Academy Awards 2018 Winners On The Way: All You Need To Know

HOLLYWOOD, CA — You’re not gonna want to miss the 2018 Oscars. Turn your TV to E!, then ABC,and get ready to expect the unexpected. The red carpet show (a don’t-miss this year) on E! begins at 2 p.m. Pacific Time, and ABC takes over that part of the program at 3:30 Pacific and the big show at 5.. [Hey, East Coasters! About time you corrected for time zones since the West Coast corrects most of the time. Need some help? Red Carpet begins at 5 'clock eastern on E and 6:30 on ABC. The big show starts at 8.]

Click here for a live updates from the Academy Awards: Highlights Of The 2018 Academy Awards

Click here for live updates from the red carpet: The Academy Awards Red Carpet Looks

The knock against the biggest, most glamorous award show of the year has justifiably been that it’s too predictable, too traditional, too safe. But not this year. The drive for increased diversity has yielded some potential firsts. And capping a year that saw titans of the entertainment industry fall to sexual abuse accusations and a wide-scale revolt against the casting couch, expect to see some genuine drama unfold.

You go, decent people!

Time's Up

This year, the drama will start on the red carpet.Red carpet host Ryan Seacrest became the latest Hollywood powerhouse to be accused of sexual harassment. Variety reported that Seacrest's stylist for E! News accused him of sexually harassing her for years, including an instance when he was visibly aroused and rubbed against her while wearing only his underwear. Seacrest deniesthe allegations, and E! News stood by its man.

He’ll be, um, manning, the Red Carpet Sunday.

Time’s Up, the grassroots movement spearheaded by women to combat sexual abuse in Hollywood, has told its members to rely on themselves and the conscience on how to handle Seacrest.

“There's not an official Time's Up act about this,” director Ava DuVernay, a founding member of the group, told The Los Angeles Times. “We support people who are bearing witness to what has happened to them, but the bottom line is if you're on the carpet, you make your individual decision about it."

That means each actor and actress gliding down the Red Carpet will be making decisions on whether to snub, embrace or call out Seacrest.

Unlike the Golden Globes, where actresses banded together and wore black in protest of sexual abuse, Time’s Up has not organized an official protest for the Academy Awards.

"We are not an awards show protest group," DuVernay told the Times. "So we stand down this time."

Don’t, however, expect the topic not to come up during the show. Host Jimmy Kimmel has promised to address it, and Hollywood’s complex relationship with sexual abuse will be on full display. In the last several months, producer Harvey Weinstein went from powerhouse to pariah. Kobe Bryant, accused but cleared of raping a hotel worker years so, is up for an Academy Award for "Dear Basketball,'' the animated short of his retirement announcement.

A Night Of Oscar And Records

“The Shape of Water,” the award-season darling with 13 Oscar nominations, could become the first science fiction film to take home the Best Picture award. It’s widely expected to win the top prize, although “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'' is a contender. And let’s not forget last year’s shocking snafu when Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway mistakenly announced “La La Land” the Best Picture winner when, in fact, “Moonlight” was the surprise winner.

And don’t rule out dark horses "Call Me By Your Name," "Darkest Hour," "Dunkirk," "Get Out," "Lady Bird," "Phantom Thread" and "The Post."

Just like last year, Denzel Washington is up for a Best Actor Oscar. If he wins, he would be the Academy Awards' winningest artist of color. Newbie Jordan Peele has three nominations. In addition to the Best Picture nomination for “Get Out,” he’s also up for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Though he’s not widely expected to challenge “The Shape of Water” director Guillermo del Toro for Best Director, a win would make him the first black director to take home the prize.

Octavia Spencer could become the first black woman to win multiple Oscars if she wins for her supporting role in “The Shape Of Water.” For her performance in “The Post,” Meryl Streep once again has a chance to tie Katharine Hepburn for the most acting awards. She’s already the most nominated actress in history.

As Slate noted, Yance Ford could become the first openly transgender director to win for his documentary “Strong Island,” and Rachel Morrison could become the first woman to win the cinematography award for her work on "Mudbound."

Check out Patch's breakdown and predictions for each category:

Oscar Predictions 2018: A Breakdown Of All 24 Academy Awards

Related

• Oscars 2018 Predictions: Best Picture, Best Director And More
  
• Ryan Seacrest Sex Harassment Allegations Detailed In New Report
  
• Oscar Nominations 2018: Watch Live Stream
  
• Oscar Nominations 2018: Who Will Win An Academy Award
  
• Academy Awards Red Carpet: The Head-Turning, Head-Scratching Looks

Photo: The Oscar statuette is seen backstage during the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)