Well, it’s that time of year again. After a long few months of controversy, the 91st Academy Awards will be held this Sunday at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. The controversies that the award show has faced this year include homophobic tweets surfacing from announced host Kevin Hart that forced him to step down from the role and nominated films and actors coming under scrutiny for problematic behaviors such as Viggo Mortensen’s use of the n-word during an interview about his performance in the Best Picture-nominated Green Book.
With the Oscars still yet to announce a replacement following Hart’s resignation, a lot about the ceremony remains a mystery. But this hasn’t stopped fans from speculating that Whoopi Goldberg will be the surprise host this Sunday, as she is the only previous host who will be presenting at the ceremony.
Regardless of the host situation, the 91st Academy Awards is sure to be an exciting one given the multiple nominations gathered by global phenomenon Black Panther and the controversial Green Book.
HOW TO WATCH:
The Oscars will be broadcast on ABC this year. The ceremony is set to kick off at 8 p.m. while red carpet coverage will begin at 5 p.m. on the Oscar website.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
Oscar set designer David Korins told The Los Angeles Times that he designed the award show with the theme of inclusion in mind. Watch for the nominees as well as other ceremony attendees to be supporting this theme in some way.
Lady Gaga’s, who is nominated for Actress in a Leading Role, outfit may also be a potential point of interest considering her previous stylistic decisions at music award shows such as the Grammys (think the meat dress but a little more classy).
The controversial Green Book has been nominated in several categories including Best Picture. With a victory, it could go down as one of the most contentious Best Picture decisions in Oscar history.
Finally, as the Oscars remain hostless, an interesting stage has been set for the presenters. Be sure to watch out for the ceremony’s transitions and how the show is run assuming a last-minute host is not announced (such as Goldberg).
OUR PREDICTIONS:
* symbolizes our predicted winner
Best Picture:
A Star Is Born
BlackKklansman
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
Green Book
The Favourite
Roma*
Actor in a Leading Role:
Christian Bale | Vice*
Bradley Cooper | A Star is Born
Willem Dafoe | At Eternity’s Gate
Rami Malek | Bohemian Rhapsody
Viggo Mortensen | Green Book
Actor in a Supporting Role:
Mahershala Ali | Green Book*
Adam Driver | BlackKklansman
Sam Elliott | A Star is Born
Richard E. Grant | Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Rockwell | Vice
Actress in a Leading Role:
Yalitza Aparicio | Roma*
Glenn Close | The Wife
Olivia Colman | The Favourite
Lady Gaga | A Star Is Born
Melissa McCarthy | Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams | Vice
Marina de Tavira | Roma
Regina King | If Beale Street Could Talk*
Emma Stone | The Favourite
Rachel Weisz | The Favourite
Directing
Spike Lee | BlackKklansman
Pawel Pawlikowski | Cold War
Yorgos Lanthimos | The Favourite
Alfonso Cuarón | Roma*
Adam McKay | Vice
Music: “All the Stars” | Kendrick Lamar and SZA for Black Panther
Animated Feature Film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
This article has been updated.
Think you can do better than the arts editors? Submit your picks to for the categories above to [email protected] for a chance to win a $5 Collegetown Bagels gift card.