An Oscar statue appears at the 91st Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon, Feb. 4, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP, File)2025-02-05T18:46:59Z After devastating wildfires tore through Los Angeles, the 97th Academy Awards are going forward.Like the Grammys and other awards shows this year, the ceremony will be transformed by the fires and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has pledged to help its members and the broader film community recover.Heres everything you need to know about this years show:When are the Oscars?The Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The show, to be broadcast live by ABC, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Pacific. Are the Oscars streaming?For the first time, the Oscars will be streamed live on Hulu. You can also watch via Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV. With authentication from your provider, you can watch on ABC.com and the ABC app. Whos hosting the Oscars?For the first time, Conan OBrien is hosting the Academy Awards. OBrien, the late-night host turned podcaster and occasional movie star, said upon the announcement: America demanded it and now its happening: Taco Bells new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, Im hosting the Oscars. How have the wildfires altered the show?The wildfires that consumed large parts of Los Angeles in early January led some to call for the cancellation of the Academy Awards. The academy twice postponed the announcement of nominations but never pushed the March 2 date of the ceremony. Academy leaders have argued the show must go ahead, for their economic impact on Los Angeles and as a symbol of resilience. Organizers have vowed this years awards will celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires.Still, the fires have curtailed much of the usual frothiness of Hollywoods awards season. The film academy canceled its annual nominees luncheon.For many involved in the Oscars, the fires have been felt acutely. OBriens Pacific Palisades home survived but his family has been unable to go back to it. OBriens assistant and podcast co-host Sona Movsesian lost her home.I know so many people who lost their homes and Im just, was ridiculously lucky, OBrien told The Associated Press. So we want to make sure that that show reflects whats happening and that we put a light on the right people in the right way. Whos presenting at the Oscars?More stars were added to the presenter lineup Wednesday, including Selena Gomez, Oprah Winfrey, Joe Alwyn, Goldie Hawn, Ben Stiller, Ana de Armas, Sterling K. Brown, Willem Dafoe, Lily-Rose Depp and Connie Nielsen. Theyll join the likes of Halle Berry, Penlope Cruz, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler, June Squibb and Bowen Yang, as well as last years acting winners Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, DaVine Joy Randolph on the Oscar stage. Though the academy initially said it would bring back the fab five style of presenting the acting awards, with five previous winners per category, organizers have reportedly abandoned those plans for this years ceremony. Nick Offerman will also be participating as the Oscars announcer. Will there be any performances?The academy has announced that, unlike previous years, the original song nominees will not be performed this time. That doesnt mean there wont be music, though. Wicked, one of the biggest box-office hits of 2024, could feasibly figure into the Oscar plans. (Its songs werent eligible for best song since, hailing from the Broadway musical, they arent original to the movie.) Whats nominated for best picture?The 10 nominees for best picture are: Anora; The Brutalist; A Complete Unknown; Conclave; Dune: Part 2; Emilia Prez; Im Still Here; Nickel Boys; The Substance; WickedHow can I watch the Oscar-nominated films?Some of the nominees are still in theaters, but many of this years Oscar nominees are streaming on various platforms. The AP has this handy guide to help with Oscar cramming.Who are the favorites?More than most years, thats a tricky question, but a front-runner has emerged after Anora took the top awards at the Producers Guild and the Directors Guild over the weekend. The best picture race had been seen as unusually wide open, with Anora, Conclave, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown and Emilia Prez all having legitimate hopes of winning. In the acting categories, Demi Moore (The Substance) is favored for best actress, although Mikey Madisons BAFTA win for Anora makes it more of a race. Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) is most likely in best actor, Zoe Saldaa (Emilia Prez) is the supporting actress front-runner and Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) is the favorite for best supporting actor. None of those awards, however, is considered definite locks. Whats the deal with Emilia Prez?Jacques Audiards Emilia Prez, a narco-musical about a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirming surgery, comes in with a leading 13 nominations. The film, at one point, seemed like Netflixs best chance yet to land the streamer its first best picture win. Its star, Karla Sofa Gascn, made history by becoming the first openly trans actor nominated for an Oscar. But no nominee has had a rockier post-nominations Oscar campaign. After old offensive tweets by Gascn were uncovered, the actress issued an apology. The fallout, though, has badly damaged a movie that was already a divisive contender, and led Netflix to radically refocus its flagging campaign. ___For more coverage of this years Academy Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards