With the Academy Awards just around the corner, we caught up with ET Canada host Cheryl Hickey to talk nominees, predictions and what to expect from this year’s exciting Oscar coverage. Plus, Hickey shares the new beauty trend that’s sure to shine bright on the red carpet!

City Life: What are your predictions for this year’s Oscar winners?

Cheryl Hickey: I would like to see Dev Patel up for Lion, it was such a fantastic film. It was heartwarming! I think another contender is Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea. This film is a family story, certainly based around tragedy, but it’s about the triumph of the human spirit. It’s a special, special story. There’s a lot of Oscar buzz for that!

There’s also a lot of buzz for Moonlight, another movie that’s getting a lot of attention. Miss Sloane is another movie where I think there will be a tight race in the Best Actor category. If you look at movies like Lion, Manchester by the Sea and Miss Sloane, those are some pretty big movies to watch out for. It’s so many this year, which makes it pretty exciting.

CL: What fashion trends do you predict we’ll see on the carpet this year?

CH: I was talking to my makeup artist, Suzanne McKay, and she was talking about beauty trends we’ll see on the red carpet. Contouring is something that people were doing last year, and this year it’s all about “strobing” — which is still a contour, but you do it with a highlighter. It’s a much more subtle way to create contouring on the face, the way the sun would naturally hit the high points of the face.

CL: It sounds like a lot less work!

CH: It is a lot less work, and Suzanne says it leaves less room for error, so if you’re a novice at doing makeup it’s an easy way to achieve a really pretty look. In terms of wardrobe, I think we’re going to see people playing more with colour and structure this year. I know that they said that apple-green is one of the big colours this season, green is really big. It’s also a hard colour to wear, so I don’t know if everyone will be able to pull it off, but I think that’s sort of where things are going to be headed.

CL: Who is ET Canada hoping to chat with on the red carpet?

CH: Everybody! I think Canada has some really great talent — we’ve got the two Ryans.

Oh! I didn’t even mention La La Land in your first question. La La Land is another film that’s obviously going to get a ton of awards season love.

I think on the red carpet, we want to see our two Ryans, and sort of celebrate them and all of the great things that they’re doing on camera and off. Jessica Chastain is amazing; Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic; Nicole Kidman is going to be there to add some old Hollywood glamour; Dev Patel. From the veterans to the newcomers, the red carpet is always an exciting place to be come awards show season.

CL: What else is ET Canada planning for this year’s Oscars?

CH: When it comes to doing something special, I think, every day after the awards shows everyone comes to ET Canada to see the highlights, the after parties all of that sort of stuff. But this year we’re also going to be doing some of these real time online, so we can really engage with the viewers to have lots of conversation about what people are wearing, what their hair looks like, the makeup trends, the movies, their acceptance speeches — so it’s going to be much more real time, and viewers will really feel part of the process.

CL: What’s your favourite part of covering the Oscars for ET Canada?

CH: I mean, the red carpet is just really fun. It’s fun to watch all the people kind of put their best foot forward and get excited to celebrate everything that’s happening on the big screen. I think the anticipation, the dresses and fashion, the show, the speeches and the afterparties are kind of amazing.

CL: Do you have a most memorable moment on the red carpet?

CH: It’s hard to say, there’s lots! Gerard Butler is always great! I interviewed him this year and he was just fantastic. Nicole Kidman is always an absolute rockstar on the red carpet, and every time you sit down and chat with her she’s just so welcoming and warm — she’s really special. I’ve also always had a little crush on Matthew McConaughey — alright, alright, alright. I interviewed him for Sing this year, and he’s just something else!

etcanada.com

Photo by AOC Photography