By BRIAN MARKS, US ASSISTANT SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR

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Conan O'Brien reported for duty on Wednesday as he helped to roll out the red carpet ahead of Sunday's 97th Academy Awards ceremony.

The 61-year-old comedian and talk show host stood tall for a salute as he joined workers setting up for the high-profile ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

The beloved comic is making his debut as Oscars host after noting at a press conference the same day that he had 'never even been invited' before. 

'I only agreed to host so that I could get invited,' he joked, according to USA Today.

Even though he was working up a bit of a sweat, O'Brien looked as dapper as ever in a dark suit, which he wore with a light-blue shirt and a tasteful navy tie with diagonal white stripes.

The former Simpsons writer also rocked a set of translucent amber-colored sunglasses that complemented his towering red hair.

Conan O'Brien, 61, reported for duty on Wednesday as he helped to roll out the red carpet ahead of Sunday's 97th Academy Awards ceremony. The comedian stood tall for a salute as he joined workers setting up for the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood

Conan O'Brien, 61, reported for duty on Wednesday as he helped to roll out the red carpet ahead of Sunday's 97th Academy Awards ceremony. The comedian stood tall for a salute as he joined workers setting up for the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood

The beloved comic is making his debut as Oscars host after noting at a press conference the same day that he had 'never even been invited' before

The beloved comic is making his debut as Oscars host after noting at a press conference the same day that he had 'never even been invited' before

O'Brien couldn't help but put on a show for photographers and reporters gathered to document the tradition.

At one point, he laid down on the thick roll of partially laid-out red carpet.

But after pitching a leg on the roll and saluting as if to claim the red carpet, he got down on his hands and knees to roll out the carpet with other workers.

During the press conference, O'Brien signaled he wouldn't be avoiding political material at Sunday's ceremony, but he also hoped to avoid any jokes that were overly divisive.

'As the host, I cannot ignore the moment we’re in,' he said. 'But we’re threading the needle, and we have to remember what we’re celebrating and infuse the show with positivity. It’s a difficult line to walk, but I’m determined to figure it out.'

The show's executive producer Raj Kapoor also noted the ceremony will feature 'uplifting' moments highlighting Los Angeles in the wake of the devastating fires that ripped through multiple neighborhoods through most of January. 

O'Brien said he did his part to support the City of Angels by having his tuxedo for the night made at the esteemed LA High Society — even though he won't get to keep the custom formal wear. 

'We wanted to do something that was from the community. It’s the nicest thing I have ever put on in my life,' he said. 'It has my name on the inside, but I’m still told I won’t be able to keep it.

'I only agreed to host so that I could get invited,' he joked, according to USA Today

'I only agreed to host so that I could get invited,' he joked, according to USA Today

Even though he was working up a bit of a sweat, O'Brien looked as dapper as ever in a dark suit, which he wore with a light-blue shirt and a tasteful navy tie with diagonal white stripes

Even though he was working up a bit of a sweat, O'Brien looked as dapper as ever in a dark suit, which he wore with a light-blue shirt and a tasteful navy tie with diagonal white stripes

O'Brien couldn't help but put on a show for photographers and reporters gathered to document the tradition. At one point, he laid down on the thick roll of partially laid-out red carpet

O'Brien couldn't help but put on a show for photographers and reporters gathered to document the tradition. At one point, he laid down on the thick roll of partially laid-out red carpet

The former Simpsons writer also rocked a set of translucent amber-colored sunglasses that complemented his towering red hair

The former Simpsons writer also rocked a set of translucent amber-colored sunglasses that complemented his towering red hair

But after pitching a leg on the roll and saluting as if to claim the red carpet, he got down on his hands and knees to roll out the carpet with other workers

But after pitching a leg on the roll and saluting as if to claim the red carpet, he got down on his hands and knees to roll out the carpet with other workers

During the press conference, O'Brien signaled he wouldn't be avoiding political material at Sunday's ceremony, but he also hoped to avoid any jokes that were overly divisive

During the press conference, O'Brien signaled he wouldn't be avoiding political material at Sunday's ceremony, but he also hoped to avoid any jokes that were overly divisive

The show's executive producer Raj Kapoor also noted the ceremony will feature 'uplifting' moments highlighting Los Angeles in the wake of its devastating fires in January

The show's executive producer Raj Kapoor also noted the ceremony will feature 'uplifting' moments highlighting Los Angeles in the wake of its devastating fires in January

'I’m six-foot-four,' he added. 'Is John Tesh going to get it?'

O'Brien said he picked the brains of other Oscars hosts, including Billy Crystal, who has hosted the show nine times. 

'He's the all-time great and mastered hosting the Oscars, in my opinion,' Conan gushed. 

He was less complimentary about last year's host, Jimmy Kimmel, who has hosted four times. 

O'Brien joked that Kimmel talked him into going to an expensive seafood restaurant to chat, only to order expensive shell fish and skip out on the bill.

The former Tonight Show host is about to MC one of the most unpredictable Academy Awards ceremonies in recent memory. 

This year's ceremony has an unusually unsettled field in many of the most high-profile categories, including best picture and most of the acting categories.

Emilia Pérez leads the nominations this year with 13, including for best picture, actress (for Karla Sofía Gascón), supporting actress (for Zoe Saldaña), director (for Jacques Audiard), adapted screenplay and original song.

The former Tonight Show host is about to MC one of the most unpredictable Academy Awards ceremonies in recent memory. Emilia Pérez leads this year's nominations with 13

The former Tonight Show host is about to MC one of the most unpredictable Academy Awards ceremonies in recent memory. Emilia Pérez leads this year's nominations with 13

The Brutalist landed in second place with 10 nominations, including for best picture, director (for Brady Corbet), actor (for Adrien Brody), supporting actor (for Guy Pearce), supporting actress (for Felicity Jones), and original screenplay

The Brutalist landed in second place with 10 nominations, including for best picture, director (for Brady Corbet), actor (for Adrien Brody), supporting actor (for Guy Pearce), supporting actress (for Felicity Jones), and original screenplay

The Brutalist landed in second place with 10 nominations, including for best picture, director (for Brady Corbet), actor (for Adrien Brody), supporting actor (for Guy Pearce), supporting actress (for Felicity Jones), and original screenplay.

Wicked tied it for 10 nominations, including for best picture, actress (for Cynthia Erivo), and supporting actress (for Ariana Grande).

Other best pictures nominees include Anora, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, I'm Still Here, Nickel Boys and The Substance. 

The closely watched race for best actor in a leading role got a major shakeup just a week before the Oscars at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, when Timothée Chalamet scored a shock win for his Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. 

Prior to that win, Brody was seemingly the favorite after winning best actor awards at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Movie Awards.

Ralph Fiennes has also doggedly stayed in the running for his role as a British Cardinal struggling to keep a secretive papal election from dissolving into competition and intrigue. 

The best actress category also has no clear frontrunner. Demi Moore has been lauded for her comeback performance in the satirical body-horror film The Substance, which earned her best actress honors from the Critics Choice Awards and the Golden Globes, as well as several critics' organizations. 

But her win a week before the Oscars at the SAG Awards suggests she may be in a prime spot to snatch the Oscar after being nominated for the first time. 

Wicked tied it for 10 nominations, including for best picture, actress (for Cynthia Erivo), and supporting actress (for Ariana Grande)

Wicked tied it for 10 nominations, including for best picture, actress (for Cynthia Erivo), and supporting actress (for Ariana Grande) 

This year's best lead actor race is up in the air after Timothée Chalamet's recent SAG win for A Complete Unknown

This year's best lead actor race is up in the air after Timothée Chalamet's recent SAG win for A Complete Unknown

Brody is also a favorite for The Brutalist, but Ralph Fiennes has gotten plenty of awards-season attention for the papal-selection drama Conclave

Brody is also a favorite for The Brutalist, but Ralph Fiennes has gotten plenty of awards-season attention for the papal-selection drama Conclave

Anora star Mikey Madison, who plays an adult dancer who impetuously marries the son of a Russian Oligarch, was widely acclaimed and was honored by several critics' organizations early in the season. 

Her chances increased significantly after she won the BAFTA for best lead actress, which she followed up with an Independent Spirit Award win in the gender-neutral lead performance category. 

Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón was once a favorite for the award, but she was widely criticized after racist and Islamophobic tweets — some quite recent — that had somehow gone unremarked upon were translated into English and reported on.

Since then, Gascón has sat out awards ceremonies after her posts came to light. After multiple half-hearted apologies, Netflix reportedly opted to stop paying for Gascón's travel and accommodations for awards shows, though a source told People that she still plans to attend the Oscars.

Before the controversy, her nomination was seen as historic, as she is the first openly transgender woman to be nominated in the best actress category. 

Saldaña appears to be the current favorite in the supporting actress category after a string of wins at the Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards, SAG Awards and Critics Choice Awards.

But some of those early awards had voting periods that cut off prior to the controversy around Gascón surfacing, which could potentially harm her chances from voters who were turned off of Emilia Pérez altogether.

Among the best picture nominees, Emilia Pérez once seemed like the most likely winner, but Gascon's offensive posts have threatened its chances.

Anora's Mikey Madison is a late-breaking best actress co-frontrunner after recent wins and controversy that erupted after offensive tweets from Emilia Pérez's Karla Sofía Gascón resurfaced

Anora's Mikey Madison is a late-breaking best actress co-frontrunner after recent wins and controversy that erupted after offensive tweets from Emilia Pérez's Karla Sofía Gascón resurfaced

Demi Moore is the other major frontrunner for the satirical body-horror film The Substance. She has won multiple major awards this season

Demi Moore is the other major frontrunner for the satirical body-horror film The Substance. She has won multiple major awards this season

Saldaña appears to be the current favorite in the supporting actress category after a string of wins at the Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards, SAG Awards and Critics Choice Awards

Saldaña appears to be the current favorite in the supporting actress category after a string of wins at the Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards, SAG Awards and Critics Choice Awards 

After Gascón's offensive tweets surfaced, Emilia Pérez's best picture frontrunner status seemed in question, and Anora has snatched up the top award at multiple ceremonies considered major predictors of the Oscars

After Gascón's offensive tweets surfaced, Emilia Pérez's best picture frontrunner status seemed in question, and Anora has snatched up the top award at multiple ceremonies considered major predictors of the Oscars

The Palme d'Or–winning Anora got a late boost with wins for best picture at the Directors Guild of America Awards and the Producers Guild of America Awards.

Those ceremonies are considered two of the best predictors of Oscars success by awards-season prognosticators, and its win at the Independent Spirit Awards didn't hurt.

The Academy Awards begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and can be watched on ABC and, for the first time, on a streaming service, Hulu.

Subscribers to premium services including Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV and FuboTV can also also catch the ceremony live. 

Oscar winners 2025 full list - see who received honors for this year's Academy Awards

 Best Picture

Anora - WINNER

The Brutalist 

A Complete Unknown 

Conclave 

Dune: Part Two 

Emilia Pérez 

I’m Still Here 

Nickel Boys 

The Substance 

Wicked

Anora was the biggest winner of the night as Mikey Madison earned Best Actress

Anora was the biggest winner of the night as Mikey Madison earned Best Actress

Best Director 

Jacques Audiard — Emilia Pérez

Sean Baker — Anora - WINNER

Brady Corbet — The Brutalist

Coralie Fargeat — The Substance

James Mangold — A Complete Unknown

Actress in a Leading Role

Cynthia Erivo — Wicked 

Karla Sofía Gascón — Emilia Pérez

Mikey Madison — Anora - WINNER

Demi Moore — The Substance 

Fernanda Torres — I’m Still Here 

 

Actor in a Leading Role

Adrien Brody — The Brutalist - WINNER

Timothée Chalamet — A Complete Unknown 

Colman Domingo — Sing Sing 

Ralph Fiennes — Conclave 

Sebastian Stan — The Apprentice

 

Actress in a Supporting Role

Monica Barbaro — A Complete Unknown 

Ariana Grande — Wicked 

Felicity Jones — The Brutalist 

Isabella Rossellini — Conclave 

Zoe Saldaña — Emilia Pérez - WINNER

Zoe Saldana was recognized in the Best Supporting Actress category for Emilia Perez

Zoe Saldana was recognized in the Best Supporting Actress category for Emilia Perez

Actor in a Supporting Role

Yura Borisov — Anora 

Kieran Culkin — A Real Pain - WINNER

Edward Norton — A Complete Unknown 

Guy Pearce — The Brutalist 

Jeremy Strong — The Apprentice 

Animated Feature Film

Flow - WINNER

Inside Out 2

Memoir of a Snail 

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

The Wild Robot

Cinematography

The Brutalist — Lol Crawley - WINNER

Dune: Part Two — Greig Fraser

Emilia Pérez — Paul Guilhaume 

Maria — Ed Lachman 

Nosferatu — Jarin Blaschke

Original Screenplay

Anora — Sean Baker - WINNER

The Brutalist — Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold 

A Real Pain — Jesse Eisenberg

September 5 — Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; co-Written by Alex David

The Substance — Coralie Fargeat

Sean Baker earned three individual honors for Anora in addition to Best Picture

Sean Baker earned three individual honors for Anora in addition to Best Picture

Adapted Screenplay

A Complete Unknown —  James Mangold and Jay Cocks 

Conclave — Peter Straughan - WINNER

Emilia Pérez — Jacques Audiard with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi

Nickel Boys — RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes

Sing Sing — Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John 'Divine G' Whitfield

Achievement in Production Design

The Brutalist 

Conclave 

Dune: Part Two 

Nosferatu 

Wicked - Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales - WINNER

Achievement in Sound

A Complete Unknown

Dune: Part Two - WINNER

Emilia Pérez 

Wicked 

The Wild Robot

Dune: Part Two won Best Achievement in Sound as Gareth John, Richard King, and Ron Bartlett are seen left to right

Dune: Part Two won Best Achievement in Sound as Gareth John, Richard King, and Ron Bartlett are seen left to right

Original Song 

El Mal - Emilia Pérez - Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard - WINNER

The Journey - The Six Triple Eight

Like A Bird - Sing Sing

Mi Camino - Emilia Pérez

Never Too Late - Elton John: Never Too Late

Original Score  

The Brutalist — Daniel Blumberg - WINNER

Conclave — Volker Bertelmann

Emilia Pérez — Clément Ducol and Camille 

Wicked — John Powell and Stephen Schwartz

The Wild Robot — Kris Bowers

Live-Action Short Film

A Lien 

Anuja 

I’m Not a Robot - WINNER

The Last Ranger 

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Animated Short Film

Beautiful Men

In the Shadow of the Cypress - WINNER

Magic Candies

Wander to Wonder

Yuck!

Documentary Feature Film

Black Box Diaries

No Other Land - WINNER

Porcelain War 

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat 

Sugarcane

No Other Land took home Documentary Feature Film as Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, and Yuval Abraham are seen left to right

No Other Land took home Documentary Feature Film as Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, and Yuval Abraham are seen left to right

Documentary Short Film

Death by Numbers 

I Am Ready, Warden

Incident 

Instruments of a Beating Heart 

The Only Girl in the Orchestra - WINNER

International Feature Film

I’m Still Here (Brazil) - WINNER

The Girl With the Needle (Denmark)

Emilia Pérez (France) 

The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany)

Flow (Latvia) 

Makeup and Hairstyling

A Different Man

Emilia Pérez 

Nosferatu

The Substance - Pierre Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli - WINNER

Wicked 

 

Achievement in Costume Design

A Complete Unknown — Arianne Phillips

Conclave — Lisy Christl

Gladiator II — Janty Yates and Dave Crossman 

Nosferatu — Linda Muir

Wicked — Paul Tazewell - WINNER

Blockbuster Wicked did not come away empty handed as Paul Tazewell became the first Black male winner of Achievement in Costume Design

Blockbuster Wicked did not come away empty handed as Paul Tazewell became the first Black male winner of Achievement in Costume Design

 

Achievement in Film Editing

Anora — Sean Baker - WINNER

The Brutalist — David Jancso

Conclave — Nick Emerson 

Emilia Pérez — Juliette Welfling

Wicked — Myron Kerstein 

 

Visual Effects

Alien: Romulus

Better Man

Dune: Part Two  - WINNER

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Wicked

 

Oscars

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