It’s that time of the year again when the crème de la crème of Hollywood gather for a night of glitz and glamour. It’s been an action-packed year for the movie industry and no other event brings everything to a climax like The Oscars 2019; The Academy Award of Merit.
The Oscars are the annual finishing line in the race for the film industry’s most coveted prize: the iconic golden statuette. And as expected, myriads of questions are flying all over; Where is it happening? When is it taking place? Who are the Nominees? Who are the hosts, presenters? Why was so and so excluded? Who will be performing? Whose point blank speech will quake the audience and fuel the big gossip in the coming weeks? The answers are only a few days away. In the meantime, however, here’s where and how to watch the Oscars 2019 live Online or on TV. But before that, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and speed back to 2019.
The Oscars are categories of awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), located in Beverly Hills, California, U.S.A, in recognition of notable achievements in the film industry. The awards were first presented in a ceremony in 1929, where awardees received gold-plated statuettes popularly called Oscar.
Oscars 2019 – When Is it
February 24, 2019, will mark the 91st edition of the award night. As expected, this year’s ceremony will see film industry giants and upcoming stars justle for the 24-karat-gold-styled statuette in 24 different categories. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) will broadcast the event live across the United States.
In late January of 2019, the full list of Oscars 2019 nominees was announced by the renown actress and comedienne, Tracee Ellis Ross and Kumail Nanjiani, comedian and star of HBO’s series, Silicon Valley. But a whole lot has been happening before then. The air of activism sweeping through the film industry since last year is one. And last December, usual host, Kevin Hart, announced that he would not be hosting this year’s Oscars. With only a few days to go, there’s a lot to expect come Sunday night.
The 2019 edition of the Oscars will hold on Sunday, February 24, 2019. As in previous years, the ceremony will take place at the heart of Hollywood; Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles. And will be aired live in the United States on ABC television network. UK audiences can also view it on Sky. However, a crucial event like the Oscars requires more eyes in the sky as more audiences will be following from all over the world.
How To Watch Oscars Live Stream 2019 Online or on TV Channel
You can watch the Oscars on ABC. However, viewers outside of the US may not be able to watch this and so the following options would help; Sling Television, YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue, Hulu, DirectTV, Fubo TV, MNet on DSTV, and Now TV. The Oscars will go on air LIVE on ABC at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT. But live coverage from the red carpet will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET | 2:30 p.m. PT on ABC News Live.
Until recently, the Oscars aired only on TV and radio channels, but thanks to technology, viewers can now explore other options. Live streaming is fast becoming a lifesaver for audiences following from all over the world. Which is why as the official broadcast network for the event, you can watch the Oscars 2019 through ABC GO. ABC Go offers free Video on Demand (VOD) streaming using Unlocator- a Domain Name Server (DNS) service that enables you to unblock and watch ABC shows outside the US on devices like desktops, laptops, Mac, iPhone, iPad and a host of Android devices.
Another option is the ABC Go DNS service which allows viewers from all over the world to use the streaming services regardless of their location. Viewers are allowed to try it for free as it requires no credit card. All you require is a free Unlocator account and a configured Unlocator DNS on any device of your choice. The Unlocator “spoofs” your online location, giving ABC the impression that you are located in the US. It’s important to note that using the unlocator will have no effect and will not change your public IP, neither does it affect your internet speed. Beyond all we’ve mentioned above, an American cable subscription is also a necessity as it will allow you to log into ABC and watch any of the available episodes.
Oscars 2019 Live On Facebook
If the earlier options aren’t delivering, then it’s time to go ‘Zuckerwards’, Facebook could just save the day. Simply sign into your Facebook account (if you have one) and then search “The Academy” or better still, follow to the link https://www.facebook.com/TheAcademy to watch.
Oscars 2019 What To Expect
The Oscars has often been fraught with controversies, and 2019 is no exception. In August 2018, the Academy announced that it would add a new award category for “Best Popular Film”. This is intended to honor the best popular movies released in the previous year that caught viewers’ attention despite not achieving critical acclaim. This was followed by a torrent of backlash and criticism from all over the world with most people considering it as unnecessary. The Academy later announced that the category will not be added.
One other striking feature of the 2019 Oscars will be the absence of a host. Only three days after Kevin Hart was announced as the host of this year’s edition of the ceremony, a sudden controversy ensued, leading to the standup comedian’s decline to host the event.
In a tweet From December 2018, Kevin announced that he would not be hosting the award as planned, and tendered an apology for the several homophobic comments he made against the LGBTQ community.
From all indications, no other former hosts of the ceremony have shown interest to return, including Seth MacFarlane, Jimmy Kimmel, Neil Patrick Harris, Ellen DeGeneres, and Chris Rock. If nothing changes, the 2019 Oscars will be the first Oscar edition without a host in over 30 years. Sunday night will tell whether this happens or not.
Nevertheless, this year’s event features a full line up of presenters. They include Chris Evans, former best actress winners Charlize Theron and Brie Larson, Whoopi Goldberg, Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Lopez, Daniel Craig, former Golden Globe hosts and comedians Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, Amanda Sternberg, Maya Rudolph, and Crazy Rich Asians stars – Constance Wu and Awkwafina.
Oscars 2019 Performances
As is the custom, last year’s winners will return to present the opposite awards. That is, last year’s best actress will present this year’s best actor his award and vice versa.
Perhaps the most fun-filled part of the Oscars are the musical performances. If custom is anything to go by, the nominees for Best Original Song will entertain the audience. Once more, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper will mount the stage to perform, Shallow, their nominated song from the movie A Star Is Born. Grammy Award-winning singer, Jennifer Hudson will be performing I’ll Fight from the documentary RBG. Also, Gilliam Welch and David Rawlings will perform a rendition of When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings from the adapted screenplay The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. While a special guest will perform The Place Where Lost Things Go from Mary Poppins Returns.
Oscars, Golden Globes And The Emmys, Difference
Although the Golden Globes and the Emmys may seem quite similar, they differ in a number of aspects. While the Oscars is an annual award conferred by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to honor outstanding performance in at least 24 categories in the movie industry, the Emmys are awarded by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) to celebrate excellence in the many aspects of television and broadband programming.
Unlike the two above, Golden Globes recognizes exceptional achievements across the globe in both television and motions pictures. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) confers the award.
