The red carpet is champagne-colored this year. But why was it red in the first place?

Jimmy Kimmel will host the Academy Awards. (Matt Sayles/ABC)

Jimmy Kimmel will return to host the Academy Awards for a third time, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In a recent interview ahead of the big night, Kimmel said he’s ready for anything.

As for what we can expect from Kimmel this year?

He said it’s simple – he’ll tell jokes.

“The best advice I got about hosting the Oscars was from Billy Crystal, who told me, ‘Play to the room,’" Kimmel added. "You always have to be conscious of the audience at home and make sure they understand what’s going on, but you also want to get laughs in the room — and if you don’t get that, it’s not going to play well for people watching on TV.”

Kimmel previously helmed the ceremony in 2017 and 2018. His last foray into hosting the awards show was memorable for the infamous “La La Land” and “Moonlight” Best Picture mix-up.

Lady Gaga performs at the 2022 Grammy Awards. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

Rihanna isn't the only superstar singer who will be performing at the Oscars.

According to ABC, Lady Gaga will be singing her "Top Gun: Maverick" theme song "Hold My Hand."

Variety was the first to report that despite earlier reports that Gaga would be skipping the awards show because of being busy with her starring role in “Joker: Folie à Deux," the Oscar-winning singer (for best original song in 2019 for her hit "Shallow" with Bradley Cooper" from "A Star Is Born") will be taking to the stage on Hollywood's biggest night.

The other best original song nominees, Rihanna (“Lift Me Up” from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"), Sofia Carson and Diane Warren (“Applause” from "Tell It Like a Woman"), Stephanie Hsu, David Byrne and Son Lux (“This Is a Life” from "Everything Everywhere All at Once") and Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava (“Naatu Naatu” from "RRR") are also expected to perform, according to Variety.

Directors Charlotte Wells, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Sarah Polley were among those left out of the best director Oscar category this year. (Getty Images/Reuters)

In a year that saw many critically acclaimed films helmed by female directors, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has take heat for failing to nominate any women in the directing category.

“Women Talking” was nominated in the best picture category, but its director Sarah Polley was shut out.

Other notable names ignored by the Academy: Charlotte Wells for her work on “Aftersun,” Maria Schrader for “She Said,” Gina Prince-Bythewood for “The Woman King” and Domee Shi, director of the animated Pixar film “Turning Red.”

Read more:

A look at Oscar statuettes at various steps of the manufacturing process — from the 3D-printed model on the left to the final gold-plated version on the right. (Christopher Payne for CNN)

It’s one of the most famous trophies in the world.

The Oscar statuette has been honoring the best in film since 1929. But its production — and materials — have changed over the years.

Photographer Christopher Payne went behind the scenes to see how each statuette is made.

“For me what was interesting was seeing this distinctive shape, that we all know and love and recognize, in its various forms leading up to the finished product,” Payne said.

Read more here.

Silicon bronze is poured into a hollow vessel to make Oscar statuettes in Rock Tavern, New York. (Christopher Payne for CNN)

The UAP foundry in Rock Tavern makes about 60 statuettes per year. (Christopher Payne for CNN)

The finishing phase involves delicate handwork and polishing. Everything has to be precise because any imperfections will be picked up later in the gold-plating phase. (Christopher Payne for CNN)

Each statuette is 13.5 inches tall, and it weighs 8.5 pounds — about the same as a gallon of milk. (Christopher Payne for CNN)

Daniel Kwan accepts the best feature award for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” at the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

It may be a favorite to take best film this year, but one of the directors of "Everything Everywhere All at Once" is beseeching fans to show some grace, regardless of the outcome.

Daniel Kwan, who along with Daniel Scheinert is nominated in the best director category for the film, posted a series of tweets Saturday on his verified Twitter account which began:

While noting that he loves "every one of the films we are up against for different reasons" he added:

Kwan also took a playful swipe at the critics who have been less supportive.

"P.S. to the people who hate the film with their entire being: I'm sorry we ruined cinema for you forever," he tweeted. "I hope we can make it up to you on the next one <3."

Carpet is rolled out during preparations for the 95th Academy Awards. (Mike Blake/Reuters)

The red carpet is ancient – literally.

The first reference dates back to 458 BC when Greek playwright Aeschylus wrote of a crimson-embroidered path laid by Clytemnestra for her husband Agamemnon to follow on his return from war.

Nice gesture? Far from it. Both had been having affairs, but Clytemnestra didn’t take kindly to her husband bringing his lover back with him. Also, Agamemnon had sacrificed their daughter in a deal with the gods.

The red carpet led into their home, and to Agamemnon being murdered, either by his wife or her lover (accounts vary).

So, the red carpet has bloodthirsty origins. To learn more about how it became adopted by Hollywood, watch the video or read the story on CNN Style.

"Avatar: The Way of Water" was nominated for best picture at the Oscars this year, but most awards prognosticators don't expect it to win.  (Courtesy 20th Century Studios)

The Oscars have never been exactly predictable, but Hollywood’s biggest night used to consistently reward crowdpleasers. But over the last two decades, the Oscars have largely avoided rewarding the blockbuster films that once dominated the awards.

Earning a nomination – and eventually winning – an Oscar is no easy feat, and many of the biggest box office smashes of the year don’t stand a chance at best picture. And if they are nominated, like “Avatar: The Way of Water,” awards prognosticators don’t expect them to win.

Here's why, according to experts in film and award shows:

Best picture voting doesn’t reward risks: For every Oscar category except best picture, the nominee with the most votes wins. But Academy members use a preferential ballot when voting for the top prize, ranking the nominees in their preferred order. Ballots are whittled down and films are knocked out until one film ranked consistently high across a multitude of ballots remains. Polarizing films have a harder time winning best picture with this system.

Blockbusters have changed: It’s not that Oscars voters are anti-blockbuster – it’s just that blockbusters today are less original fare than the likes of “E.T.” and “Titanic.” Instead, there are more sequels, reboots, prequels or other variations on familiar IP (intellectual property), experts told CNN, making the Academy less inclined to reward them.

Oscars voters tend to reward "important" films: The films that wind up getting nominated for Oscars don’t have much in common these days. Some have a veneer of prestige based on creative teams or source material, while others have indie credibility or the mass approval of audiences – but Academy voters do tend to reward “important” films, said Dave Karger, a Turner Classic Movies host and Entertainment Weekly award correspondent. These films “speak to the times or offer some kind of social message,” he said.

Read more here.

(Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images)

Sit back and get comfy while you watch the glitz and glamour of the 95th Oscars.

ABC will broadcast the show starting at 8 p.m. EST. You can also stream the Oscars on Hulu+ Live TV, fubuTV, and DIRECTV Stream.

The Oscar winners in all 23 categories will be revealed live, unlike last year, when several award presentations were prerecorded in an effort to shorten the traditionally lengthy show.

While some are still talking about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on stage at the event a year ago, Smith won’t be in attendance on Sunday as he was banned from attending the Oscars for the next 10 years.

Read more here

Gillian Anderson attends the 2001 Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty.  (J. Vespa/WireImage/Getty Images)

Björk’s infamous swan dress may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about 2001 Oscars fashion, but there’s another ensemble that has become emblematic of the early 2000s: Gillian Anderson, at the height of “The X-Files” fame, stepping out for the Vanity Fair afterparty in a backless navy number with a cheeky surprise.

When she turned around, her thong was fully visible, rising up from the ultra-low Eduardo Lucero jersey dress she was wearing.

Anderson revealed in 2016 during a panel discussion in Los Angeles that the style choice was a last-minute decision and was made out of necessity. But it was just one of the many visible thongs of the era — from Halle Berry to Rose McGowan — that made appearances on red-carpet events.

Lately, the trend has resurfaced thanks to Bella Hadid, Alexa Demie and Hailey Bieber, the last of whom Anderson recognized in a throwback post comparing side-by-side looks. 

“Another example of necessity being the mother of invention,” she wrote.

Read more on this iconic fashion moment on CNN Style.