Who’s going to win the best actress Oscar?

It’s opening day at Dodger Stadium. Raise the flag and pass me one of those michelada sausages. Or that brisket that’s been smoked for 12 hours. (Though that habanero sauce better have some kick.) And if you need to get in the proper state of mind for the opener, may I suggest Times columnist Gustavo Arellano’s look back at the “religious experience” that was Fernandomania, 40 years after its birth.

Oh, and the Oscars are just a couple of weeks away. If the academy wants to boost ratings, it should invite Fernando to throw out the first Oscar.

I’m Glenn Whipp, awards columnist for the Los Angeles Times, host of the Envelope’s Friday newsletter. Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack and let’s get to it.

Who’s going to win the Oscar for lead actress this year?

The Screen Actors Guild Awards were handed out Sunday night. Well, to be precise, they were actually awarded via Zoom last week, and those prerecorded segments were then broadcast in a brief, one-hour telecast Sunday.

Inevitably, the news of who won had already spread around town. While that didn’t leave much room for suspense, the leaks did free up everyone’s Easter Sunday — a cause for celebration even for those not fortunate enough to win. And those winners were historic: For the first time, all four individual movie honors went to actors of color.

One of those winners was Viola Davis. She and her “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” costar, the late Chadwick Boseman, swept the lead categories. (Yuh-Jung Youn from “Minari” and “Judas and the Black Messiah” standout Daniel Kaluuya prevailed in the supporting categories.) I mention Davis because her win throws the lead actress Oscar race into a delightful sense of disarray, as I wrote following the SAG Awards ceremony. Who will win? I’m leaning toward Davis. But check back, because I’m open to persuasion.

Quiz: How excited are you for this year’s Oscars?

Well, you’re reading this newsletter ... and you’ve made it to the second item ... so maybe a little bit excited? Curious? Or perhaps you just come here for the stadium food recommendations. I don’t know. But to gauge your level of enthusiasm for this year’s ceremony, I put together a little quiz.

Here’s a sample question:

Steven Soderbergh says he’s making the show “like a film.” Which Soderbergh movie would you most like to inform the ceremony?
“Kafka” (10)
“Magic Mike” (7)
“Contagion” (0)

You get the idea. Though you should probably get bonus points if you think I should have included “Schizopolis” among the answers. (Actually, you get bonus points if you’ve heard of “Schizopolis.”)

With nominees like these, you should be at least a little excited about this year’s Oscars.

(Ariana Pacino / For The Times)

Chloé Zhao’s ‘Empire Strikes Back’ drive-in story

Chloé Zhao has been holed up at a Burbank Airbnb guesthouse for more than a month now, working seven days a week on “Eternals,” the upcoming cosmic-gods Marvel movie she directed and cowrote. The cottage is a five-minute drive from Walt Disney Studios. Zhao probably could have stayed in a bigger place or a four-star hotel but she likes the coziness. She also appreciates the way its modesty contrasts with the work she’s doing — and relishing.

“When you’re making a film and everything feels so big and expensive, it’s really nice to come home to a cave at night,” Zhao says. We’re talking via Zoom early on a recent Saturday morning, sipping coffee, shaking off the sleep. She’s telling me about the few personal touches she brought from her Ojai home: the warm, wool blanket she purchased in England while shooting “Eternals,” the rice cooker and the kitchen utensils needed to fully employ and enjoy that beloved steaming appliance.

We also talked about “Nomadland,” of course, the film that earned her four Oscar nominations. One story I hadn’t heard revolved around the Rose Bowl pop-up drive-in screening of the film last year, which coincided with the Bobcat fire in the San Gabriel Mountains. It didn’t start out as an ideal evening but eventually turned into one. And a small part of that had to do with the movie playing next door.

“You didn’t see the lightsaber reflecting on our screen?” Zhao asks me. Nope. “You must be very focused. I appreciate that. If you moved your rearview mirror, you could have watched ‘Empire Strikes Back’ in your car with the sound of ‘Nomadland.’”

“Nomadland” filmmaker Chloé Zhao is nominated for four Oscars.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)