Selfies, sniffer dogs and superstition Peter Bradshaw's big night out at the Oscars!

"This is a town that, judging by everyone I talked to—actors, producers, directors—is dominated by the twin crises of AI and streamers, the ever-present Tweedledum and Tweedledee talking points of concern, even if Hollywood can't decide if they're bad or not."

"Timothee Chalamet's facetious and badly worded comment about ballet and opera was really, I think, an admissible point about the possibility of movies in cinemas dwindling from a gigantic global pleasure to a niche connoisseur interest."

"Hollywood is cautious and courteous in the way that it talks in public around awards season and the rhetoric of respect—however perfunctory—is very important. Chalamet's offence was against that."

The Oscars ceremony took place amid geopolitical tensions following a U.S. attack on Iran, with security concerns about potential retaliation affecting the event's atmosphere. Los Angeles has transformed significantly, with driverless vehicles replacing traditional taxis as a symbol of broader technological change. The entertainment industry is preoccupied with two dominant concerns: artificial intelligence and streaming services, which are reshaping how content is created and distributed. A controversy emerged when actor Timothée Chalamet made an ill-advised comment about ballet and opera that inadvertently highlighted anxieties about cinema transitioning from a global mass medium to a niche interest. The incident revealed Hollywood's careful approach to public discourse during awards season, where respectful rhetoric is paramount.

Read at www.theguardian.com