Protest at Oscars over Israel's war in Gaza snarl traffic outside Academy Awards

LOS ANGELES -- Stars are arriving astatine the 96th Academy Awards, wherever protests implicit Israel's warfare successful Gaza are taking spot adjacent the Dolby Theatre successful Los Angeles.

Scattered demonstrations were held successful the vicinity astir the Oscars connected Sunday. Los Angeles police, which had expected protests, beefed up their already extended presence. The Dolby Theatre and the reddish carpet starring into it are cordoned disconnected for respective blocks successful each direction, though protesters disrupted postulation for immoderate making their mode to the awards.

Among the aboriginal arrivals Sunday were Jamie Lee Curtis, past year's champion supporting histrion winner, Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin and members of the Osage Nation, who volition articulation Scott George to execute "Wahzhazhe" from "Killers of the Flower Moon."

The Oscars, kicking disconnected connected ABC astatine 7 p.m. EDT Sunday, are springing guardant an hr earlier than accustomed owed to daylight redeeming time. But speech from the clip shift, this year's amusement is going for galore tried-and-true Academy Awards traditions. Jimmy Kimmel is backmost arsenic host. Past winners are flocking backmost arsenic presenters. And a large workplace epic is poised for a large awards haul.

"Oppenheimer," the blockbuster biopic, is wide expected to overpower each contention - including its release-date companion, "Barbie" - astatine an election-year Oscars that could crook into a coronation for Christopher Nolan.

Still, overmuch is circling astir this year's show. Aside from the Israel-Hamas war, the warfare successful Ukraine volition beryllium connected immoderate attendees' minds, peculiarly those of the writer filmmakers down the documentary favorite, "20 Days successful Mariupol." And with the statesmanlike predetermination successful afloat swing, authorities could beryllium an unavoidable taxable contempt an awards play that's played retired mostly successful a vacuum.

Hollywood besides has plentifulness of its ain tempest clouds to interest itself with.

The 2023 movie twelvemonth was defined by a prolonged onslaught implicit the aboriginal of an manufacture that's reckoning with the onset of streaming, artificial quality and shifting moviegoer tastes that person tested adjacent the astir bankable brands. The academy, portion besides wide nominating films similar "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Poor Things," embraced some "Oppenheimer," the pb nominee with 13 nods, and Greta Gerwig's "Barbie," the year's biggest deed with much than $1.4 cardinal successful summons income and 8 nominations.