Oscars 2025: Surprises, Snubs & Showdowns with Noah Gittell!

The Not Old - Better Show

Paul Vogelzang

History, Fitness, Film, Health, Aging, Employment, Fashion, Career, Technology, Seniors, Society & Culture, Music, Health & Fitness

5 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 24 February 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Welcome to the Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series on radio and podcast. I’m Paul Vogelzang.

The Academy Awards are Hollywood’s grandest night—the moment when months of speculation, surprise wins, and snubs all culminate in one golden evening. And this year, the road to Oscar glory has been anything but predictable.

Was Anora’s big night at the Critics Choice, DGA, and PGA the ultimate confirmation that it’s the Best Picture frontrunner, or is there still room for a shocking upset? Will Sean Baker walk away with Best Director, or could someone else—maybe The Brutalist’s Brady Corbet or Emilia Pérez’s Jacques Audiard—steal the moment? And what about Wicked, which just had a stunning, completely unexpected win for Jon M. Chu at the Critics Choice Awards? Could the musical blockbuster actually shake up the race?

From underdog stories to behind-the-scenes drama, tonight, we’re unpacking all the Oscar buzz with film critic Smithsonian Associate Noah Gittell. Noah Gittell will be appearing at Smithsonian Associates coming up…please check out our show notes today for more details. He’s been following every twist and turn of this year’s awards season, sorting through the narratives, the rumors, and the history that tell us where the Oscars might be headed. Plus, he’s got the trivia and insights that will make sure you’re the most informed person at your Oscars party.

It’s a night of predictions, controversy, and maybe even a little Hollywood gossip. So, sit back and enjoy—this is going to be a fun one. I’m your host, Paul Vogelzang, and this is The Not Old – Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series on radio and podcast.

My thanks to Smithsonian Associate Noah Gittell. Noah Gittell will be appearing at Smithsonian Associates coming up…please check out our show notes today for more details. My thanks to the Smithsonian team for all they do to help us here on the show. My thanks to Sam Heninger and Miranda Heninger for their help producing and directing me, and my thanks to you, our wonderful audience here on radio and podcast. Be well, be safe, and Let’s Talk About Better, Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series on radio and podcast.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series, the show covering all things health, wellness, culture, and more.
0:15.0	The show for all of us who aren't old, were better.
0:18.0	Each week, we'll interview superstars, experts, and ordinary people doing
0:22.9	extraordinary things, all related to this wonderful experience of getting better, not just older.
0:28.7	Now, here's your host, the award-winning Paul Vogelzang.
0:34.4	Welcome to the Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series on radio and podcast.
0:40.3	I'm Paul Vogelzang, and you are going to hear the enthusiasm in my voice, as if you never do.
0:45.9	I know, but tonight absolutely is special because we're going to be talking again to Smithsonian Associate,
0:52.5	returning guest, absolute audience favorite,
0:55.9	Noah Gettel, about the upcoming Oscar Academy Awards night.
1:01.2	Join us for more about the Academy Awards are Hollywood's grandest night.
1:21.9	The moment when months of speculation, surprise wins, and snubs all culminate in one golden evening.
1:30.6	And this year, the road to Oscar glory has been anything but predictable.
1:36.5	For example, was Enora's big night at the Critic Choice, at the Director's Guild of America,
1:42.9	at Producers Guild of America?
1:45.7	Was that the ultimate confirmation that it's the best picture frontrunner? Or is there still
1:50.1	room for a shocking upset? Will Sean Baker walk away with Best Director? Or could someone else?
1:56.5	How about Best Actor? There, of course, is the film The Brutalist. The director there is Brady Corbett.
2:02.0	There's Amelia Perez's director, Jacques Audillard. They're going to steal the moment.
2:07.8	And what about Wicked? Which just had a stunning, completely unexpected for John Chu at the
2:14.7	Critics' Choice Awards. Could the musical Blockbuster actually shake up the race?
2:19.6	Stay tuned.
	...

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