Vanessa Hudgens stepped out in style wearing a supremely sexy black dress for her debut as host with the most for The Oscars Red Carpet Show ahead of the 94th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday evening.
The 33-year-old actress ensured all eyes were on her as she rocked a silky black gown with delicate halter straps tied back behind her shoulders.
Vanessa will join Terrence J and fashion designer Brandon Maxwell to co-host the 90-minute affair for ABC on the red carpet leading up to Hollywood’s biggest night.
Bold and beautiful: Vanessa Hudgens stepped out in style wearing a supremely sexy black dress for her debut as host with the most for The Oscars Red Carpet Show ahead of the 94th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday evening
Her sparkling gown featured a plunging neckline and included cut-outs along the sides just above her hips.
The High School Musical queen rocked a towering pair of metallic silver heels with a peek of a silver stiletto peering out from the back slit of her dress.
Hudgens let a massive emerald and diamond necklace speak for itself, which she paired with a matching set of glowing green earrings.
Stunning: The 33-year-old actress ensured all eyes were on her as she rocked a silky black gown with delicate halter straps tied back behind her shoulders
Strike a pose: Her sparkling gown featured a plunging neckline and included cut-outs along the sides just above her hips
Impressive: Hudgens let a massive emerald and diamond necklace speak for itself, which she paired with a matching set of glowing green earrings
Vanessa wore her dark brown hair parted down the middle and tied up tight into a high updo.
She wore a gold Cartier bracelet and added another pop of color to her ensemble with a green emerald cocktail ring to match her ornate necklace.
Terrence J looked dapper wearing a black tux as he posed on the red carpet ahead of his hosting responsibilities.
The former 106 & Park star looked effortlessly cool in an all-black ensemble complete with patent leather dress shoes.
The higher the hair! Vanessa wore her dark brown hair parted down the middle and tied up tight into a high updo
Bling: She wore a gold Cartier bracelet and added another pop of color to her ensemble with a green emerald cocktail ring to match her ornate necklace
So sharp! Terrence J looked dapper wearing a black tux as he posed on the red carpet ahead of his hosting responsibilities
Star power: The former 106 & Park star looked effortlessly cool in an all-black ensemble complete with patent leather dress shoes
He knows best! Fashion designer Brandon Maxwell rocked a black tuxedo with his signature thick black frames to co-host the red carpet show
The 94th annual Academy Awards ceremony returned to its regular venue of the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California after being held at Union Station last year.
In a rather bold move, the show will be hosted by a trio of stars in Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes as it has gone without a host over the last three years.
The trio have made history as it is the first time there is an all-female host line-up as they are also the first emcees since 2018.
Netflix’s Power Of The Dog led nominations with 12 nods, including best picture, best director and recognition for all of its top actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee.
Campion, a nominee for 1993′s The Piano, became the first woman to ever be nominated twice for best director.
Last year, Chloé Zhao became just the second woman to ever win the award. Campion’s director of photography, Ari Wegner, also became the second woman ever nominated for best cinematography.
Dune followed closely behind with 10 nominations spread out largely in the technical categories that rewarded the gargantuan craft of Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, yet unexpectedly bypassed Villeneuve’s direction.
The Warner Bros. release debuted simultaneously in theaters and — against the strenuous objections of its director — on HBO Max.
With The Power Of The Dog and Dune, the nominees for best picture are: Belfast, CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Licorice Pizza, King Richard, Nightmare Alley and West Side Story.
No streaming service has ever won best picture, but half of the 10 nominees were released by streamers. This year, the odds may be better than ever that Netflix — which led all studios with 27 nominations — or another service will finally break through.
Apple TV+ notched its first best-picture nomination with the deaf drama CODA, which also made history as supporting-actor nominee Troy Kotsur became only the second deaf actor ever nominated as his CODA co-star Marlee Matlin was the first in 1987.
Netflix backed The Power of the Dog and Adam McKay’s apocalyptic comedy Don’t Look Up. And both King Richard and Dune launched on HBO Max. Even the academy for the first time ruled out hard-copy DVD screeners for its members, who instead could watch submissions on the academy’s streaming platform.
It is also set to be a night of great musical performances as Beyonce and Billie Eilish are set to perform but outspoken vaccine skeptic Van Morrison is skipping Hollywood’s biggest night.
All three performers are nominated for best song along with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Diane Warren, whose songs will also be performed on the broadcast.
Pop superstar Beyonce’s Oscar-nominated ballad Be Alive was penned for tennis biopic King Richard, which stars Will Smith as the father of tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams.
Hollywood trade publication Variety reported that Beyonce will perform live from the tennis courts in Compton where the sisters played as children.
Eilish and her brother Finneas will perform No Time To Die from the recent James Bond movie.
But while Morrison, who wrote Down to Joy for Kenneth Branagh’s black-and-white childhood drama Belfast, was invited to perform at the star-studded gala, he ‘will not attend the Oscars due to his tour schedule,’ organizers said.
The singer, known as ‘Van the Man’ to his fans, is due to tour England in late March, before arriving in the US next month for further dates.
Morrison’s high-profile criticism of pandemic restrictions — including three anti-lockdown ‘protest songs’ — and opposition to vaccine mandates had led to questions about whether he would be welcomed at the Oscars.
The ceremony taking place Sunday in Hollywood requires nominees, guests and press to be vaccinated, although performers and presenters are reportedly able to attend without proof of vaccine if they undergo rigorous testing.
Miranda’s Dos Oruguitas from Disney animated movie Encanto will be performed by Sebastian Yatra.
Best known for creating Broadway sensation Hamilton, Miranda will attain the coveted and rare EGOT status for winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award if he wins on Sunday.
Warren’s song Somehow You Do from Four Good Days — which will be performed by Reba McEntire — is her 13th Oscar nomination, but she has never won.
Also performing at the Oscars will be an all-star band including Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, and DJ D-Nice.
There will also be many A-list presenters including Bill Murray, Lady Gaga, Kevin Costner, Samuel L. Jackson, Zoë Kravitz, Lupita Nyong’o. Anthony Hopkins, Lily James, Daniel Kaluuya, and Mila Kunis.
As if that already wasn’t enough John Leguizamo, Simu Liu, Rami Malek, Rosie Perez, Chris Rock, Naomi Scott, Wesley Snipes, Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Yuh-jung Youn, Ruth E. Carter, Halle Bailey, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Shawn Mendes, Tyler Perry, Tracee Ellis Ross, Stephanie Beatriz, DJ Khaled, Jennifer Garner, H.E.R., Tiffany Haddish, Tony Hawk, Elliot Page, Kelly Slater and Shaun White will also be taking to the stage.
One controversy which sprang up earlier this week, however was West Side Story star Rachel Zegler not being invited to the ceremony despite her film being nominated for seven awards.
Zegler, 20, created a bit of a firestorm on social media as she revealed over the weekend that she will not be in attendance at The Oscars despite being the lead – Maria Vasquez – for the Steven Spielberg directed flick.
She posted on Instagram Sunday that she tried to go but ‘it doesn´t seem to be happening’ and that she will be rooting for West Side Story from her couch.
‘I hope some last minute miracle occurs and I can celebrate our film in person but hey, that´s how it goes sometimes, I guess,’ Zegler continued on Instagram. ‘Thanks for all the shock and outrage – I´m disappointed, too. But that’s OK. So proud of our movie.’
However, on Tuesday it was reported by The Hollywood Reporter that she had been invited to present.
OSCARS 2022: NOMINATIONS
BEST PICTURE
Belfast (Focus Features)
Coda (Apple)
Don’t Look Up (Netflix)
Drive My Car (Janus Films/Sideshow)
Dune (Warner Bros)
King Richard (Warner Bros)
Licorice Pizza (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
Nightmare Alley (Searchlight Pictures)
The Power Of The Dog (Netflix)
West Side Story (20th Century Studios)
On the saddle: Power Of The Dog received several nominations including Best Picture
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Jessie Buckley – The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story
Judi Dench – Belfast
Kirsten Dunst- The Power Of The Dog
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Ciaran Hinds – Belfast
Troy Kotsur – Coda
Jesse Plemons – The Power Of The Dog
J.K Simonns – Being The Ricardos
Kodi Smitt-McPhee – The Power Of The Dog
COSTUME DESIGN
Cruella
Cyrano
Dune
Nightmare Alley
West Side Story
Jumping for joy: West Side Story was nominated for Best Costume Design
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND
Belfast
Dune
No Time To Die
The Power Of The Dog
West Side Story
ORIGINAL SCORE
Don’t Look Up
Dune
Encanto
Parallel Mothers
The Power Of The Dog
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Coda
Drive My Car
Dune
The Lost Daughter
The Power Of The Dog
Loud and clear: Coda was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
The Worst Person In The World
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Affairs Of The Heart
Bestia
Box Ballet
Robin Robin
The Windshield Wiper
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Ala Kachuu — Take and Run
The Dress
The Long Goodbye
On My Mind
Please Hold
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Drive My Car
Flee
The Hand of God
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
The Worst Person in the World
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Javier Bardem – Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield – tick, tick… BOOM!
Will Smith – King Richard
Denzel Washington – The Tragedy of Macbeth
Ace? Will Smith is nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for King Richard
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Penélope Cruz – Parallel Mothers
Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos
Kristen Stewart – Spencer
DIRECTING
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi – Drive My Car
Steven Spielberg – West Side Story
At the helm: Jane Campion is nominated in the Best Director category for Power Of The Dog
FILM EDITING
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
The Power Of The Dog
tick, tick…BOOM!
MAKEUP AND HAIR STYLING
Coming 2 America
Cruella
Dune
The Eyes Of Tammy Faye
House Of Gucci
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells VS The Machine
Raya And The Lost Dragon
ORIGINAL SONG
Be Alive — Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Darius Scott (King Richard)
Dos Oruguitas — Lin-Manuel Miranda (Encanto)
Down to Joy — Van Morrison (Belfast)
No Time to Die — Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell (No Time to Die)
Somehow You Do— Diane Warren (Four Good Days)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Audible
Lead Me Home
The Queen of Basketball
Three Songs for Benazir
When We Were Bullies
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Ascension
Attica
Flee
Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Writing with Fire
VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune
Free Guy
No Time To Die
Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Stunning: Dune earned nods in both the Best Visual Effects and Best Cinematography categories
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power Of The Dog
Tragedy Of Macbeth
West Side Story
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