ABC

Cinephiles, assemble.

Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be revealed Thursday in a livestream that’s sure to spur some chatter. While critics seem to agree on a few locks, as this month’s Golden Globes — and last year’s Oscars, for that matter — proved, there’s always room for surprise.

Here’s everything you need to know about the announcement.

How can I watch?

Actors Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman will announce the nominees in all 24 categories, including the new casting award, in a livestream from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The presentation will kick off at 5:30 a.m. Pacific, and viewers can tune in live to the Academy’s website and social media platforms or to ABC’s “Good Morning America.” It will also stream on “ABC News Live,” Disney+ and Hulu. American Sign Language services will be available on YouTube. Nine of the categories will be revealed at 5:30 a.m., and the 15 remaining ones will be announced at 5:41 a.m. after a short break.

Brooks received an Oscar nomination for her role in “The Color Purple” (2024), and Pullman starred in “Top Gun: Maverick,” which won the Oscar for sound in 2023. He also co-starred alongside Amanda Seyfried in “The Testament of Ann Lee,” another awards contender this season.

When are the Oscars?

The 98th Academy Awards will take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC, with streaming available on Hulu. The show starts at 4 p.m. Pacific.

Who’s hosting the awards show?

Conan O’Brien will return as host after his knockout performance in 2025, which helped the show draw its biggest audience in five years.

As Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Chief Executive Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang said in a notably early announcement of O’Brien’s encore, “Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence.”

The seasoned comic this past year made an appearance in Mary Bronstein’s “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” whose star Rose Byrne is likely to receive a nod in the actress category.

Who are the projected front-runners?

Ryan Coogler’s horror standout “Sinners” is projected to lead nominations with as many as 15. Along with Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” the film may tie or even break the record for most Oscar nominations (14), which was first set by “All About Eve” (1951) and later matched by “Titanic” (1998) and “La La Land” (2017).

Other top contenders include Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet,” which took the best drama Golden Globe, Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” and Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme.” Plus, after “The Secret Agent” notched a couple Globes wins, the Brazilian political thriller has its sights set on an Oscar next.

As for the individual categories, “Hamnet’s” Jessie Buckley is a sure bet for actress, and Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio are shoo-ins for their roles in “Marty Supreme” and “One Battle,” respectively. Chalamet beat DiCaprio for the Golden Globe Award on Sunday.

Jimmy Kimmel swapped his suit and late-night desk for a cardigan and Christmas living room scene as he shared with British viewers an important holiday message: “Tyranny is booming over here.”

Kimmel appeared on public broadcaster Channel 4 Thursday to deliver an “alternative Christmas message,” counter programming to the British monarch’s annual televised address.

Kimmel’s message focused on his battle with President Trump, who reveled in his talk show’s September suspension. Kimmel was benched for roughly a week after backlash to his comments about Charlie Kirk — and an ominous threat by the Federal Communications Commission chair. Kimmel had criticized MAGA supporters for attempting to “score political points” after the conservative activist’s killing. He also poked fun at Trump boasting about White House ballroom renovations after being asked about Kirk’s death.

“You may have read in your colorful newspapers my country’s president would like to shut me up because I don’t adore him in the way he likes to be adored,” he said. He attributed the return of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to the “millions and millions of people” who fought to get him back on the air in the name of free speech.

“And because so many people spoke out, we came back. Our show came back stronger than ever. We won, the president lost, and now I’m back on the air every night giving the most powerful politician on Earth a right, and richly deserved, bollocking,” he said, referencing the British slang for scolding. Earlier this month, Kimmel signed a contract extension with ABC through May 2027.

Past hosts of the alternative Christmas message, which began in 1993, include Edward Snowden, Jesse Jackson and a deepfake of Queen Elizabeth II.

During his address, Kimmel called the president “King Donny the 8th.” “We don’t have a problem with your king, just the guy who thinks he’s our king,” he said, apologizing for the state of America and its democratic institutions.

“Don’t give up on us,” Kimmel said. “We’re going through a bit of a wobble right now, but we’ll come around.”