- China says will issue special bonds to boost ailing economy
- China offers $325 bn in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy
- Dodgers drop Padres 2-0 to advance in MLB playoffs
- Alexei Navalny wrote he knew he would die in prison in new memoir
- Last-minute legal ruling allows betting on US election
- Despite hurricanes, Floridians refuse to leave 'paradise'
- Israel observes Yom Kippur amid firestorm over Lebanon strikes
- Trump demonizes migrants in dark, misleading speech
- X says 'alert' to manipulation efforts after pro-Russia bots report
- US, European markets rise before Boeing unveils sweeping job cuts
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Comoros shock Tunisia, Salah, Mbeumo strike in AFCON qualifiers
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Germany win in Nations League as 10-man Dutch rescue point
- Undav brace sends Germany to victory against Bosnia
- Israel says fired at 'threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- Ecuador's last mountain iceman dies at 80
- Milton leaves at least 16 dead, millions without power in Florida
- Senegal set to announce breakaway development agenda: PM
- UN says 2 peacekeepers wounded in south Lebanon explosions
- Injury-hit Australia thrash 'embarrassing' Pakistan at Women's T20 World Cup
- Internal TikTok documents show prioritization of traffic over well-being
- Israel says fired at 'immediate threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- New US coach Pochettino hails Pulisic but worries over workload
- Brazil orders closure of 2,000 betting sites
- UK govt urged to raise pro-democracy tycoon's case with China
- Sculptor Lalanne's animal creations sell for $59 mn
- From Tesla to Trump: Behind Musk's giant leap into politics
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- Supercharged hurricanes trigger 'perfect storm' for disinformation
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Djokovic proves staying power as he progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Sheffield Utd boss Wilder 'numb' after Baldock death
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- Fans immerse themselves in Marina Abramovic's first China exhibition
- Israel says conducting review after UN peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Djokovic 'overwhelmed' after 'greatest rival' Nadal's retirement
- Zelensky in Berlin says hopes war with Russia will end next year
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Djokovic proves staying power as progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Hurricane Milton leaves at least 16 dead as Florida cleans up
- Britain face 'ultimate challenge' in America's Cup duel with New Zealand
- Lebanon calls for 'immediate' ceasefire in Israel-Hezbollah war
- Nihon Hidankyo: Japan's A-bomb survivors awarded Nobel
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Boat captain rescued clinging to cooler in Gulf of Mexico after storm Milton
Nerves and euphoria backstage at Oscars
Amid the backslapping, frenzied chatter and free-flowing champagne at the bars inside the Hollywood theater where the Oscars are held, one small group look significantly more tense — the nominees.
"I'm feeling… I don't know. What will be, will be," Cillian Murphy told AFP on Sunday, as he lingered in the lobby midway through the Academy Awards gala.
At that point, the "Oppenheimer" star still had just over an hour to wait to find out if, after months of intense campaigning, he or "The Holdovers" lead Paul Giamatti would win the highly coveted Oscar for best actor.
Giamatti, making his way downstairs from the bar to return to his seat earlier in the show, assured an AFP journalist he felt "all good, all good."
"Nice that Da'Vine won!" he said of his co-star Da'Vine Joy Randolph, who was already celebrating after winning best supporting actress in the night’s first prize.
At the bar on the next level up were the team behind Hayao Miyazaki's "The Boy and the Heron," which had just won a tight race in best animated feature against narrow favorite "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."
"I shouted so loud" when the prize was announced, said Eric Beckman, founder and chief executive of GKIDS, the North American distributor for Japan's Studio Ghibli.
"After, I had to ask, 'Did that really happen?'"
Confirming that the Oscar statuettes really are a hefty 8.5 pounds (nearly four kilos) -- heavier than the average newborn baby -- Beckman added: "Do you want to touch it? It's like doing weights!"
- 'Crazy marathon' -
Though victory at the Academy Awards is the highlight of most actors' careers, it can be a bittersweet moment for casts who have spent years making and then promoting their films together.
John Magaro, star of best picture nominee "Past Lives," said he planned to "eat a lot of good food" at various after-parties, but was sad to hang out with his co-stars one last time.
"I'm sure we'll all see each other again, but it won't be obviously as frequent, so it's almost like graduating from school," he said.
That feeling is heightened for novice and breakout stars, who do not know if it will all happen again.
Dominic Sessa, whose key role in best picture nominee "The Holdovers" was his first movie, said awards season had been a "crazy marathon."
"Not many people make their first movie and it happens like this. It's all downhill from here, I guess!" joked the 22-year-old.
"I am really working hard to just make sure I'm taking it all in."
Ultimately though, the attention at the Oscars remains squarely on the winners -- at least until the many after-parties finally wrap up in the early hours.
And the best actor prize? Like many others, it went to "Oppenheimer," and Murphy.
Jimmy Kimmel quipped that the many winners from "Oppenheimer" were not in their seats because they were "getting Oppen-hammered backstage at the bar."
Was Murphy planning to party into the night?
"We'll see what happens," he said with a smile.
P.M.Smith--AMWN