Doing anything 98 times is a lot, and that certainly applies to the world’s most popular and prestigious award show (sorry about it, Alfred Nobel). The 98th Academy Awards are kicking off tonight at 7 p.m. ET, with red carpet festivities beginning many hours before that. Seriously, you would be shocked at how early the first red-carpet traipsers arrive. This year, the Oscars have come down almost exclusively to two films: the sweaty, Southern, bluesy vampire bloodbath Sinners and the bold, satirical, revolutionary quasi-farce One Battle After Another. Both films were big hits with critics, the public, and Oscar voters, the latter group giving Sinners a record-setting 16 nominations and One Battle a whopping 13 of its own. And the gag of it all is that no one really knows which movie is going to win! Or who’s winning Best Actor! Or Best Supporting Actress! This many major categories haven’t been this up in the air in a very long time.
Meanwhile, there’s a war on (Timothée Chalamet versus the esoteric performing arts) and the United States has made yet another military incursion into the Middle East. Will any of the winners comment upon either? Will Conan O’Brien be as popular a host as he was last year? What kind of a suit will Amy Madigan be wearing? What will Sean Penn say? We’ll be here all night to guide you through every minute. —Joe Reid
