USA TODAY International Edition
Kimmel not fretting Oscars, he’s ‘ just there to be funny’
The biggest night for movies is coming soon to a TV near you.
Whether you’re watching the Oscars to see how many times host Jimmy Kimmel gets Stuck on Matt Damon, to see if La La Land will land the award for best picture or whether or not Hollywood will finally recognize certain Hidden Figures, here’s everything you need to know before tuning in Sunday.
WHAT TIME DO THE OSCARS START?
The Oscars will be broadcast at 8: 30 p. m. ET/ 5: 30 PT, with red carpet coverage beginning at 7 ET/ 4 PT.
HOW CAN I WATCH?
The Oscars will air live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on ABC, and also will stream on abc. com and on the ABC app.
WHO IS HOSTING?
Jimmy Kimmel will host the ceremony this year and he’s promised humor and respect ( except, of course, for rival Matt Damon).
“I think I have a pretty good sense this is not the Comedy Central Roast,” he told USA TODAY. “That’s not to say I won’t be making fun of people and things — I will. But I do recognize for a lot of people this is the biggest night of their professional lives, and the last thing I want to do is ruin it for someone.”
Or for himself. The comedian admits hosting the Oscars is all he thinks about. And, Sunday night, the pressure will be on.
WHO IS NOMINATED?
La La Land danced away with a record 14 total nominations and is a favorite to win best picture. It joins indie darling and fellow Golden Globe winner Moonlight ( which scored eight nominations) as well as Manchester by the Sea, Arrival, Hell or High Water, Fences, Lion, Hacksaw Ridge and Hidden Figures.
Manchester by the Sea star Ca- sey Affleck sailed off with a nomination in the best- actor category. Joining him on that ship? Ryan Gosling ( La La Land), Denzel Washington ( Fences), Andrew Garfield ( Hacksaw Ridge) and Viggo Mortensen ( Captain Fantastic).
Florence Foster Jenkins star Meryl Streep is singing pretty with a best- actress nomination, bringing her nominations to a record 20. Fellow nominees Ruth Negga ( Loving), Isabelle Huppert ( Elle) and Natalie Portman ( Jackie) also hit the right note with Academy voters.
Fences star Viola Davis anchors the supporting- actress category, which includes Octavia Spencer ( Hidden Figures), Naomie Harris ( Moonlight), Michelle Williams ( Manchester by the Sea), and Nicole Kidman ( Lion).
Meanwhile, Moonlight actor Mahershala Ali shines in the supporting- actor group, where he joins newcomer Lucas Hedges ( Manchester by the Sea), Jeff Bridges ( Hell or High Water), Dev Patel ( Lion) and Michael Shannon ( Nocturnal Animals).
WHO IS PRESENTING?
The better question is, who isn’t presenting?
Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Adams, Janelle Monáe, David Oyelowo, Alicia Vikander, Brie Larson, Halle Berry, Kate McKinnon, Mark Rylance, Riz Ahmed, Dwayne Johnson, Javier Bardem, Felicity Jones, Leslie Mann, Emma Stone, John Cho, Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Charlize Theron, Chris Evans, Gael García Bernal, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Hailee Steinfeld and Shirley MacLaine are set to fête their peers at the ceremony.
WHO IS PERFORMING?
As a reminder of how lucky we all are to be alive right now, Lin- Manuel Miranda will grace the stage during the ceremony. He’ll be joined by Auli’i Cravalho, the voice of Moana, for the Oscarnominated song How Far I’ll Go from the film.
Fellow nominees John Legend, Sting and Justin Timberlake also are set to perform their nominated songs, and we Can’t Stop the Feeling that it’s going to be a blockbuster show.
WHAT’S THE LATEST ON THE ‘ IN MEMORIAM’ SEGMENT?
The Academy has yet to post details about this year’s segment, but viewers will want to look out for tributes to Garry Shandling, Anton Yelchin, Garry Marshall, Gene Wilder , Alan Thicke, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, Mary Tyler Moore, Emmanuelle Riva, Richard Hatch, Frank Pellegrino and Mike Connors, among others.