The most important annual celebrity event in Show Biz takes place late each winter (usually in late February or early March), right here in Los Angeles. It's Oscar Night, that dazzling evening when the prestigious Academy Awards are presented for the year's best achievements in motion pictures.

And if you act early enough, it's possible for you to be on the red carpet, watching the celebrity arrivals (see the details below).

This year, the 96th annual Academy Awards show will be held on Sunday, March 12, 2023, back at the their usual home, the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

The 2023 show will see the return of Jimmy Kimmel as host. 

This will be Jimmy's third time hosting the Oscars.

Oscar nominations  were announced on January 24, 2023, and the nominees for best picture included "Avatar: the Way of Water", "Elvis", "Top Gun: Maverick", "Everything Everywhere All at Once", and Steven Spielberg's "The Fabelmans", among others.

In 2022, they hadn't had a host for the last three years, due to the pandemic, but that year The Oscar show is had three hosts:  Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall.

Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday, February 8, 2022.

But like everything else during the coronavirus pandemic, the most recent Oscar show, the 93rd annual Academy Awards show was... different.

Instead of being held at its usual home, the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood (which was custom-built to host the Oscars), the 2021 awards were given away at an unusual venue: Los Angeles' Union Station, an historic, Art Deco railway station in downtown L.A.

And instead of the show being held in February or March, as usual, the show was held belatedly on Sunday, April 25, 2021, after the availability of the new COVID-19 vaccines made it possible to hold an actual in-person event, rather than just a virtual telecast.

Almost all of the movies had been viewed at home this time, via TV streaming, rather than in a movie theatre (most of which were closed all year due to the coronavirus lockdown).

And instead of a typical host, such as Billy Crystal or Chris Rock, the Oscars made do without a host this year, while the show spent an extravagant amount of time telling us details about the lives of each and every nominee...

And instead of saving the Best Picture Oscar for last, as they always have in the past, they instead announced that before reading the names of Best Actor and Best Actress.

To see the names of all the winners, go to this page.

Looking back on the pre-pandemic shows…

The 92nd Annual Academy Awards were presented on Sunday, February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre, at Hollywood & Highland...

To see the names of all the winners, go to this page.

For the second straight year, the Oscar show did not have a host this time.

The 91st annual Oscars were presented on Sunday, February 24, 2019,

The host in 2019 was supposed to be Kevin Hart, but after a controversy arose, in early December, over his past tweets, he decided to step down from the hosting job. So, the Academy found itself searching for a new host for the upcoming Oscars show.

They didn't find one, so they just went with a series of celebrity presenters to give away the Oscar statuettes, including Barbra Streisand, Julia Roberts, Michael Keaton, Jennifer Lopez, Daniel Craig, Charlize Theron, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, Trevor Noah, Tina Fey, Tyler Perry, Helen Mirren, Emilia Clarke, Chadwick Boseman, Melissa McCarthy, Paul Rudd, Sarah Paulson, Serena Williams, Gary Oldman, Michael B Jordan, Frances McDormand, Queen Latifah, Michelle Yeoh, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey.

Click here to see the 2019 Oscar winners & nominees.

For the two previous years (2018 & 2017), the Oscars' host was Jimmy Kimmel. The

Presenters In 2018 included, among others, Emma Stone, Mark Hamill, Gal Gadot, Jennifer Garner, Viola Davia, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Gina Rodriguez.

In 2015, the awards were presented on Sunday, February 22, 2015, and the host was Neil Patrick Harris.

Oscar presenters in 2015 included Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Viola Davis, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, Eddie Murphy, Liam Neeson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Pine, Chris Pratt, Meryl Streep, John Travolta, Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon, among others.

Performers on the show included Lady Gaga, John Legend, Adam Levine & Maroon 5, Tim McGraw, Jack Black and Jennifer Hudson

In 2014,  the awards were presented on Sunday, March 2, 2014, and the host was Ellen DeGeneres.

Oscar presenters that year included Emma Watson, John Travolta, Charlize Theron, Barbra Streisand, Kevin Spacey, Will Smith, Sidney Poitier, Brad Pitt, Bill Murray, Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Lawrence, Angelina Jolie, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Hemsworth, Goldie Hawn, Anne Hathaway, Whoopi Goldberg, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jennifer Garner, Jamie Foxx, Harrison Ford, Sally Field, Robert De Niro, Daniel Day Lewis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Penelope Cruz, Jim Carrey, Bradley Cooper, Kristen Bell, and Amy Adams.

In 2013, the 85th Academy Awards were presented on Sunday, February 24, 2013.
The host was Seth MacFarlane.

Presenters included Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr.,  Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Garner, Jamie Foxx, Liam Neeson, Kristen Stewart, Daniel Radcliffe, Jennifer Aniston, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, , Melissa McCarthy, Paul Rudd, Salma Hayek,  John Travolta, Ben Affleck, Michael Douglas, Jane Fonda, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence,  Mark Wahlberg, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, Renée Zellweger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron.

Performers included Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Adele, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Kristin Chenoweth, Jennifer Hudson, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Helena Bonham, Dame Shirley Bassey, Norah Jones and Barbra Streisand.

Other recent hosts included Billy Crystal (2012), James Franco & Anne Hathaway (2011), Steve Martin & Alec Baldwin (2010), Hugh Jackman (2009) and Jon Stewart (2008).

And then there are the Oscar winners & nominees, of course...

The past hosts (Masters of Ceremony) alone, over the decades,  represent a virtual "Who's Who" of Hollywood, including Lionel Barrymore, Will Rogers, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Jimmy Stewart, Fred Astaire, Danny Kaye, Jack Lemmon, Sir Lawrence Olivier, Frank Sinatra, Helen Hayes, Sammy Davis Jr., Carol Burnett, Charlton Heston, Rock Hudson, Diana Ross, Gene Kelly, Warren Beatty, Jane Fonda, Richard Pryor, Johnny Carson - and more recently, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Ellen DeGeneres and David Letterman.

And naturally, the biggest stars in Hollywood are there in hopes of bringing home one of the golden statuettes.

On Oscar night, giant, golden, 24-foot-high Oscar statues loom outside the Dolby Theatre (formerly named the Kodak Theatre) and for one day the eyes of the world focus on Hollywood.

The event has been televised live since 1953, and while the Superbowl draws larger numbers here in the States, the Academy believes the Oscar show to be "the most-watched television show in the world annually," as people all over the world tune in to watch the ceremony on TV from the comfort of their homes.

If you're in L.A., you can experience at least part of the Hollywood excitement and glamor in person.

Of course, you've got to be willing to pay the price... and we're not talking about money here. It's unlikely that any amount of cash could get you into the Academy Awards show. But if you enter your name and are lucky enough to win a free Oscars drawing, and if you're willing to wait long enough before the show, you can be among those lucky few in the bleachers outside the Kodak Theatre who get to watch the celebrities as they arrive in their limousines and walk up the red carpet into the auditorium.

Large grandstands are set up nearby to allow spectators a view of the stars, as they exit their limousines curbside and walk to the auditorium. The stars make their way up the red carpet, running the gauntlet of photographers, and stopping to give interviews to the horde of TV news crews and entertainment reporters, before entering the Kodak. It's a great opportunity to see (and take photos of) your favorite superstars, since virtually everyone who is anyone in Hollywood comes to the Academy Awards show. But there are only 700 bleacher seats, and far more fans who want to be there. So, they have an online random drawing.  (See below for details about how to get in on the drawing for the red carpet bleacher seats.)

Unless you're an Academy member, your chances of actually getting inside to actually see the awards show are virtually zero. (In 1996, two people spent big bucks on scalped tickets to the Oscars, and made the headlines - when they were thrown out of the ceremony. Tickets are non-transferable..)

Fortunately, the bleachers outside, with a view of the red carpet, are free to the public.The problem is getting them, since numbers are very limited.

In previous years, fans had to camp out on the streets for days in advance, in order to secure a spot in the bleachers - which were then first come-first serve. However, two things happened to change the situation in 2002: one was Oscar's move from the Shrine Auditorium to the Kodak Theatre. The other was the reaction to the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

It would be a lot more difficult for fans to camp out on the busy city streets near Hollywood & Highland, and with new security concerns, the organizers wanted to pre-screen every fan who came into the bleachers. So, they came up with an entirely new system. For the first time, they gave away reserved seat tickets, guaranteeing a seat in the bleachers, with no need to wait in line.

But the down side is that there are only 700 seats available. So they now have a random drawing of all the applications received (so long as they are entered by the deadline).

Everyone now has an equal chance of getting bleacher seat tickets. Mind you, those chances aren't very good (about one out of 12, last time I checked), but at least you now have the same shot as everyone else.  But you need to act early on, since the applications for the February Oscars show must be submitted by November.

Click on the link below for full details about how to sign up for the 2017/2018 bleacher seats.

Warning: If you don't have tickets, you're better off not coming here in person.

As the years pass, security around the Oscar show has gotten more & more restrictive.

In 2011, they sealed off the entire block of Hollywood Blvd (west of Highland), and fans who showed up hoping to catch a glimpse of the stars, were held behind with a tall chain link fence on the east side of Highland. (The only bright spot was George Clooney, who had the grace to walk over to that fence and greet his fans.)

It got worse in 2012, when they moved that fence a block east, to McCadden Place, where there is basically nothing to see at all.  So, don't bother coming that night if you don't have reservations for the bleacher seats.

Instead of going there on Oscar night, when you will never even get close to the Dolby theatre, come a few days before Oscar Night, and you can watch them setting up the giant golden Oscar statues, and rolling out the red carpet.  There are even tours of the Dolby Theatre on some days.  But on Oscar Night itself, they won't let you near the place.

As for the show itself, the first movie stars start usually arriving at around 4 PM, a few as early as 3:30 PM (when the sun is still shining) for this black tie affair, but most of the celebs show up after 4:30 PM. By 5:30 PM, the stars are all inside and the show begins. The police block off the surrounding streets, and the stars say that just traveling the few blocks from the freeway to the auditorium can take an hour in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

A little Oscar history:

The very first Oscars were handed out at a dinner held in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

For the next 14 years (1929-1943), the ceremonies alternated between the Biltmore Hotel and the Ambassador Hotel's Coconut Grove, where the awards ceremonies included a banquet for the stars.

The banquet part was dropped after 1944, when the awards ceremony moved to Grauman's Chinese Theatre (1944-1946). Then, for two years the show was held at the Shrine Auditorium (1947-1948). In the 1950's, the Oscar ceremonies settled down to the Pantages Theatre, where they remained until 1960. Then, from 1961 to 1968, the ceremony moved to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

Finally, in 1969, the Oscars found what appeared to be a semi-permanent home downtown at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in the Los Angeles Music Center, where the ceremonies were held for most of the '70s and '80s. In the mid-90's they began to alternate between the Music Center and the far larger Shrine Auditorium.

Finally, in 2002, a new, permanent home for the Oscars was built, and it returned the Oscars to downtown Hollywood, where they had started.

TrizecHahn Corp. built a massive $600 million project called 'Hollywood & Highland' on Hollywood Blvd., next to Grauman's Chinese Theatre, an outdoor mall filled with restaurants, boutiques and movie theatres. The center included a 3,300-seat state-of-the-art Kodak theatre which has now become the permanent home for the annual Academy Award ceremonies. Included in that project is a 30,000-square foot ballroom for the annual Governor's Ball (which follows the ceremony).

Custom designed to meet the Academy's needs, with camera positions built-in, the new venue was created to be the perfect location for the annual awards show. The theatre has since been renamed the Dolby Theatre (the Kodak company went bankrupt in 2012). During the rest of the year, the building is home to concerts and live theatre.

Fittingly, the Oscars' new home is right across the street from the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the site where the very first Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929.

 The DolbyTheatre is located in the new Hollywood & Highland center, in the heart of Hollywood, at the northwest corner of Hollywood Blvd and Highland Ave.