The 83rd Annual Academy Awards are this Sunday, and while you might not have a ticket, it doesn’t mean the only way you can experience the ceremony is by watching it from your couch.
Here are some ways to expand your Oscar viewing experience. We can’t guarantee that it will help you win any of your office pools, but it beats just yelling angrily at your TV when (insert movie here) doesn’t win Best Picture.
Before the Big Day
Have a question that you’re dying to ask? Head over to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences/The Oscars official Facebook page. Post your question in the comments, and it could be asked live on the red carpet. It’s also not too late to join the daily trivia contests on the Facebook page to win some cool Oscar schwag.
Start Following the Twitter Stars
That short time allotted for the Academy speech definitely cuts off most people – plus you don’t get to hear the reactions from everyone else in the audience. We suggest that you start following these accounts:
– @TheAcademy The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences & the 83rd Academy Awards
– @oscar_awards The official Oscars twitter feed
– @redcardpet E! Red Carpet
– @nytimesmovies The NY Times’ movie section will be live tweeting the event
– @ebertchicago Film critic Roger Ebert
– @jamesfranco Co-host of the Oscars. Not that he’s going to be live Tweeting, but you never know…
– CNN’s Oscars Public List Just like it says
And don’t forget to keep your eye out for #Oscar posts.
Get These Apps
Here are some apps to get you started:
The Oscars by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (free): If you want everything official, check this one out.
Oscar Backstage Pass by ABC Digital ($0.99): In addition to getting the live broadcast, you can get clips from previous ceremonies, an “official” ballot and news updates. The free version has no live material.
Live From the Red Carpet by E! Entertainment Television (free—Android users click here): If you’re more about what people are wearing than what the best movies were this year, check out this free app. It will not only show you who’s next up on the Red Carpet, but it will detail all the outfits and the interviews.
IMDb Movies & TV by IMDb (free): For people like me who like to “fact check” everything… and argue on the message boards.
Of course, don’t forget to watch all the movies so you can form your informed, pretentious opinion about everything. TIME’s Gilbert Cruz shows us that there’s enough hours left to watch all 10 nominees for best pictures – if you don’t mind burning your eyes out of their sockets.
More on TIME.com:
Black Swan Wins! (According to our Piracy Matrix)
Watch the App Editions of ‘Inception,’ ‘The Dark Knight’ on Your iPad