Oscars 2016: From the date to the dresses, EVERYTHING you need to know about the 88th Academy Awards

Oscars 2016 date

The 88th Academy Awards is held at the Dolby Theatre in LA, and is set to kick off on Sunday 28 February at 4pm local time (midnight in the UK). It’ll air live on ABC in the States, though you can follow it via a live stream on the official Oscars website.

Oscars 2016 tickets

Every year, the Academy runs a red carpet fan experience to give away tickets for the most coveted spots, namely: right where George Clooney’s due to walk. The contest is sadly closed now, but if you’ve got plenty of cash and a spare private jet to whisk you off to Hollywood, there are still tickets going for the following Oscars after-parties:

Bargs all round, eh?

Oscars 2016 predictions

With The Revenant and The Danish Girl going head-to-head in three categories (including Best Actor for leading men Leonardo DiCaprio and Eddie Redmayne), lots of people are wondering whether Leo will finally get his grubby paws on a shiny gong. heat’s Charles Gant says YES HE RUDDY WELL WILL.

Oscars 2015 winners

Eddie Redmayne scooped Best Actor in last year’s Academy Awards, while Julianne Moore took the Oscar for Best Actress. Best Picture went to the, frankly weird, Birdman, which heat still hasn’t watched all the way through.

You can read the full list of Oscars 2015 winners, right here.

Oscars red carpet

Every year, the stars gather on the red carpet to greet fans and pose insanely for the paps (lookin’ at you and your strange leg, Angelina Jolie). The red carpet styles can be wildly different – remember when Bjork turned up to the 2001 Academy Awards in that swan dress?

Oscars hotel

Where do the stars stay over the Oscars weekend? There’s a few massive hotels that put up celebrities and their entourages, including the Peninsula Beverly Hills, which according to Hollywood Reporter has an employee texting the kitchens with live show updates so that the chefs can whip up suitably scrumptious desserts for their return after the party.

All around Hollywood, designers, seamstresses and facialists work double shifts in the run-up to the Oscars so no star is kept waiting for a vital treatment or fitting session. How the other half live, eh?

Oscars Best Picture

This year’s nominees for best film are a diverse bunch – The Martian, The Revenant, The Big Short and Bridge Of Spies all feature male leads, while Room, Brooklyn, Mad Max and Spotlight give a much broader spectrum of roles for women. heat’s Charles Gant reckons The Revenant has it in the bag. See his review here.

Oscars nominations

Have a look through all the Oscars 2016 nominations right here.

Oscars dresses

Designers and celebrities alike have a huge vested interest in not revealing their Oscars red carpet looks until the day of the show - but as soon as the first actor or actress posts their outfit choice on Instagram, it's a feeding frenzy of PRs getting in touch with journalists, paps and bloggers to let them know who's wearing what.

Expect bold fashion moments from the likes of Lupita Nyong'o, who always knocks it out of the park, and keep your eyes peeled for Anne Hathaway's nips - they always seem to come out at the Oscars.

Fun fact: ever wondered why the red carpet is always red? It's from an Ancient Greek tradition that meant only the gods could tread on luxurious red material. And now Paris Hilton steps out on it. What a time to be alive!

Oscars best dressed

Last year, Dakota Johnson, Emma Stone, Jennifer Hudson and Anna Kendrick all made our best-dressed list.

See the whole gallery right here.

Because the celebrities are photographed from every angle, it's vital their outfit looks incredible from each side. Loads of actresses opt for sequinned gowns, as these don't crease and therefore stay looking pap-ready throughout the night. Useful, huh?

Oscars Lady Gaga

Yes, Gaga is up for an Oscar! Her song, Til It Happens To You, from The Hunting Ground, has been nominated for Best Original Song. She thanked the Academy for including her song in the category, adding: “This nomination lends a voice to victims and survivors all over the world.”

Here's a visual flashback to when she performed her Sound Of Music medley at the Oscars last year:

Lovely.

Oscars host

This year, Chris Rock is taking on the prestigious job of host of the 88th Academy Awards. Each year, the host always does a song and dance routine to kick off the show – Neil Patrick Harris’ Broadway-inspired number still lurks in our bookmarks.

However, there have been calls for Chris to give up the gig, in protest at how white the Oscars is this year. None of the acting categories have any actors of colour, despite the obvious non-white talent who have appeared in films over the last year.

So far Chris Rock has remained schtum – but knowing him, there’ll be a few well-pitched jokes aimed at reminding the Academy that, y’know, there are other actors out there just as deserving of an Oscar nomination who may not be white.

Oscars 2015: ALL the dresses from the red carpet