The 94th Annual Academy Awards are finally upon us and we’ve got some high hopes for the show, produced by Will Packer and Shayla Cowan, marking the first time the Oscars will be helmed by an all-Black production team. 

With contenders including Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Ariana DeBose, and Beyoncé, among others, we have a few faces on our list to root for. 

Films like King Richard and West Side Story are also set to make major splashes during the ceremony, as they are both nominated for Best Picture this year, the show’s most coveted award.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 26: Oscar Statue on display at the 94th Oscars Week Events: Animated Feature Film at Samuel Goldwyn Theater on March 26, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

While we know we can expect some show-stopping fashion choices and major star power at the event held at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, we’re also looking forward to a few surprises. 

Here are five things we hope to see at the Oscars: 

Entertaining Hosts

As theGrio previously reported, after three years of not having hosts at all, the Oscars is finally bringing back the popular tradition, with not one, not two, but three hosts. This year will see Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes taking on the biggest night in cinema, and if their impressive resumes are any indication, plenty of laughs will be in store during the event.

On a recent episode of theGrio‘s Acting Up podcast, Will Packer opened up about the hosts, specifically Regina Hall, who while having worked in Hollywood for decades now, seems to be on the precipice of a brand new level of fame.

Speaking to his “secret weapon” with Hall, he shared with theGrio, “Regina is my girl. Like, we go back, we’ve done some things together, so I knew what a secret weapon she was.” He added, “A lot of Americans who are unfamiliar with her talents. But I hope that with this platform, that will change because she really is somebody that is incredible and can do anything literally anything.”

Venus & Serena presenting 

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 14: (L-R) Demi Singleton, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Saniyya Sidney attend the closing night premiere of Warner Bros’ ‘King Richard’ at the 2021 AFI Fest at TCL Chinese Theatre on November 14, 2021 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

Due to a certain film being nominated for Best Picture, this year’s ceremony will be a family affair.

Venus and Serena Williams, tennis legends who executive produced King Richard (based on their father), are set to present at the show. Both stars have attended various awards shows throughout the season, including shows like the Critics Choice Awards, but the Oscars represents the final victory lap for film, and we will be watching closely at what the sisters say when they grace the stage tonight.

Beyoncé

That’s right, Queen Bey herself will be performing during the star-studded night.

Her first televised performance in years, all eyes will be on the Grammy winner as she performs “Be Alive,” her song from King Richard, which is nominated for Best Original Song at this year’s ceremony.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 14: Beyoncé accepts the Best R&B Performance award for ‘Black Parade’ onstage during the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Los Angeles Convention Center on March 14, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

In addition to Beyoncé, the ceremony will also feature performances from Encanto, Billie Eilish and FINNEAS for their song from No Time To Die and more.

Political Statements

As with many award shows, we do expect some of the actors to use their platforms to speak towards causes and current events they feel passionate about.

With the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the recent uproar surrounding Florida’s Don’t Say Gay Bill, there is plenty going on right now that will surely be highlighted in the show, but Packer told us while on Acting Up, his approach is to let the entertainment speak for itself.

“Let’s have an entertainment proposition,” he explained. “Let’s get people in, and then let’s have important imagery that shows how the world could and should look and be, especially in a very tumultuous time like this.”

More Inclusion

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 25: William Packer attends the 2022 Governors Awards at The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 25, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

This year we are also expecting to see much stronger diversity across the board from the awards ceremony that hasn’t always been the most inclusive.

With Packer at the helm, we have already seen some major faces set to attend and present, including former Oscar winners Lupita Nyong’o, Daniel Kaluuya and more, and even trophy presenters from an HBCU.

“We’ve got trophy presenters from an HBCU for the first time in Oscars history,” he shared with us. “I love that, right? It’s going to look very different on that stage. And that’s a good thing because optics and imagery matters, as I know, you know. So I think the answer is we’ve come we’ve made some very important strides”

The 94th Annual Oscars will air Sunday, March 27 at 8:00 p.m. EST, 5:00 p.m. PDT.

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