WATCH: What to expect at the 89th Academy Awards - East Idaho News
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WATCH: What to expect at the 89th Academy Awards

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(CNN) — So you’ve been invited to watch the Academy Awards with friends and you haven’t seen a movie in the theater since the last “Star Wars.” You know, the one from almost 15 months ago.

You don’t know “Moonlight” from “Spotlight,” or “La La Land” from La La Anthony.
How do you avoid sounding clueless?

We can help! Here’s a guide — sort of an Oscars for Dummies — that answers even your stupidest questions. Like these.

When does it start?

Red carpet coverage starts Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, with the ceremony following at 6:30 p.m.

What channel is it on?

ABC. But if you really geek out about the red carpet, E! will begin streaming live coverage on its mobile app at 1:30 p.m. ET. Yes, that’s 10:30 in the morning in Hollywood, when almost nobody is awake. Maybe you’ll get to watch someone vacuum and shampoo the carpet.

Who’s hosting?

Jimmy Kimmel. He’s that late-night guy on — coincidence! — ABC. It’s his first time in the gig, although he hosted the Emmys last year.

What, James Franco and Anne Hathaway weren’t available?

Ha ha.

Were James Franco and Anne Hathaway the worst Oscar hosts ever?

Many critics seem to think so.

But the pair, who hosted in 2011, have competition from Seth MacFarlane, who did a song-and-dance number four years ago called “We Saw Your Boobs.”

And from David Letterman, who once told that weird “Oprah … Uma” joke.

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A scene from “La La Land.”

I haven’t been paying attention. What are the big Oscar movies this year?

The front-runner is “La La Land,” a musical about two young lovers pursuing their showbiz dreams in Los Angeles when they’re not fighting traffic. Hollywood LOVES movies about Hollywood — ahem, “Crash,” “The Artist,” “Argo” — so it got a record-tying 14 nominations.

Right behind it are “Moonlight,” a coming-of-age story about a gay black man in Miami, and “Manchester by the Sea,” which sounds like a snooty BBC drama but is actually about a depressive Boston handyman grappling with unspeakable family tragedy.

It’s a laugh riot.

Critics also love “Arrival,” a sci-fi movie about linguists trying to communicate with space aliens who may actually not be trying to kill us.

But the sentimental favorite may be “Hidden Figures,” a true story about the unsung African-American women whose math and engineering smarts helped power the US space program in the 1960s. With $146 million and counting, it’s the biggest box-office hit among the best picture contenders.

How many best picture nominees are there?

Nine. Under its current rules the Academy can nominate anywhere from five to 10 movies.

If the real name is the Academy Awards, why does everyone call it the Oscars?

The gold-plated statuette is officially named the Academy Award of Merit. The origins of its nickname are a little murky, but legend has it that upon seeing the trophy for the first time back in 1929, Academy librarian Margaret Herrick said it looked like her Uncle Oscar. Good thing her uncle wasn’t named Beavis.

The academy adopted the nickname officially in 1939.

Can you give me some tips for my Oscars pool?

When in doubt, pick “La La Land.”

“Fences'” Viola Davis is a lock for supporting actress.

“Zootopia” will win best animated feature.

You’re on your own with the shorts, though.

Will I have to suffer through people singing the nominated songs?

Yes, but this year it’s a pretty good lineup: Sting, John Legend, Justin Timberlake and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of “Hamilton.”

What are some other fun facts I can use to sound smart at my Oscars party?

Streaking, or running naked in public, was briefly a thing back in the ’70s, and even the Oscars weren’t immune.

A male streaker dashed across the stage — and into American living rooms — during the ceremony in 1974, briefly startling co-host David Niven.

Niven recovered quickly, joking that “probably the only laugh that man will ever get in life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings.”

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