The Walking Dead is already struggling to keep its audience, and the 2018 Oscars won't make things any easier. The 90th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, celebrates its milestone anniversary later today, Sunday, March 4. Hollywood’s largest and most coveted award ceremony is scheduled to kick off live at 5 pm PST in the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center. Viewers can watch the ceremony live on ABC.
Joining Kimmel on stage for his second Academy Awards is a selection of prior winners and stars including Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd, Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey, Helen Mirren, Christopher Walken, Greta Gerwig, Oscar Isaac, Daniela Vega, Mark Hamill and Gal Gadot. After his triumphant return to the spotlight, Dave Chappelle will even be taking to the stage as a presenter.
Nominees for the evening include some unsurprising nods to Daniel Day-Lewis, Gary Oldman, Margot Robbie, Meryl Streep and Octavia Spencer. The Best Picture category is stocked with nine nominations, including Dunkirk, Get Out, The Post, The Shape of Water, and Phantom Thread. One of the more significant nominations is Christopher Plummer’s Actor in a Supporting Role nod for All the Money in the World. Originally starring Kevin Spacey, Plummer stepped in at the last minute after Ridley Scott called for reshoots in light of sexual misconduct allegations against Spacey.
The evening will be prefaced with hours of pre-show coverage, including E!’s “Countdown to the Red Carpet: 2018 Academy Awards” starting at 10 a.m. PST. Despite controversy over sexual harassment allegations, Ryan Seacrest will be taking to the red carpet, leaving viewers wondering if he is going to get snubbed by stars in the pre-show.
While the year's previous award shows focused heavily on the “#MeToo” movement against sexual harassment in Hollywood, the 2018 Oscars will shift focus to the current gun debate. Stars will be wearing orange pins to show their support in the battle against gun violence. That, however, doesn’t let Seacrest and other controversial actors and actress off the hook for the evening as it’s very likely vocal proponents like Jane Fonda and Rita Moreno will have plenty to say when they present.
