She performed a captivating rendition of the National Anthem during the highly viewed Super Bowl. She teamed up with the legendary Tony Bennett for a critically acclaimed duet album, filled with saucy standards.
But Malibu’s Lady Gaga is just getting started.
Up next, it’s Oscar time, and Gaga is hoping to go home with a gold statuette, which would mean this relative newcomer has come a long way in a short period of time.
She is up for an Academy Award for her song “’Til it Happens to You.” She wrote the song with Diane Warren, who hopes LG will be her good luck charm.
Warren is no stranger to the awards circuit. She is a 13-time Grammy nominee and one of the most successful songwriters of the past three decades. She’s received eight Academy Award nods in the past 28 years, but has yet to score. One of her toughest losses came in 1997; she was sure she had it in the bag for the Celine Dion ballad “Because You Loved Me,” from the movie “Up Close and Personal.” Unfortunately, the big prize went to someone else, and Warren left empty handed again.
Teaming up with Lady Gaga, she hopes to turn things around. “’Til it Happens to you” is a haunting melody from the Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering documentary about rape on college campuses called “The Hunting Ground.”
Leonardo DiCaprio also hopes to break his Oscar dry spell, and this year, he probably will.
The former Malibu resident is up for best actor in survival film “The Revenant.” Inspired by true events, the critically acclaimed film is up for 12 Academy Awards, including best picture and best director for Alejandro González Iñárritu. Iñárritu was last year’s winner for “Birdman” and is considered a favorite this time around. If the envelope contains his name, that would give him back-to-back wins for best director.
In the meantime, Leo has done well for himself this awards season. He’s already picked up a Screen Actors Guild Award as well as a prestigious BAFTA.
Sylvester Stallone — also a longtime Malibu resident — could find himself inside the winner’s circle as well. As an aging Rocky Balboa, he delivered a standout performance in “Creed.”
So those are the favorites, but as any insider will tell you, when it comes to the Oscars, there is no such thing as a sure bet.
We will have to wait until Sunday to find out. The Academy Awards ceremony takes place on Feb. 28, with coverage starting in the afternoon for a peak at all those glorious Oscar fashions.