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The entirety of awards season has led up to this: the Oscars. As of tonight, the world will finally have the answer to important questions like, "Will Leo get that Oscar?" and "What shenanigans will J Law find herself in this time?" and "Is anyone actually going to use those free vampire breast lifts in the Oscars swag bags?"
As not only the biggest night in Hollywood, but one of the biggest nights in fashion as well, there'll be plenty to talk about. There's certain to be the parade of red carpet-matching red gowns. Jennifer Lawrence will, of course arrive in Dior, and 100 bucks says Rooney Mara will show up in something lengthy, Givenchy, and at least partially sheer.
Apart from that, however, who's to say what nominees like Cate Blanchett, Saoirse Ronan, Brie Larson, and Alicia Vikander will wear (though we have a few ideas). We'll be liveblogging the entire red carpet beginning at 5:30pm EST right here, so make sure to check in.
Undoubtedly, the most heavily discussed aspect of this year's Academy Awards is the lack of diversity among the nominees. Not only were people of color completely excluded from all four of the acting categories, but there was also a lack of recognition for films directed by or featuring people of color.
The ordeal launched a hashtag (#OscarsSoWhite), a boycott by celebrities like Jada Pinkett-Smith and Spike Lee, and a renewed conversation about Oscar diversity that caused the Academy to restructure its membership and voting process.
In short, there's a lot going on. Find your guide on when, what, and who to watch during the 88th annual Academy Awards below.
The Nominees
We'll start with the categories people care most about: sound mixing. Kidding! In the category for Best Actress, heavily favored Brie Larson (she won both the Golden Globe and the SAG Award) will face Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, Charlotte Rampling, and Saoirse (pronounced Ser-sha) Ronan.
Though Leo DiCaprio is favored to win the Oscar as well, he's up against Bryan Cranston, Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender, and Eddie Redmayne for Best Actor.
Nominated in the supporting role categories are Rooney Mara, Rachel McAdams, Alicia Vikander, Kate Winslet, Tom Hardy, Christian Bale, Mark Ruffalo, and Sylvester Stallone, among others.
As for Best Picture, the eight nominees are The Revenant, The Martian, The Big Short, and several other films that don't start with "The": Bridge of Spies, Max Max, Room, Brooklyn, and Spotlight.
See the full list of nominees here.
The Presenters
Chris Rock will host the event for the second time, having recently joked that "I'm only here because Ellen said no."
In total, there'll be no less than 47 presenters and performers, including Tina Fey, Emily Blunt, Louis C.K., Priyanka Chopra, Steve Carell, Whoopi Goldberg, Common, Kevin Hart, Michael B. Jordan, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Jason Segel, Sarah Silverman, Charlize Theron, Sofia Vergara, Kerry Washington, John Legend, Morgan Freeman, Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Reese Witherspoon, and more.
As is the tradition, last year's four winners will hand out the awards for the acting categories, which this year means J.K. Simmons, Eddie Redmayne, Patricia Arquette, and Julianne Moore.
The Performers
Headlining this year's ceremony will be Lady Gaga performing her Oscar-nominated "Til It Happens to You," from the film The Hunting Ground. Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters will also perform.
Though the Academy hasn't yet released the rest of the performers, it can be safely assumed that The Weeknd and Sam Smith will each perform their Oscar nominated songs, "Earned It" and "Writing's On the Wall," respectively.
How to Watch
When
Sunday, February 28th. Starting at 1:30 p.m. EST, E! will host a "Countdown to the Red Carpet," followed by "Live from the Red Carpet." ABC's exclusive red carpet coverage will begin at 7 p.m., and the awards ceremony will commence at 8:30 p.m. Join our liveblog at 5:30pm.
Where
Though the actual awards ceremony will take place at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, it will be televised live on ABC.
Online
ABC.com and the Watch ABC app.
Racked Video: WTF moments from last year's show