Oscars 2018: How to Watch and What to Expect
This Sunday, the Academy Awards will return to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood with Jimmy Kimmel hosting for a second consecutive year. The usual Golden Globe and SAG Awards surprises have occurred in tandem with an industry-wide reckoning for powerful Hollywood men that have been called out for their abuses of power, making recent ceremonies more political than ever.
Kimmel confirmed that the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements will be a part of the show, though he doesn’t want to pull too much from the more celebratory aspects of the Oscars. “This show is not about reliving people’s sexual assaults — it’s an awards show for people who have been dreaming about maybe winning an Oscar for their whole lives,” he told ABC News. “And the last thing I want to do is ruin that for someone who is nominated for best leading actress or best supporting or best director or cinematographer by making it unpleasant.”
Here’s how to watch the ceremony this weekend.
Red carpet coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. EST across multiple platforms.
It’s still unclear if the all-black initiative of the Golden Globes or white roses of the Grammys will materialize at the Dolby, but viewers can take the scene in from multiple platforms. E! will have a carpet pre-show analyzing the fashion of this season alongside past Oscars beginning at 5 p.m. EST available on both their channel and website.
The Oscars begin at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
Fans can stream the show online at the ABC site and ABC app for viewers with a cable provider login. For more behind-the-scenes content from the show during the telecast, Oscars.com will feature an All Access pass with backstage interviews, red carpet highlights and a more peripheral experience of the show. Facebook will also have its own Oscar content on The Academy’s official page.
Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis are among this year’s presenters.
Other presenters will include Margot Robbie, Mahershala Ali, Emma Stone, Jennifer Garner, Oscar Isaac and Gina Rodriguez. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway are also set to return after last year’s Best Picture gaffe that incorrectly awarded the show’s biggest trophy to La La Land instead of the actual winner, Moonlight, though their appearance has not been confirmed.
Mary J. Blige and Sufjan Stevens will perform their nominated songs.
Each of the Best Original Song nominees will take the stage over the course of the night, including Best Supporting Actress nominee Blige (“Mighty River” from Mudbound), Stevens (“Mystery of Love” from Call Me By Your Name), and Andra Day with Common (“Stand Up for Something” from Marshall). Miguel’s “Remember Me (Dúo)” from Coco and “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman also received nominations.
The Shape of Water is this year’s most-nominated film.
Guillermo del Toro’s fantastical love story is up for 13 awards, meaning there is room for a potential sweep. Dunkirk and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri are the other most-nominated films, with eight and seven nominations, respectively. Big surprises could come from unlikely favorites like the horror smash Get Out and the Greta Gerwig-helmed Lady Bird.