Everything we know about the Oscars 2019

As the miserable month that is January comes to an end, there are finally some upcoming events to look forward to. February is bound to be a little bit brighter: Valentine’s Day is on the horizon and, perhaps most important of all, the Oscars are just a few weeks away. Hollywood’s most famous stars will be coming together in Los Angeles, California on 24th February (25th February in the UK) to celebrate the biggest achievements in cinema over the last twelve months – and we can’t wait. Here is everything we know about this year’s award ceremony so far.

Who Will Be Hosting? 

If you’ve gone anywhere near social media over the last few weeks, chances are you’ve noticed the annual controversy surrounding who will be hosting. The 91st Academy Awards have not escaped this tradition, with original host, comedian and actor Kevin Hart, already having been booted from his position. The decision to remove the 39-year-old as the main host came after a number of old tweets came to light, many of which contained homophobic comments. Now, it seems there will be no main host at all– something that hasn’t happened since the 1989 Oscars – and a string of celebrities will be introducing the segments instead.

Who Has Been Nominated?

This year there are dozens of nominations, with 24 categories packed full of actors and movies all hoping to receive an award. By far the most nominated movies are Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite and Alfonso Cuaron’s Netflix sensation Roma, both of which have ten nominations each. With eight nominations each, A Star Is Born and Vice are hoping to take a few wins home, while Black Panther is the only movie this year with a total of seven nominations.

Who Do We Think Will Win?

Predicting the outcomes of any big Hollywood award ceremony isn’t easy but there are some events leading up to the Oscars that will help us gain an idea of who the winners will be. First and foremost, we look to the professionals, the oddsmakers who are already presenting Oscar odds 2019. At Paddy Power, there are already quite a few interesting predictions in place, including 7/1 odds on Bradley Cooper winning Best Actor and 4/1 on Lady Gaga to win Best Actress, both for their roles in A Star Is Born. Other interesting picks are Spike Lee for Best Director, Green Book for Best Picture and Cold War for Best Foreign Language Film.

Of course, we will also be paying attention to the films that win other upcoming awards ceremonies. These include the Directors Guild of America Awards (2nd February) and the Independent Spirit Awards (23rd February), as they may give us a clearer idea on how those making the decisions behind the scenes are feeling about the big nominees.

As we mentioned earlier, it’s not easy to pinpoint who are picks are – there have been more than a few curveballs at the Oscars over the years – but we will definitely be keeping an eye on A Star Is Born, which seems to be a favourite.