Name: Jean Dawson
Hometown: Tijuana, MX / Spring Valley, CA
Current Location: Los Angeles, CA
Latest Project: Pixel Bath

Confining Jean Dawson’s ideas to a single medium or genre would be a disservice to his imagination. He moves fluidly from hip-hop to shoegaze, music to film, and so much in between.

His sophomore album Pixel Bath is a symphony of glitchy vocals and distorted electric guitars. One moment his voice is hushed and the next thing you know, he’s shouting battlecries in Spanish. Over the course of its 38-minute runtime, Pixel Bath explores intimacy, existentialism, and justice. Most impressively, none of these sounds and themes feel out of place. Pixel Bath is as cohesive as it is experimental.

Dawson takes advantage of every tool at his disposal. Each new song, music video, merch drop, and social post constructs a world of his own imagination. These individual pieces culminated in the release of his self-directed documentary BURNOUT. Simply put, in the words of SZA: “He’s the future.”

A SONG YOU HAVE TO HEAR – “BRUISE BOY”

“BRUISE BOY” is an irresistible indie rock song peppered with hints of Jean Dawson’s expansive palette. He begins with a slowed version of the hook, and for a brief moment you can appreciate the emotional potency of the songwriting before being catapulted into a full-speed chorus. The song is filled with the glitchy, distorted flourishes that are a signature of Dawson’s sound. Some lyrics are emphasized with a fuzzy overdrive, while others are chopped and stuttered to fill pockets. His cadence can turn on a dime—he employs a hip-hop flow for one verse and settles into a laid back melody for the next. From front to back, “BRUISE BOY” is a dynamic, gripping song and a perfect entry point for Dawson’s discography.

The “BRUISE BOY” music video is an overture of Jean Dawson’s visual identity—it’s all there, from the somersaulting camera to the high-visibility flashes, and the scenes are stitched together with mind-bending visual effects. While other artists may rely on post-production to make their music videos interesting, these simply elevate Dawson’s charismatic performance. One shot pictures Dawson running alongside a pack of dogs in the middle of the night. Seconds later, he’s shadowboxing the camera through a thick layer of distortion. “BRUISE BOY” is a montage of stunning visuals that captures the fearlessness and versatility of Dawson’s work.

A VIDEO YOU HAVE TO WATCH – “BURNOUT”

Last week, Jean Dawson released a self-directed documentary called “BURNOUT.” Over the course of its seven-minute runtime, you can experience life through the eyes and ears of Jean Dawson. As a self-identified outsider, Dawson presents a stream-of-consciousness narrative about childhood, happiness, and caring deeply while also learning not to give a fuck. There are some moments where his voice is pitch-shifted and others where it’s blasted with distortion, drawing a parallel to the jolting production of Pixel Bath. 

Some of the most impactful moments of “BURNOUT” reference his work across other mediums. Helmets and masks are a recurring visual motif—a fitting metaphor for an artist whose work explores the nuances of identity. “BURNOUT” blurs the lines between reality and imagination as Dawson wanders the streets in a bunny mask—a callback to the lyrics of his song “Policía” where he sings, “In the wind with a bunny mask on my face.” The imagery and often not-so-obvious references in “BURNOUT” increase the replayability of the video and add new layers to the ever-growing universe of Jean Dawson.

A FEW QUESTIONS FOR JEAN

If you could no longer make music, what would your next project be?
I would make films. I dropped out of film school because making music started to override everything else in my life. It was always my plan A, although I had to live through my plan B for my mom. 

What is the common thread across your body of work?
I really dislike absolution so I try not get into the habit of being too comfortable with one form of thinking or work flow. I guess the most recurring part of me in making music is simply making music. The format changes as much as I change in any given circumstance. The language is always the same but the words and sounds I choose will most times have a life beyond my mouth.

What is one medium or genre that you’d like to explore next?
All of them, a little bit. I’ve gotten really hooked on gospel progressions and the tension of orchestral compositions. I won’t make gospel or concert hall classical music in a pure form but it definitely will play a part in my music. 

What can we expect from you in 2021?
Numbers.

Ashe co-wrote her new single, “Till Forever Falls Apart,” with producer Big Taste the day before Los Angeles and most of the U.S. went into a COVID-induced lockdown in March 2020. The timing was (and, sadly, still is) perfect, given the song’s subject matter. Set against an apocalyptic backdrop, “Till Forever Falls Apart” is a somber acceptance that life is fleeting, but worth every moment if you spend your time with those you love.

“If the tide takes California / I’m so glad I got to hold ya / And if the sky falls from heaven above / Oh, I know I had the best time falling into love,” Ashe sings in the song’s chorus.

“The day before we were ordered to go into lockdown was the day I wrote this song,” Ashe tells Variety. “That’s definitely in the song. You can kind of feel it, like ‘Oh, the world is definitely on the edge of falling apart.’”

Though at first the song was solely Ashe, after sitting on it for a few months, she began to think of it as a duet. And Ashe already had someone in mind to help voice her love letter to doomsday: Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Finneas O’Connell, the brother and musical partner of Billie Eilish, and Ashe’s friend of four years.

“I was like, if someone is going to be on this song, it needs to be Finneas, and if he won’t do it then I’m not going to put it out with anyone else,” Ashe says. “He had heard it and loved it and texted me like, ‘I’m in the studio, I’m writing a second verse right now and this song’s amazing.’ He finished his verse and his vocals in maybe an hour, sent it back to me, and I was like, ‘Oh, man.’ It was always supposed to be us doing this song together.”

Though the song can easily be interpreted as describing romantic love, Ashe and Finneas think otherwise. As Finneas sings during his verse, “So this it it / That’s how it ends / I guess there’s nothing more romantic than dying with your friends.”

“I think because Ashe and I actually are true friends and we’re both in very public relationships, I didn’t want to write about something that wasn’t honest,” Finneas says of the inspiration for his verse. “So I thought I’d just write this song about this friend who I love deeply in the way that we all love our friends.”

“So often romantic love isn’t ‘I’ll love you forever till I die,’” Ashe adds. “It’s much more like, Finneas is going to be in my life forever, and I’m going to love him forever til I die. The song is much more like a friendship love; it’s deeper than romance.”

Ashe knows firsthand that “till death do us part” isn’t always the case. Back in 2019, Ashe put her heart on the line for her megahit “Moral of the Story,” which describes her experience getting divorced in her 20s. The song was featured in the second “To All the Boys” film and went on to amass more than 388 million streams. Finneas produced the song, as well as Ashe’s double EP of the same name. But the two actually first met at the most mundane of places: a crosswalk in L.A.’s Highland Park neighborhood in the summer of 2017.

“We met at a crosswalk and that was like, you know, the length of a crosswalk, probably about 30 seconds,” Finneas says. “And then we did a session together a couple of months later and just got along great and made each other laugh and wrote a song we really liked.”

That song was “Wrong Side of Myself” for Ashe’s debut EP, “The Rabbit Hole.” And so a beautiful friendship and musical partnership began.

“We inexplicably sort of fell in love with each other. We just sort of got each other,” Ashe says. “And I still am confused, and I’ll tell him to this day, I don’t know why we’re such good friends. We have a lot of different tastes in music and our personalities are actually really different, but we couldn’t be more intrinsically connected.”

As for “Moral of the Story,” Finneas knew the second he heard it that the song was going to blow up. Production-wise, he added some string parts and a more intense bassline, spruced up the drums so that they “swelled into each of the kicks and the snares” and sang some harmonies.

Finneas says that Eilish even made a lyrical contribution to “Moral of the Story,” suggesting that the words in the second to last chorus be changed to “engaged” instead of “in pain.”

“I play Billie pretty much everything I ever work on, and there’s that down chorus part and she was like, ‘It should be engaged,’” Finneas says. “I remember being like, ‘Oh, duh. Of course.’ So, smart Billie on that one.”

But the song had a slow burn, until it appeared in “To All the Boys: P.S. I Love You.”

“As soon as I saw that ‘To All the Boys’ scene, I remember calling Ashe. She was sitting with her boyfriend and I was like, ‘This is going to change your life,’ and she was like, ‘I don’t know,’” Finneas says. “And I was like, ‘No no no, I do. This is going to change your life. Like, this is going to be a crazy moment.’”

That mix of new age production with Ashe’s jazz-infused vocals and honest lyricism made “Moral of the Story” instantly relatable to anyone has ever fallen in and then out of love.

“Anyone can resonate with that, whether you’re in your first love relationship in high school or you’re 60 years old and met someone and it didn’t work out,” Ashe says. “I think it’s sort of just an age-old tale, and then I just got really specific into my own story and somehow that was relatable. I was married, and it didn’t go so well. It was really toxic and abusive and I was like, ‘I’ve gotta get out of this thing.’ I blew up my entire life by filing for divorce, and then I had this record that changed my life forever.”

Indeed, it did. Ashe has been pursuing music professionally since she graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2015 (where she majored in production and orchestral writing), but mainly as a songwriter and featured artist. It’s only recently that the 27-year-old decided to sing her own songs — a notion that she is still getting used to. She moved to Nashville after college and began penning songs for other singers, most notably Demi Lovato’s 2017 single “You Don’t Do It for Me Anymore.” It was during this time that Ashe also began appearing as a featured artist on a slew of dance and EDM tracks from artists like Whethan and Louis the Child. But, deep down, Ashe felt empty.

“I think I was just slowly discovering that I was only going to feel really fulfilled if I was singing my own songs,” Ashe says. “Being a featured artist on someone else’s track, I think I saw a window of like, ‘Oh, this is a good way to get in’ without sort of putting your neck out too much, you know? So like, if the song doesn’t do well, it’s not on you. That sounds kind of savage, but it is what it is.”

But once Ashe hit her groove in the EDM space, she found herself doing more and more and not getting the credit she felt she deserved.

“I was the one singing the song and writing the song, and I wasn’t producing the record but I was like, ‘You’re standing on my back right now.’ And I felt like I wasn’t getting any of that credit,” Ashe says. “I think it took getting a little fed up of other people being like, ‘Write on this record,’ and it’s like, ‘Why don’t I just do this on my own?’”

Ashe signed with the independent record label Mom + Pop in 2017 and started on her path as a solo artist, but didn’t truly reap the rewards until “Moral of the Story” took off in 2019. Though the “To All the Boys” franchise was its catalyst, Ashe felt it was important for the song to have a life separate from the film, and that’s where former One Direction member Niall Horan came in.

Ashe and Horan released a re-imagined version of “Moral of the Story” in June 2020, with Horan writing a new verse to add a different perspective, and the song once again soared. The collaboration earned Ashe an additional 92 million streams and a new fan base among the Directioners.

“He sang on the song and I was like, ‘Whoa, this is like butter; this is amazing.’ And then it came out and it was like I opened this can of worms that I had not a freaking clue what was gonna happen,” Ashe says of her collaboration with Horan. “[His fans] are so nice, I got so lucky. And I could not be more grateful.”

Though Ashe is quick to note that she enjoys keeping her list of collaborators small, she says she’s always wanted to work with Post Malone, though she doesn’t know “what the heck that song would sound like.” As for Eilish — who already made that small contribution to “Moral of the Story” — Ashe says there’s a possibility, but it would have to be the right time.

“I couldn’t have more respect for her, and if there’s a world in which it makes sense, then I would love to do that,” Ashe says. “I think we both stand on our own so well… but that would be cool. I would be down, for the fans.”

Now, Ashe is experiencing a full-circle moment with once again being featured in “To All the Boys,” this time for the franchise’s last film, “Always and Forever.” Ashe wrote the song “The Same” specifically for the film and took it on as a creative challenge to have variations of the same lyrics play in two scenes dealing with completely opposite emotions.

“In one scene, they’re in love and they’re about to have sex for the first time, which is really exciting, and then it goes to this moment where they break up,” Ashe says. “I wanted to be able to use the same lyrics or basically the same lyrics and tell a completely new story.”

With songwriting being her number one passion, Ashe is happy to see it come back into the forefront of music with songs like Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License,” which she absolutely adores — so much so that she made a TikTok mashing up the song with “Moral of the Story,” since they’re in the same key.

@yourmomashe

🥺💔 #driverslicense meets #moralofthestory

♬ drivers license – Olivia Rodrigo

“I love her. It was like I had no idea who she was on Thursday, and then on Friday I would take a bullet for her,” Ashe says of Rodrigo. “The music pendulum kind of swings around in genres, and I think it’s swung away from songwriting for a long time, and it just feels like the pendulum’s swinging a little bit back towards a world that I love the most.”

Ashe plans to draw on the resurgence of storytelling with her upcoming debut album, which is set for a spring release on Mom + Pop. Of the record, Ashe says she’s most proud that it “doesn’t sound like anybody else.”

“You can hear a lot of my influences — Carole King, the Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds.’ But it sounds like me, and I have no idea if people are going to like it, but I love it,” Ashe says. “If there’s anything ‘Moral of the Story’ and that whole process has taught me, it’s if something happens to become a hit, you better like it because you will be singing it for the rest of your life. So on the off-chance this does really well, I’ll be happy to sing it for the rest of my life.”

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit THE COLLECTIVE

DRAFT>>>PRE SEASON>>>REGULAR SEASON>>>POST SEASON

2021 OSCARS PREDICTIONS:
BEST ORIGINAL SONG

UPDATED: Mar. 4, 2021

AWARDS PREDICTION COMMENTARY: Have we arrived at the moment in time where 11-time Oscar-nominee Diane Warren is going to win an Oscar?  After walking away with the Golden Globe for “Io Si (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead,” it’s looking good for the overdue singer-songwriter. Interesting note, the last time she won a Globe (for the film “Burlesque”), she failed to get nominated by the Academy. Leslie Odom Jr shows strength to become the first male double nominee for acting and song, following in the footsteps of Mary J. Blige and Cynthia Erivo. “Judas and the Black Messiah” has gained momentum in the last few weeks and feels safe for a spot, especially as Grammy week begins during Oscar voting. That leaves two open spots that could be occupied by the vocals of Celeste and Yeri Han. “Husavik” also has the support that could get it to the finish line.

WATCH RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE VOTING: All of them? Yes, all of them. Watch the entire film, how the song captures the essence of the story and resonates, rather than in the context of a three-minute clip of the song.

PRECURSORS LEADER:
“Speak Now” from “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)
Awards Circuit Winners Chart (2020-2021)
2021 Awards Season Calendar

AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE:

1. "The Life Ahead" (Netflix)
   "Io Si (Seen)" (Written by Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, Niccolò Agliardi)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: 11 nominations (most recently for "I'm Standing With You" from 2019's "Breakthrough")
   –
   DIRECTOR: Edoardo Ponti
SYNOPSIS: In seaside Italy, a Holocaust survivor with a daycare business takes in a 12-year-old street kid who recently robbed her..
STARRING: Sophia Loren, Ibrahima Gueye

   ---

2. "One Night in Miami" (Amazon Studios)
   "Speak Now" (Written by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
   –
   DIRECTOR: Regina King
SYNOPSIS: A fictional account of one incredible night in 1964, where four icons of activism, sports and music – Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke – gathered, discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the ’60s.
STARRING: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom, Jr., Joaquina Kalukango, Nicolette Robinson

   ---

3. "Judas and the Black Messiah" (Warner Bros.)
   "Fight for You" (written by H.E.R., Dernst Emile II, Tiara Thomas.)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
   –
   DIRECTOR: Shaka King
SYNOPSIS: The story of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O'Neal.
STARRING: Lakeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya, Dominique Fishback, Jesse Plemons, Martin Sheen, Dominique Thorne, Algee Smith, Lil Rel Howery, Jermaine Fowler

   ---

4. "Minari" (A24)
   "Rain Song" (Written by Emile Mosseri, Stefanie Hong)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
   –
   DIRECTOR: Lee Isaac Chung
SYNOPSIS: A Korean family moves to Arkansas to start a farm in the 1980s.
STARRING:Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan S. Kim, Yuh-jung Youn, Will Patton

   ---

5. "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (Netflix)
   "Hear My Voice (Written by Daniel Pemberton and Celeste)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
   –
   DIRECTOR: Aaron Sorkin
SYNOPSIS: The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
STARRING: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong

   ---

NEXT IN LINE:

6. "All In: The Fight for Democracy" (Amazon Studios)
   "Turntables" (Janelle Monáe, Nathaniel Irvin III, George “George 2.0.” A. Peters II)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
   –
   DIRECTOR: Liz Garbus, Lisa Cortés
SYNOPSIS: The documentary takes a look at the history, and current activism against voter suppression; barriers to voting that most people don't even know is a threat to their basic rights as citizens of the United States.
STARRING: Stacey Abrams, Debo Adegbile, Jayla Allen

   ---

7. "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" (Netflix)
   "Húsavík" (Savan Kotecha, Rickard Goransson, fat max Gsus)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
   –
   DIRECTOR: David Dobkin
SYNOPSIS: When aspiring musicians Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) are given the opportunity of a lifetime to represent their country at the world's biggest song competition, they finally have a chance to prove that any dream worth having is a dream worth fighting for.
STARRING: Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, Pierce Brosnan, Dan Stevens, Mikael Persbrandt, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Graham Norton, Melissanthi Mahut, Demi Lovato

   ---

8. "Belly of the Beast" (Independent Lens)
   "See What You've Done" (Written by Mary J. Blige, Darhyl Camper, Jr., Denisia Andrews and Brittany Coney)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY:
Blige - 2 nominations (2017's "Mudbound" in supporting actress and original song)
   –
   DIRECTOR: Erika Cohn
SYNOPSIS: When an unlikely duo discovers a pattern of illegal sterilizations in women's prisons, they wage a near impossible battle against the Department of Corrections.
STARRING: Cynthia Chandler, Kelli Dillon, Corey G. Johnson

   ---

9. "Giving Voice" (Netflix)
   "Never Break" (John Legend, Nasri Atweh, Benjamin Hudson McIldowie, Greg Wells, John Stephens)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY:
Legend - 1 nomination, 1 win ("Glory" from "Selma" in best original song in 2014)
   –
   DIRECTOR: James D. Stern, Fernando Villena
SYNOPSIS: This film follows the annual August Wilson Monologue competition and the thousands of high schoolers who enter the competition for the opportunity to perform on Broadway..
STARRING: Viola Davis, Denzel Washington, Gerardo Navarro

   ---

10. "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" (Amazon Studios)
    "Wuhan Flu" (Written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Erran Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Swimer, Jena Friedman, Jim Russell, Jerry Holleman)
-
OSCAR HISTORY:: Baynham, Cohen. Hines, Mazer: 1 nomination

    

    DIRECTOR: Jason Woliner
SYNOPSIS: A satire on Trump’s America that follows a Kazakh journalist who’s sent to America to deliver a gift from his government to Vice President Mike Pence. Along the way, his worldview is turned upside down and steadfast beliefs are challenged by his teenage daughter.
STARRING: Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova

    ---

ALSO IN CONTENTION:

11. "Sound of Metal" (Amazon Studios)
    "Green" (written by Abraham Marder)

    

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Darius Marder
SYNOPSIS: A heavy-metal drummer's life is thrown into freefall when he begins to lose his hearing.
STARRING: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Mathieu Almaric, Lauren Ridloff

    ---

12. "Mulan" (Disney Plus)
    "Loyal Brave True" (Written by Jamie Hartman, Harry Gregson-Williams, Rosi Golan, Billy Crabtree)

    

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Niki Caro
SYNOPSIS: A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father.
STARRING: Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen, Gong Li, Tzi Ma, Jet Li, Jason Scott Lee, Yosan An, Rosalind Chao

    ---

13. "The One and Only Ivan" (Disney Plus)
    "Free" (written by Diane Warren)

    

    OSCAR HISTORY: 11 nominations (most recently for "I'm Standing With You" from 2019's "Breakthrough")
    –
    DIRECTOR: Thea Sharrock
SYNOPSIS: A gorilla named Ivan tries to piece together his past with the help of an elephant named Ruby as they hatch a plan to escape from captivity..
STARRING: Bryan Cranston, Sam Rockwell, Phillipa Soo, Chaka Khan, Mike White, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren, Danne DeVito, Ron Funches

    ---

14. "Mr. Soul!" (Shoes in the Bed Productions)
    "Show Me Your Soul" (music by Robert Glasper. lyrics by Muhammad Ayers)

    

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Melissa Haizlip, Sam Pollard
SYNOPSIS: Before Oprah, before Arsenio, there was Mr. SOUL. Ellis Haizlip ensures the Revolution will be televised with "SOUL!," America's first "Black Tonight Show..
STARRING: None

    ---

15. "Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey" (Netflix)
    "Make It Work" (written by John Stephens)

    

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: David E. Talbert
SYNOPSIS: Set in the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, the film follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter — and a long-forgotten invention — to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within.
STARRING: Forest Whitaker, Madelen Mills, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Bonneville, Ricky Martin, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose 

    ---

† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in the lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories
††† = official eligible nominees not yet determined by AMPAS

AWARDS CATEGORY HISTORY

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. The most awarded films in Oscar history are “Ben-Hur,” “Titanic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” at 11 statuettes. The most nominated films in Academy history are “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land” at 14. “La La Land” is the only film of the three to have lost best picture. The biggest Oscar “losers,” meaning most nominated and walk away with zero awards, are 1977’s “The Turning Point” and 1985’s “The Color Purple” at 11 each.

Academy Awards Predictions (All Categories)

2021 Golden Globes Predictions (Film)

2021 SAG Awards Predictions (Film)

About the Academy Awards (Oscars)

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners are selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). 17 branches are represented within the near 10,000 person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.

• The Oscars are scheduled for Sunday, April 25, 2021.

About the Golden Globes

The Golden Globes Awards, hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, is held annually with 93 members since 1944. The group recognizes excellence in film and television across drama and comedy or musical categories. Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” holds the record for the most awards won by a single film with seven. Milos Forman’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and Alan Parker’s “Midnight Express” are next in line with six each. Robert Altman’s “Nashville” has the record for most nominations received by a film with 11 while Colin Higgins’ “Foul Play,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather Part III” and Mike Nichols’ “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” share the record for receiving the most nominations and not winning a single award at seven.

• The Golden Globes are scheduled for Feb. 28, 2021.

About the SAG Awards

The Screen Actors Guild Awards, hosted by SAG-AFTRA, is an annual award show that has become one of the most important and key indicators for the Oscars. Four films have won the most SAG awards with three: 1999’s “American Beauty,” 2002’s “Chicago,” 2011’s “The Help” and 2017’s “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.” Three movies have been nominated for the most SAG awards with five: 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love,” “Chicago” and 2008’s “Doubt.”

• The SAG Awards are scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 4, 2021

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit THE COLLECTIVE

DRAFT>>>PRE SEASON>>>REGULAR SEASON>>>POST SEASON

2021 OSCARS PREDICTIONS:
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

UPDATED: Mar. 4, 2021

AWARDS PREDICTION COMMENTARY: There’s movement about but “News of the World” and “Soul” still look like the two favorites in the race. “Minari” and “The Midnight Sky” have the fresh take and familiarity this category goes for. Lolita Ritmanis was a surprise on the shortlist for “Blizzard of Souls” and when a “shocker” like that occurs, it usually means something and in reaching out to voters, she has a deep respect in the music branch. Watch out for her to push something big out of the mix.

WATCH RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE VOTING: All of them? Yes, all of them, especially when there is a shortlist. Watch the fifteen films before you vote. There’s still time.

PRECURSORS LEADER:
“Soul” (Pixar) – Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Awards Circuit Winners Chart (2020-2021)
2021 Awards Season Calendar

AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE:

1. "News of the World" (Universal Pictures)
   James Newton Howard (composer)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: 8 nominations (most recently for 2008's "Defiance" and 2007's "Michael Clayton")
   –
   DIRECTOR: Paul Greengrass
SYNOPSIS: A Civil War veteran agrees to deliver a girl, taken by the Kiowa people years ago, to her aunt and uncle, against her will. They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home.
STARRING: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Elizabeth Marvel, Mare Winningham, Michael Angelo Covino, Ray McKinnon

   ---

2. "Soul" (Pixar)
   Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (composers)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: 1 nomination, 1 win (2010's "The Social Network")
   –
   DIRECTOR: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers
SYNOPSIS: A musician who has lost his passion for music is transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul learning about herself.
STARRING: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Questlove, Graham Norton, Angela Bassett, Phylicia Rashad, Daveed Diggs, Wes Studi

   ---

3. "The Midnight Sky" (Netflix)
   Alexandre Desplat (composer)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: 11 nominations, 2 wins (2014's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and 2017's "The Shape of Water")
   –
   DIRECTOR: George Clooney
SYNOPSIS: This post-apocalyptic tale follows Augustine, a lonely scientist in the Arctic, as he races to stop Sully and her fellow astronauts from returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe.
STARRING: George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir, Tiffany Boone, Caoilinn Springall

   ---

4. "Blizzard Of Souls" (Film Movement)
   Lolita Ritmanis (composer)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
   –
   DIRECTOR: Dzintars Dreibergs
SYNOPSIS: After losing his mother and his home, Arturs finds some consolation in joining the army. However, war is nothing like he imagined.
STARRING: Oto Brantevics, Greta Trusina, Martins Vilsons 

   ---

5. "Minari" (A24)
   Emile Mosseri (composer)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
   –
   DIRECTOR: Lee Isaac Chung
SYNOPSIS: A Korean family moves to Arkansas to start a farm in the 1980s.
STARRING:Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan S. Kim, Yuh-jung Youn, Will Patton

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NEXT IN LINE:

6. "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (Netflix)
   Daniel Pemberton (composer)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
   –
   DIRECTOR: Aaron Sorkin
SYNOPSIS: The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
STARRING: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong

   ---

7. "Mank" (Netflix)
   Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (composer)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: 1 nomination, 1 win (2010's "The Social Network")
   –
   DIRECTOR: David Fincher
SYNOPSIS: 1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane for Orson Welles.
STARRING: Tom Burke, Lily Collins, Joseph Cross, Charles Dance, Monika Gossman, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jamie McShane, Tuppence Middleton, Toby Leonard Moore, Gary Oldman, Tom Pelphrey, Amanda Seyfried, Sam Troughton

   ---

8. "Da 5 Bloods" (Netflix)
   Terence Blanchard (composer)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: 1 nomination (2018's "BlacKkKlansman")
   –
   DIRECTOR: Spike Lee
SYNOPSIS: Four African American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.
STARRING: Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Jonathan Majors, Chadwick Boseman, Isiah Witlock, Jr,, Norm Lewis

   ---

9. "Tenet" (Warner Bros.)
   Ludwig Göransson (composer)

   

   OSCAR HISTORY: 1 nomination, 1 win (2018's "Black Panther")
   –
   DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan
SYNOPSIS: Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.
STARRING: John David Washington, Elizabeth Debicki, Robert Pattinson, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh

   ---

10. "The Little Things" (Warner Bros)
    Thomas Newman (composer)

    

    OSCAR HISTORY: 15 nominations (most recently for 2019's "1917")
    –
    DIRECTOR: John Lee Hancock
SYNOPSIS: Two cops track down a serial killer.
STARRING: Denzel Washington, Jared Leto, Rami Malek

    ---

ALSO IN CONTENTION:

11. "The Invisible Man" (Universal Pictures)
    Benjamin Wallfisch (composer)

    

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Leigh Whannell
SYNOPSIS: When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
STARRING: Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Harriet Dyer, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Storm Reid, Michael Dorman

    ---

12. "Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey" (Netflix)
    John Debney (composer)

    

    OSCAR HISTORY: 1 nomination (2008's "The Passion of the Christ")
    –
    DIRECTOR: David E. Talbert
SYNOPSIS: Set in the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, the film follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter — and a long-forgotten invention — to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within.
STARRING: Forest Whitaker, Madelen Mills, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Bonneville, Ricky Martin, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose 

    ---

13. "Ammonite" (Neon)
    Dustin O'Halloran, Volker Bertelmann (composers)

    

    OSCAR HISTORY: 1 nomination (2016's "Lion")
    –
    DIRECTOR: Francis Lee
SYNOPSIS: 1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning and a young woman sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship, altering both of their lives forever.
STARRING: Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Fiona Shaw, Gemma Jones, James McArdle

    ---

14. "Mulan" (Walt Disney Pictures)
    Henry Gregson Williams

    

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Niki Caro
SYNOPSIS: A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father.
STARRING: Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen, Gong Li, Tzi Ma, Jet Li, Jason Scott Lee, Yosan An, Rosalind Chao

    ---

15. "The Life Ahead" (Netflix)
    Gabriel Yared (composer)

    

    OSCAR HISTORY: 3 nominations, 1 win (1996's "The English Patient")
    –
    DIRECTOR: Edoardo Ponti
SYNOPSIS: In seaside Italy, a Holocaust survivor with a daycare business takes in a 12-year-old street kid who recently robbed her..
STARRING: Sophia Loren, Ibrahima Gueye

    ---

† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in the lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories
††† = official eligible nominees not yet determined by AMPAS

AWARDS CATEGORY HISTORY

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. The most awarded films in Oscar history are “Ben-Hur,” “Titanic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” at 11 statuettes. The most nominated films in Academy history are “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land” at 14. “La La Land” is the only film of the three to have lost best picture. The biggest Oscar “losers,” meaning most nominated and walk away with zero awards, are 1977’s “The Turning Point” and 1985’s “The Color Purple” at 11 each. John Ford has the most wins in this category with four, with Frank Capra and William Wyler behind with three. Wyler has the most nominations of any director with 12, with Martin Scorsese next in line with nine. Clint Eastwood is the oldest winner in Oscar history at 74 when he won for “Million Dollar Baby” (2004), while the oldest nominee ever is John Huston at 79 when he was nominated for “Prizzi’s Honor.” The youngest winner in history is Damien Chazelle for “La La Land” (2016) at 32, while John Singleton was the youngest nominee of all-time at 24 when he was shortlisted for “Boyz N in the Hood.” (1991)

Academy Awards Predictions (All Categories)

2021 Golden Globes Predictions (Film)

2021 SAG Awards Predictions (Film)

About the Academy Awards (Oscars)

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners are selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). 17 branches are represented within the near 10,000 person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.

• The Oscars are scheduled for Sunday, April 25, 2021.

About the Golden Globes

The Golden Globes Awards, hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, is held annually with 93 members since 1944. The group recognizes excellence in film and television across drama and comedy or musical categories. Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” holds the record for the most awards won by a single film with seven. Milos Forman’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and Alan Parker’s “Midnight Express” are next in line with six each. Robert Altman’s “Nashville” has the record for most nominations received by a film with 11 while Colin Higgins’ “Foul Play,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather Part III” and Mike Nichols’ “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” share the record for receiving the most nominations and not winning a single award at seven.

• The Golden Globes are scheduled for Feb. 28, 2021.

About the SAG Awards

The Screen Actors Guild Awards, hosted by SAG-AFTRA, is an annual award show that has become one of the most important and key indicators for the Oscars. Four films have won the most SAG awards with three: 1999’s “American Beauty,” 2002’s “Chicago,” 2011’s “The Help” and 2017’s “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.” Three movies have been nominated for the most SAG awards with five: 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love,” “Chicago” and 2008’s “Doubt.”

• The SAG Awards are scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 4, 2021

The Wu-Tang Clan is gearing up to release, what they call, “the rarest book in hip-hop history.”

Titled Wu-Tang Clan: Legacy, the massive photography book consists of more than 300 pages of unreleased photos that highlight the rap group’s decades-long history. The curated images were shot by revered photographers including Danny Hastings, PROTIM PHOTO, Kyle Christie, Andy Cantillon, as well as friends and family of Wu-Tang.

“We’re excited to share the Wu-Tang Clan’s history through rare and never-before-seen photos,” Wu-Tang Management CEO John “Mook” Gibbons said in a statement. “It’s been fun rediscovering moments from the past while creating this limited piece of art … From conception to the present day, this is the story of the undisputed greatest Hip Hop group of all time being unveiled through rare and never before seen photos.”

Legacy will be limited to just 36 copies that were handmade in Italy from top-tier leather and other materials. Each book will be signed, numbered, and issued a certificate of authenticity, and will be cased in a massive, 400-pound case designed by sculptor Gethin Jones. The steel structure will feature 36 bronze encrusted chambers—a nod to the group’s 1993 debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The design was inspired by the ancient bronze ritual bowls used in the Zhou Dynasty, which was first ruled by King Wu-Wang.

You can check out photos from the limited edition release below. You can learn more about Legacy, including how to cop one for yourself, at the book’s official website.