Who Will Be the Leonardo DiCaprio of the 2017 Oscars?
Last year's Oscars season was all about Leonardo DiCaprio -- would he finally win after years of trying so.very.hard? -- and he broke Twitter when he picked up that Best Actor trophy. (He also gave the Internet some hilarious Girl Scout cookie memes.)
What about this year? Do we have a Leo?
Not talking about who'll win Best Actor -- that's Casey or Denzel and Twitter won't melt down either way. Who/what will be the big reason to watch, and the focus of watercooler talk Monday morning?
We still have THE Leo, since DiCaprio will be at this Sunday's 2017 Academy Awards, but just as a presenter, in keeping with the tradition of former winners passing the torch to the next winners.
It's still unclear who will be The Big Star of the show, or who fans are tuning in to see. "La La Land" has the most nominations, and Emma Stone looks like she'll be picking up a trophy, but she and the film aren't quite Leos, in terms of buzz. Plus, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are adorable, but they're not Kate and Leo.
It's possible that Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon will become the Leo. Or it could be just politics and (as much as Hollywood would hate to admit it) Trump, with fans tuning in to hear what the host and winners might say about the POTUS and his administration.
People.com just posted a story speculating on who Leo might bring as his Oscars date, because Leo is still a big Oscars talking point, with or without a nomination. Will he bring his mom, Irmelin Indenbirken, as he usually does, or will he bring model girlfriend, Nina Agdal? It doesn't affect anyone else's life at all, but Agdal said she'd be going to the post-Oscars Vanity Fair party, which suggests she'll be Leo's date at some point that night.
After the Grammys, several fans compared Beyonce to pre-Oscar Leo, making him the Patron Saint of Being Stiffed. His name is still fresh on social media this week, even without any real awards presence:
I don't care much about the grammys but the oscars are a whole different story I stayed up watching it last year JUST to see Leo win
— em (@lyonnebaby) February 13, 2017
at what point do we start comparing bey and album of the year to leo and the oscars? bc damn..
— sam epstein ❄️???????? (@samepstein19) February 13, 2017
Ugh. I'm here a day too early for the Oscars. Who will Leo take now?!????????♀️????
— Kirstin (@Kirstin_xo) February 24, 2017
omg Oscars ceremony is close but i still remember when Leo won like it was yesterday
— lex (@BENEDICAPRIO) February 13, 2017
I have a feeling the Oscars are gunna do Lin like they did Leo. ????????
— Jackie Herrera (@jackieh712) February 24, 2017
Jamie and Dakota should be each other's dates, just like Leo and Kate did in 2016 Oscars.
— B (@vancouverIove) February 22, 2017
So Nina is going to the Oscars afterparty... Wonder if that means Leo is bringing her to the show as his date this year..????
— Alexandra???????????? (@TitanicLover93) February 24, 2017
What can top Leo's epic win last year!? Who do you think has gone unnoticed by the #Oscars for too long? pic.twitter.com/PVWkwNUPqZ
— Curzon Goldsmiths (@CurzonGsmiths) February 24, 2017
The Oscars -- with Leo but possibly without a new Leo -- air this Sunday at 8:30 p.m. on ABC, but there will be plenty of red carpet pre-coverage on E! and ABC.
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