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EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – Casting, Makeup/Hairstyling, and Music (Original Song) are my picks for essentially the most thrilling Oscar classes this yr. We break it down under.
Casting
Nina Gold – “Hamnet”
Jennifer Venditti – “Marty Supreme”
Cassandra Kulukundis – “One Battle after Another”
Gabriel Domingues – “The Secret Agent”
Francine Maisler – “Sinners”
The casting class is model new this yr, which makes it particularly cool. Casting administrators are lastly (after 98 years!) getting recognition from the Academy. Because that is the primary yr, it’s additionally thrilling as a result of this yr’s group is setting the stage for what this class will and may be.
You could also be questioning: don’t casting administrators get some kudos within the appearing classes as a result of they’re those placing actors of their roles? I don’t suppose so; the appearing classes are about efficiency, which is way more the actor’s duty.
What I might contemplate when fascinated by this class is the actors which can be solid, how their historical past on display screen/in life lends to the function and character they’re positioned to play, how the ensemble matches collectively/the chemistry between the actors, and many others.
I feel this class will go to both Kulukundis for “One Battle” or Maisler for “Sinners.” Both ensembles are actually spectacular.
Makeup/Hairstyling
Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey – “Frankenstein”
Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu – “Kokuho”
Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine and Shunika Terry – “Sinners”
Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin and Bjoern Rehbein – “The Smashing Machine”
Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg – “The Ugly Stepsister”
The make-up class has been round since 1981, or the 54th Academy Awards (not even half of the award present’s historical past!). The class was created in response to criticism that David Lynch’s “The Elephant Man” deserved some recognition for its achievement within the space. Before the official class, these artists may solely obtain recognition through Special Achievement Awards, which solely occurred twice: William J. Tuttle for “7 Faces of Dr. Lao” in 1964 and John Chambers for “Planet of the Apes” in 1968.
Hairstyling was added in 1993.
The first make-up artist to ever win the award was Rick Baker for “An American Werewolf in London,” a horror film that options an insane human-to-werewolf transformation scene. I point out this as a result of what I feel is cool about this yr is that three of the 5 nominees are for horror films (“Frankenstein,” “Sinners,” and “The Ugly Stepsister”).
I do suppose two of those three are extra “traditional” horror nominees; “Frankenstein” is a creature function, so that you’ve bought an enormous make-up spectacle there, and “Sinners,” which is a vampire film.
The thrilling nominee for me this yr is “The Ugly Stepsister,” a small, Norwegian physique horror film that premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2025. I’m biased as a result of I used to be at the premiere, however the transformation they put the ugly stepsister by means of is one thing else.
Music (Original Song)
“Dear Me” – “Diane Warren: Relentless,” Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
“Golden” – “KPop Demon Hunters,” Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park
“I Lied to You” – “Sinners,” Music and Lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson
“Sweet Dreams of Joy” – “Viva Verdi!” Music and Lyric by Nicholas Pike
“Train Dreams” – “Train Dreams,” Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; Lyric by Nick Cave
This one’s a decent race, which makes it thrilling. I feel it’s down to 2: “Golden” and “I Lied to You.”
“Golden” has been in all places and is an actual earworm. “KPop Demon Hunters” blew up, and “Golden” is its theme track, basically.
“Sinners” is a film centered round music. “Sinners” wouldn’t be the film it’s with out its soundtrack, and “I Lied to You” is a good monitor off it. The biggest scenes in “Sinners” are music-based, and I feel meaning quite a bit on this class, even when solely considered one of its songs is nominated.
Stay tuned for extra Oscars protection to come back, together with a breakdown of who the crew at WEAU thinks will win. The Oscars are on Sunday, March 15. They will run on ABC and can stream concurrently on Hulu.
Copyright 2026 WEAU. All rights reserved.
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