'Sabotage' at the Oscars? Liza Minnelli makes a claim

Saturday, March 14, 2026

Hello and welcome to Oscars week! Tomorrow night, Hollywood's biggest and brightest stars will be duking it out for a shot at film's top prizes at a glamorous LA ceremony. My invite must've gotten lost in the mail…

It is a thankless, no-fun job advocating for the bookies' favourite to win but alas, I truly do believe that One Battle After Another is the most deserving Best Picture winner. Can you believe it would be a first-ever (!) win for Paul Thomas Anderson – of Magnolia and There Will Be Blood fame? Appalling, really.

Elsewhere, my colleagues have gone to bat for their respective champions: Sinners, Hamnet, and Marty Supreme. Louis, with whom I do this newsletter, refrained from putting in his two cents. [Louis here, subbing this dispatch: I'm siding with Annabel, it's One Battle all the way.]

He did, however, share his thoughts on Liza Minelli's new memoir – a treasure trove of gossip and beefs that asks no sympathy for a woman who, at times, has certainly warranted it. (In the book, she takes to task Lady Gaga for allegedly "sabotaging" her at the 2022 Oscars when they presented an award together.)

And not to toot my own horn, but I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the debate over who, if anyone, should be paying for British museums? Spoiler alert: it's tourists... according to the comments, at least.

And with that I'm off – catch you next time,

Maimuna Memon's acclaimed piece of gig theatre – essentially a semi-autobiographical one-woman show with a backing band – returns with a new staging at the Kiln. Things start wry and breezy enough but Manic Street Creature quickly transforms into a self-searching examination of relationships, mental illness, and co-dependency. Memon, who won an Olivier award last year for her performance in the musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, is an engaging actor but an utterly incredible singer: in this show's best moments, her soulful, agile vocals elevate the music to a place of real beauty. 

– Louis Chilton (Until 28 March. Tickets here)

Is Sinners the one to beat? Our predictions for this week's Oscars

Are we set for a 'Sinners' sweep? Or is 'One Battle After Another' going to win the war? Has Jessie Buckley's anti-cat crusade ruined her chances? Or have we all been thinking about the Oscars too long? Adam White predicts who will reign supreme in the show's major categories

Rebecca Lucy Taylor, aka Self Esteem

'Sometimes I've been rock-bottom depressed because of music. And I'm like, it's just songs, though?'

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