Where can I watch the 2019 Oscars in Australia?
Good question! There are a number of options. If you want to watch the telecast live, Nine will be screening it from midday AEDT - a replay later in the evening is still to be confirmed. Both The Today Show and Today Extra will on the Red Carpet, with Nine’s entertainment reporters Richard Wilkins and Brooke Boney both reporting live. Over on Foxtel, E! Will also screen their legendary Red Carpet Arrivals Show from 9am.
Who will be at the 2019 Oscars?
Who won’t! Like always, the Oscars will attract the who’s-who of Hollywood talent. Keep an eye out for Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone, both Best Supporting Actress nominees, as well as Lady Gaga (nominated for Best Original Song in A Star is Born), Rami Malek (nominated for Best Actor Bohemian Rhapsody), Michael B. Jordan of Black Panther, Christian Bale (who is a hot favourite for Vice), British actress Olivia Colman (The Favourite) and Glenn Close (also nominated in the Best Actress category). For a full list of nominees, click HERE.
Who will win at the 2019 Oscars?
Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma, which you can catch on Netflix, and the British historical flick, The Favourite, both lead the pack, with ten nominations between them, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. A Star is Born and Vice are also up there, with eight nominations each, including Best Picture (though Bradley Cooper was controversially NOT nominated for his role directing popular film A Star is Born). Marvel's Black Panther, the first superhero film to be nominated in the Best Picture category, is an outside chance, as is Vice. Expect to catch a glimpse of Regina King of If Beale Street Could Talk and Viggo Mortensen who starred in Greenbook which was also one of the Best Picture nominees this year.
Who will be hosting the Oscars?
In years gone by, comedians like Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres and Jimmy Kimmel have hosted the annual academy awards to keep the audience entertained between the handing out of popular gongs.
Who should we be watching out for?
Perhaps the most coveted awards include Best Actor In Leading Role, Best Supporting Actor, Best Picture, and Best Original Song.
What’s all this about ‘Oscars controversy’?
Whooooooo boy - where to start? This year’s ceremony has been marred by some pretty major controversies, all taking place in the weeks and months before the broadcast.
Last year, the Academy came under major fire from film fans, industry observers, and even the Academy’s own members, after announcing a suite of changes. These included pushing forward the 2020 ceremony to early February, limiting the event to a three-hour run-time, and introducing a new Best Popular Picture category - all these initiatives have since been side-lined.
They also received major blow-back after announcing in December that US comedian Kevin Hart would host the ceremony. Within days Hart had announced he was stepping down, after homophobic tweets he’d posted several years earlier were unearthed. Instead of apologising for them, he tried to call out the trolls who had unearthed them, making matters worse.
And in a final blow, just last week, the Academy was forced to backtrack on a decision not to telecast Live Action Short, Cinematography, Editing and Makeup and Hair awards, helping to bring in the telecast at 3 hours.
Dozens of American directors, cinematographers and actors - including Industry heavyweights Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino, who wrote an open letter to the Academy’s members - called out the decision, and on February 15, just a week before the telecast, they reneged.
