’t for the dedicated craftspeople who lovingly nurture and restore a busted clarinet or a warped cello, the students would suffer immeasurable loss.
A personal guarantee from me to you»»»”The Last Repair Shop” will brighten your day, your week, and maybe even your entire month. See for yourself; the ending is a revelation you simply must see and you surely do deserve.