THE biggest night in film is almost upon us. We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about this year’s Academy Awards. When does it air? The Oscars will broadcast live Sunday on ABC (8 p.m. ET/5 PT) at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. The Oscars: All Access livestream from the red carpet and backstage will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 PT on Oscar.com. Who’s hosting? Jimmy Kimmel will return for his second consecutive stint on the awards show stage. The late-night host said he’s ready for the return gig, so much so that he’s hoping for a repeat performance of last year’s Envelopegate, in which Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced the wrong film as best picture. “I want it to happen again,” Kimmel joked, before hinting at which movie he’s planning on poking fun at. “‘The Shape of Water’ is about a woman who has sex with a sea monster. So probably that one — that’s got to be right at the top.” Who is nominated? “The Shape of Water” leads with 13 nominations, including a nod for best picture. Behind it is Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic “Dunkirk” with eight nominations and the darkly comic drama “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” which is up for seven awards. Who are the presenters? The star-studded list includes: Gal Gadot, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Gina Rodriguez, Armie Hammer, Mahershala Ali, Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Laura Dern, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig, Tiffany Haddish, Tom Holland, Kumail Nanjiani, Margot Robbie, Emma Stone and Daniela Vega. Will there be another envelope flub? The Academy says (and sure hopes) not! The Oscars vow to get the “envelope ritual” right at the 2018 Academy Awards, including a new procedure to make sure celebrity presenters confirm that they’ve been given the correct envelope for the category they are about to present. Predications made on Facebook Facebook recently unveils its own set of winners this Oscars season. The social media platform has released its list of the most-discussed nominees in those categories. “The Shape of Water” topped the conversation for Best Picture nominees, belying its status as a heavy favorite to take home the top prize on Sunday evening. Christopher Nolan’s war epic “Dunkirk” took second place, while “Call Me by Your Name” was the third most-discussed nominee. Though Denzel Washington has not been a large part of the critical conversation this year when it comes to the best actor nominees, he remains a favorite among fans, coming in at No. 1 among the most-discussed nominees in that category. Oscar front-runner Gary Oldman came in second, while Daniel Day-Lewis ranked third for what is likely his final onscreen performance. Meryl Streep holds the record for most Oscar acting nominations with 21, and she proves just as popular with fans, taking the top spot among most-discussed best actress nominees. Margot Robbie, who has earned raves for her decades-spanning portrayal of Tonya Harding, came in second, while Oscar front-runner Frances McDormand took third place. (SD-Agencies) Nominations: Best picture “Call Me by Your Name” “Darkest Hour” “Dunkirk” “Get Out” “Lady Bird” “Phantom Thread” “The Post” “The Shape of Water” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Best director Paul Thomas Anderson, “Phantom Thread” Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water” Greta Gerwig, “Lady Bird” Christopher Nolan, “Dunkirk” Jordan Peele, “Get Out” Best actor Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name” Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread” Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out” Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour” Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” Best actress Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water” Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya” Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird” Meryl Streep, “The Post” Best supporting actor Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project” Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water” Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World” Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Best supporting actress Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound” Allison Janney, “I, Tonya” Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread” Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird” Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water” |