Roll out the red carpet... setting the stage for the 79th annual Academy Awards. Photograph: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images
On Sunday night Guardian Unlimited Film will be at the Oscars - in a manner of speaking. This year's awards kick off at 5pm, Pacific time (1am London time), as the nominees (Mirren, Scorsese, Winslet et al) take their seats in the Kodak theatre, mentally rehearse their victory speeches and prepare to tell the world that it's not the winning that matters but the joy of being nominated and all that jazz.
And us? We shall be shadowing the event through the night, with live commentary, pictures, audio, and maybe a few bottles of beer for company. Each year we are asked the same thing: are we, like, actually there in the Kodak theatre or are we just cribbing the whole thing off the telly? This, of course, is akin to asking whether Santa Claus really exists - a truthful answer will only shatter the illusion. (That said, we hope it's not giving too much away to say that Salma Hayek is even more lovely in the flesh. And Tom Hanks has an annoying habit of kicking the back of the chair in front of him.)
When the event wraps up expect still more blanket coverage: roundups and reviews, video clips, podcasts, and blogs in abundance. LA correspondent Dan Glaister gets the word on the ground at the Kodak theatre. Fashion expert Hadley Freeman weighs up the frock horrors. David Thomson assesses the Scorsese factor, and Peter Bradshaw gives his verdict on the night in general.
To recap: the 79th annual Academy Awards takes place on Sunday. We shall be here. Whether you are a film buff or Oscar groupie, insomniac or angry loner, we hope that you will be, too.
