5 things to look for
Grab the champagne and roll out the red carpet. After last year’s Oscar shocker, we’ve learned to expect the unexpected.
Are you ready for Oscar night glamour? Well, put the bubbly on ice, because after last year’s show, we’ve learned to expect the unexpected. Here are five things to watch out for at the 90th Academy Awards (ABC, 8 ET/5 PT):
The shadow of Envelopegate
You remember last year, when Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced the wrong best-picture winner, right? (Who could forget?) Based on Jimmy Kimmel’s Oscar promos, instead of sweeping the embarrassing incident under the red carpet, it seems producers are going to lean in to last year’s mishap. One thing’s for sure: When things get awkward, we can always count on Kimmel.
No one really knows which film is going to win best picture. Seriously.
It’s true that Three Billboards
Outside Ebbing, Missouri has swept many of the awards shows leading up to the Oscars, but Oscarologists are uncharacteristically divided over this year’s best-picture category. Guillermo del Toro’s moving fairy tale, The Shape of Water, could take it. But there’s still room for an endof-night shocker, should Dunkirk
swoop in or Get Out trump the competition and land in the top slot. Keep your eyes (Jordan) peeled.
Will Time’s Up take over the red carpet?
The Oscars are the Super Bowl of red carpets. While there will be tons of gorgeous gowns on nominees like Margot Robbie and presenters like Lupita Nyong’o, Time’s Up, the movement started two months ago in Hollywood to advocate for gender equality in the workplace, will likely be a big factor.
There’s no sign of an allblack dress code — like the one at the Golden Globes — but we still think this will be a sartorial stroll for the ages. And the question remains: Will Ryan Seacrest maintain his spot on the carpet, given the sexual harassment allegations he’s fighting? So far, E! says he’s staying.
Mary J. Blige, people!
The R&B powerhouse (who is also nominated for best supporting actress) will take the stage on Sunday to sing her nominated Mudbound song, Mighty River.
In fact, all of the nominated songs will be per- formed during the broadcast: Keala Settle will perform This Is Me from The Greatest Showman; Gael García Bernal, Natalia Lafourcade and Miguel will perform Remember Me from Coco; Common and Andra Day will perform Stand Up for Something from Marshall; and Sufjan Stevens will perform his Mystery of Love from Call Me By Your Name.
The special guests are especially good
The Academy has done an awfully good job of corralling some of Hollywood’s biggest stars to present. Despite Wonder Woman being snubbed, Gal Gadot is gracing the show as a presenter. Fellow comic-book hero Chadwick Boseman (aka Black Panther) will be at the Dolby Theatre, as will Dave Chappelle, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sandra Bullock and Emma Stone. And the more unscripted they stay, the better.