Entertainment
The Oscars 2026 Are Here And the Gap Between Who Will Win and Who Should Win Is Wider Than Ever…
As Hollywood gears up for the 98th Academy Awards, THR’s top critics reveal the names the Academy is likely to crown — and the ones that actually deserve the gold.
Every year, as the red carpet gets rolled out and the speeches get rehearsed, one conversation dominates Hollywood: not just who will win, but who should. And for the 98th Annual Academy Awards — better known as the Oscars 2026 — that gap between the expected and the deserved might be the most talked-about subplot of the entire ceremony.
The Hollywood Reporter’s awards expert Scott Feinberg and chief film critic David Rooney have both weighed in ahead of tonight’s show, and what emerges from their analysis is a picture of an Academy that is, as always, torn between honoring prestige and acknowledging true artistic brilliance.
So let’s break it down — category by category — and make sense of the night ahead.
Best Picture: The Frontrunner Nobody Can Quite Argue With
The Best Picture race this season has been anything but predictable. The films vying for the top prize represent a striking range of ambition — from sweeping historical epics to intimate character studies. What the pundits largely agree on, however, is that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tends to reward a certain kind of movie: one that feels “important” without being too challenging.
The film most likely to walk away with the statue is the kind of prestige production that checks those boxes. It has the right producer pedigree, the right awards-circuit momentum, and the right emotional arc. But does it represent the best filmmaking of the year? That depends on who you ask.
Critics like Rooney have been more enthusiastic about a different contender — something rawer, more formally daring, and ultimately more honest about the human condition. That film may very well leave the night empty-handed, which would be a quiet tragedy dressed up in an expensive tuxedo.
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Best Director: The Snub Waiting to Happen
Historically, the Directors branch of the Academy has shown a preference for scope over subtlety. Grand canvases. Technical mastery. The director who makes you feel the scale of what they’ve built.
This year’s lineup features one name — a filmmaker whose work has been described as a career-defining achievement — who is the odds-on favorite according to virtually every prediction model tracked by Gold Derby. And yet, there is another name in that category: a director who delivered something quieter, more personal, and more original. A film that crept under the skin rather than demanding attention.
If the Academy goes with the expected choice, it will be a safe, defensible call. If it surprises everyone and goes the other way, it will be one of those rare moments the ceremony is remembered for beyond the memes.
Best Actress: The Role of a Lifetime vs. the Performance of the Year
Few categories at this year’s Oscars carry the weight that Best Actress does.
The frontrunner has delivered what many are calling one of the most controlled, precisely calibrated performances in recent memory — a transformation that required not just acting skill but genuine emotional excavation. Her campaign has been meticulous, her press tour warm and disarming, and her industry relationships are the envy of her competitors.
But here’s the thing: there is another performance in this race that multiple critics — including those at The Hollywood Reporter — consider the more revelatory work. Less polished, more dangerous, utterly without vanity. The kind of acting that makes you forget you’re watching acting.
The Academy will likely reward the former. Cinephiles will quietly mourn the latter.
Best Actor: A Crowded Field, a Clear Favorite
The Best Actor category has been somewhat more predictable this cycle, though “predictable” at the Oscars is always a relative term.

The performance generating the most heat belongs to an actor whose career has long been considered one of the most interesting in Hollywood — someone who has circled this kind of material for years and finally found the role that synthesizes everything he’s capable of. His work this year is being described by critics as the fullest expression of his abilities to date.
Whether the Academy agrees is another question. Voters have complicated relationships with actors they admire — sometimes honoring career achievement over individual performance, sometimes doing the opposite. This year, the two impulses seem to be pointing in the same direction, which is unusual. Don’t be shocked if the envelope produces the name everyone expects.
Best Supporting Actress and Actor: Where the Real Surprises Live
If history has taught awards watchers anything, it’s that the supporting categories are where the Oscars come alive. The Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor races are this year’s most genuinely contested fields, and either one could produce the evening’s defining moment.
Both categories feature a blend of seasoned veterans and relative newcomers — actors whose work in smaller, stranger films somehow managed to cut through the noise of a very crowded release calendar. One supporting performance, in particular, has been praised by both Feinberg and Rooney as the kind of work that elevates every scene it’s in — and arguably elevates the film itself beyond what it might have been without that presence.
The Ones That Should Have Been Here
No Oscars conversation is complete without the names that aren’t in the room.
This year’s omissions have sparked the usual outrage on social media and in the pages of Variety and IndieWire Films that critics championed throughout the year that didn’t find traction with Academy voters. Performances that dazzled festival audiences but somehow failed to translate into nomination momentum. Directors whose vision was clearly singular but whose films weren’t released through the right studios at the right time.
The Academy, for all its reforms over the past decade, still operates within a system shaped by money, relationships, and campaigns. That’s not a cynical observation — it’s just the reality of how nominations are accumulated. And some of this year’s best work fell victim to that system.
What Tonight Is Really About
Underneath all the analysis, the predictions, and the discourse, the Oscars remain something genuinely worth caring about — not because they get it right every time, but because they force us to argue about what cinema means, what stories deserve to be told, and who gets to tell them.
The 98th Annual Academy Awards will produce winners who will carry those gold statuettes into a world that is still figuring out what the movies are for in an era of streaming, AI-generated content, and fractured attention spans. That context makes tonight’s choices feel more urgent than usual.
Whatever the Academy decides, the conversation will continue. It always does.
The 98th Annual Academy Awards ceremony airs tonight. Full results will be updated as the evening unfolds.
Entertainment
From ‘Euphoria’ to the Recording Studio: Storm Reid Reveals the Story Behind Her Debut Single ‘Clean Sweep’
The actress-turned-singer is stepping into music with confidence, opening up about creative freedom, personal growth, and moving beyond the world of Euphoria.
For years, audiences have watched Storm Reid captivate screens with emotionally powerful performances. Now, the rising Hollywood star is embracing a new challenge—music.
The actress has officially entered the recording world with her debut single, Clean Sweep, a project that represents far more than a simple career expansion. For Reid, the song symbolizes self-discovery, artistic freedom, and a willingness to explore new creative territory without waiting for approval from others.
Speaking about her musical journey, Reid explained that she has spent considerable time searching for her own sound while learning to trust her instincts as an artist. The result is a debut release that reflects both confidence and curiosity as she continues to evolve beyond acting.
The move comes during a pivotal moment in Reid’s career. Having gained international recognition through projects including HBO’s Euphoria, the actress is now navigating the next phase of her professional life as the acclaimed drama approaches its conclusion.
Known for portraying Gia Bennett, the younger sister of Zendaya’s character Rue, Reid became an important part of the show’s emotional foundation. Her performance earned praise from critics and fans alike, helping establish her as one of Hollywood’s most promising young talents.
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Yet while Euphoria remains a significant chapter in her story, Reid appears eager to broaden her creative horizons.
Rather than viewing music as a side project, she has approached it as another form of storytelling. Much like acting, songwriting and recording allow her to connect with audiences through emotion, vulnerability, and personal experience.
Industry observers note that Reid joins a growing number of performers who successfully transition between multiple creative disciplines. However, what sets her apart is her commitment to authenticity. Instead of chasing trends, she has emphasized the importance of discovering a sound that feels genuinely her own.

The release of Clean Sweep also arrives at a time when fans are increasingly interested in seeing artists break traditional career boundaries. For Reid, that freedom appears central to her artistic philosophy.
By giving herself permission to experiment and create without external expectations, she has opened the door to opportunities that may have once seemed outside her comfort zone.
As conversations continue about the future of Euphoria, Reid’s focus remains firmly on growth. Whether through film, television, or now music, she is building a career defined not by limitations but by exploration.
With Clean Sweep, Storm Reid isn’t simply releasing a song—she is introducing audiences to a new side of herself. And if her acting career is any indication, this latest chapter may only be the beginning.
Entertainment
A Quiet Place Makers’ Secret Sci-Fi Script Lands Big Studio Deal… Steven Spielberg Joins as Producer in Shocking Move
Filmmaking duo Scott Beck & Bryan Woods team up with Steven Spielberg as their mysterious new high-concept sci-fi project heads to Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures.
The creative minds behind A Quiet Place are heading back into the sci-fi space with a new high-concept project that has already generated serious Hollywood buzz.
Filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods have reportedly sold a mysterious original spec script that will be developed as a major science-fiction feature under Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures.
While plot details are being tightly guarded, insiders describe the project as a “high-concept sci-fi thriller,” a genre the duo has already proven successful in with their breakout hit A Quiet Place. The secrecy surrounding the script has only intensified industry curiosity, with speculation building around its tone, scale, and narrative direction.
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Adding significant weight to the project is the involvement of legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who is attached as a producer through Amblin Entertainment. Spielberg’s participation instantly elevates the project’s profile, signaling strong studio confidence in the script’s potential.
The collaboration marks another strategic partnership between Amblin and Universal Pictures, two studios that have long been central to some of the most influential sci-fi and adventure films in Hollywood history. With Spielberg’s legacy in genre-defining storytelling and Beck & Woods’ modern horror-thriller sensibilities, expectations are already high.

Industry insiders suggest the script sparked a competitive internal interest before landing at Amblin, a common occurrence when original high-concept ideas emerge from established creators. However, the exact reasons behind the project’s appeal remain undisclosed—intentionally preserved to maintain suspense around its premise.
Beck and Woods first gained major recognition with A Quiet Place, a film that redefined modern horror through silence-driven tension and emotional storytelling. Their continued collaboration in the sci-fi space indicates a strong commitment to blending intimate human drama with large-scale speculative concepts.
As development begins, no casting or production timeline has been officially announced. Still, with Spielberg attached and two studios backing the vision, the project is already shaping up to be one of the most closely watched sci-fi developments in Hollywood.
For now, the biggest mystery remains the simplest question: what exactly is the story?
Entertainment
Morgan Freeman Enters Music Scene With Powerful Blues Project Alongside Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’… “A Journey Into America’s Soul”
The legendary actor produces and narrates a new blues album featuring Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’, celebrating the deep emotional roots of American music and culture.
Hollywood icon Morgan Freeman is stepping into a deeply personal new creative chapter—this time far away from the movie set and into the world of music. The Oscar-winning actor is producing and narrating a new blues-focused album that aims to capture what he calls “the sound of America’s past and present.”
The project brings together two legendary musicians, Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’, both widely respected for preserving and evolving traditional blues music for modern audiences. Together, the trio is crafting a musical journey that explores the emotional and cultural roots of the blues genre.
Described as more than just an album, the project is being framed as a storytelling experience—one that traces the history of blues from its early origins to its modern interpretations. Freeman’s narration is expected to guide listeners through themes of struggle, resilience, and cultural identity.
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Speaking about the project’s vision, Freeman emphasized that blues music is not just entertainment, but a living archive of history. The album aims to highlight “the heartbeat of a culture that refused to be forgotten,” blending spoken word storytelling with soulful performances.
Industry insiders say the collaboration stands out not only because of its star power, but because of its intention. Unlike commercial music releases, this project leans heavily into cultural preservation, positioning blues as a foundational force in American music history.

The involvement of Taj Mahal, known for his decades-long dedication to blues innovation, and Keb’ Mo’, a Grammy-winning artist recognized for modernizing the genre, adds both authenticity and emotional depth to the project. Their combined artistry ensures the album is rooted in tradition while still feeling relevant to today’s listeners.
For Morgan Freeman, whose Wikipedia profile highlights a career spanning over five decades, this project is another example of his continued interest in narration-driven storytelling beyond film. His distinctive voice—often associated with wisdom and reflection—now becomes the guiding thread of a musical narrative.
As anticipation builds, fans are already calling the project one of the most unique crossovers between Hollywood and American music culture in recent years. Whether it becomes a chart success or a cultural milestone, the collaboration is already drawing attention for its heartfelt mission: to remind the world where the blues began—and why it still matters.
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