The eight-episode detective series can be streamed on HBO and HBO Go, AIS Play and AIS Playbox at 9am and 9pm that day, and new episodes will appear every Friday.

In a bold interpretation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, women take the central roles of Holmes and his crime-solving partner Dr John Watson. Yuko Takeuchi appears as Sherlock and Shihori Kanjiya as Dr Wato Tachibana.

Dr Tachibana is a surgeon recently returned from a voluntary medical mission to Syria. Holmes is portrayed more traditionally – the police regularly tap him for help when they’re struggling with a difficult case.

Throughout the series, the pair solves mystery after mystery, mainly thanks to Miss Sherlock’s extraordinary powers of observation and reasoning.

Kenichi Takit is another cast regular, playing crafty police inspector Reimon, seeking to leverage Holmes’ talents to advance his own career. Tomoya Nakamura plays Sergeant Shibata, a conservative male chauvinist.

Yukiyoshi is Kento Futaba, Sherlock’s older brother. Ryohei Otani is Dr Tachibana’s potential love interest. And Ran Ito plays Sherlock’s widowed landlord, Kimie Hatano.

The female version of Sherlock was indeed born in England, but chose to move to Japan after losing both parents in a plane accident that left her emotionally detached to everything and everyone around her.

Tachibana’s parents are both doctors, but they were appalled when she decided to join the mission to Syria. Her life changes when she meets Holmes at a crime scene on her return home.

 “The Shape of Water” on Sunday won top honours at the Oscars including the coveted best picture statuette, bringing the curtain down on a Hollywood awards season overshadowed by scandal over sexual misconduct in showbiz.

Guillermo del Toro’s fairy tale romance led the charge going into the show with 13 nominations, and took home best picture – the top prize of the night – as well as best director and statuettes for production design and best original score.

In an night of honours being shared fairly evenly among several candidates, Martin McDonagh’s dark crime comedy “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” had to settle for best actress for Frances McDormand and best supporting actor for Sam Rockwell.

Christopher Nolan’s World War II thriller “Dunkirk” also picked up three awards, but in the less glitzy technical categories, while several movies ended the evening with two trophies.

“I am an immigrant,” an emotional Del Toro said in collecting his first prize of the night, praising the power of filmmaking to “erase the line in the sand” between people of different countries and cultures.

“I want to dedicate this to every young filmmaker – the youth that is showing us how things are done. Really, they are, in every country in the world,” he said,

“I thought this could never happen. It happens. And I want to tell you, everyone that is dreaming of using fantasy to tell the stories about the things that are real in the world today – you can do it.”

Hosted for the second straight year by late night funnyman Jimmy Kimmel, the 90th Academy Awards capped a difficult few months during which the industry has declared war on the pervasive culture of sexual impropriety unearthed by the downfall of movie mogul and alleged serial sex attacker Harvey Weinstein.

Kimmel set the tone by targeting Weinstein in his opening monologue, describing the disgraced producer’s downfall following dozens of allegations of sexual harassment and assault as “long overdue”.

“We can’t let bad behaviour slide anymore. The world is watching us. We need to set an example,” he said.

McDormand, a winner throughout the awards season for her scintillating turn as a grieving, rage-filled mother in “Three Billboards”, took home her second Oscar, 21 years after winning for “Fargo”.

In a statement about the need for inclusion in the industry, she got all of the female nominees in the room to stand to highlight their work.

“We all have stories to tell and projects we need financed,” she said to enthusiastic applause.

Her “Three Billboards” co-star Rockwell kicked off the night by claiming best supporting actor for his acclaimed turn as a racist, violent police officer.

Best actor went to runaway favourite Gary Oldman, who sat in make-up for three hours a day to disappear entirely into the role of British wartime prime minister Winston Churchill for “Darkest Hour”.

Allison Janney won best supporting actress for her turn as the cold, sardonic mother of disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding in “I, Tonya” – capping a sparkling awards season which saw her sweep the major prizes.

“My fellow nominees, you represent everything that is good and right and human about this profession. You are all extraordinary,” the statuesque 58-year-old Janney, the overwhelming favourite, enthused at the podium.

With the #MeToo and Time’s Up campaigns against sexual misconduct and gender inequality dominating the 2018 awards circuit, this year’s Oscars gala was seen as an opportunity for Tinseltown to support female filmmaking.

Greta Gerwig, only the fifth woman in Oscars history to be nominated for best director – for comedy/drama “Lady Bird” – however went home empty-handed, despite other nominations for best picture and best screenplay.

There was also the first nod in history for a female cinematographer – Rachel Morrison, who shot Dee Rees’ racial drama “Mudbound” – although the award ended up going to Roger Deakins on his 14th attempt, for “Blade Runner 2049”.

The Time’s Up initiative was not as visible as at the Golden Globes in January, with no coordinated protest – like the striking Globes red carpet “blackout”.

But towards the end of the show, Salma Hayek fronted the presentation of a video of stars advocating for women’s rights and racial equality, including Ava DuVernay, Chadwick Boseman, Lee Daniels and Geena Davis.

“This entire autumn, through the #MeToo, the Time’s Up movements, everyone is getting a voice to express something that has been happening forever, not only in Hollywood, but in every walk of life,” said Mira Sorvino.

In another nod to the women’s movements, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tapped past winners Jennifer Lawrence and Jodie Foster – on crutches – to present McDor- mand’s best actress Oscar.

Traditionally, the previous year’s best actor winner would present that statuette, but Casey Affleck, who triumphed in 2017 for “Manchester by the Sea”, withdrew under a cloud of sexual harassment accusations he denies.

Other winners included Pixar’s “Coco” for best animated feature and “A Fantastic Woman” – a love story from Chilean director Sebastian Lelio with a much-praised star turn from transgender actress Daniela Vega – in the foreign film category.

And Jordan Peele won the award for best original screenplay for his highly acclaimed debut film, horror satire “Get Out”.

Organisers were looking to rebound after last year’s flubbed announcement by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway of the best picture winner – the trophy was initially given to “La La Land”, when the actual winner was “Moonlight”.

In a surprise turn of events, Beatty and Dunaway were tapped to present the same prize this time around, and the presentation went without a hitch.

“It’s so nice seeing you again,” joked Beatty, to laughs from the audience.

Here are the winners in key categories for the 90th Academy Awards, which were handed out in Hollywood on Monday morning (Bangkok time).

Best picture: “The Shape of Water”

Best director: Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water”

Best actor: Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”

Best actress: Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Best supporting actor: Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Best supporting actress: Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”

Best foreign language film: “A Fantastic Woman” (Chile)

Best animated feature: “Coco”

Best documentary feature: “Icarus”

Best original screenplay: “Get Out” – Jordan Peele

Best adapted screenplay: “Call Me By Your Name” – James Ivory

Best production design: “The Shape of Water”

Best original score: “The Shape of Water” – Alexandre Desplat

Best original song: “Remember Me” from “Coco”

Best film editing: “Dunkirk”

Best sound editing: “Dunkirk”

Best sound mixing: “Dunkirk”

Best cinematography: “Blade Runner 2049” – Roger Deakins

Best visual effects: “Blade Runner 2049”

Best makeup and hairstyling: “Darkest Hour”

Guillermo del Toro’s fairy tale romance led the charge going into the show with 13 nominations, and took home best picture — the top prize of the night — as well as best director and statuettes for production design and best original score.

In an night of honors being shared fairly evenly among several candidates, Martin McDonagh’s dark crime comedy “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” had to settle for best actress for Frances McDormand and best supporting actor for Sam Rockwell.

Christopher Nolan’s World War II thriller “Dunkirk” also picked up three awards, but in the less glitzy technical categories, while several movies ended the evening with two trophies.

“I am an immigrant,” an emotional Del Toro said in collecting his first prize of the night, praising the power of filmmaking to “erase the line in the sand” between people of different countries and cultures.

“I want to dedicate this to every young filmmaker — the youth that is showing us how things are done. Really, they are, in every country in the world,” said

“I thought this could never happen. It happens. And I want to tell you, everyone that is dreaming of using fantasy to tell the stories about the things that are real in the world today — you can do it.”

– ‘Long overdue’ –

Hosted for the second straight year by late night funnyman Jimmy Kimmel, the 90th Academy Awards capped a difficult few months during which the industry has declared war on the pervasive culture of sexual impropriety unearthed by the downfall of movie mogul and alleged serial sex attacker Harvey Weinstein.

Kimmel set the tone by targeting Weinstein in his opening monologue, describing the disgraced producer’s downfall following dozens of allegations of sexual harassment and assault as “long overdue.”

“We can’t let bad behavior slide anymore. The world is watching us. We need to set an example,” he said.

McDormand, a winner throughout the awards season for her scintillating turn as a grieving, rage-filled mother in “Three Billboards,” took home her second Oscar, 21 years after winning for “Fargo.”

In a statement about the need for inclusion in the industry, she got all of the female nominees in the room to stand to highlight their work.

“We all have stories to tell and projects we need financed,” she said to enthusiastic applause.

Her “Three Billboards” co-star Rockwell kicked off the night by claiming best supporting actor for his acclaimed turn as a racist, violent police officer.

Best actor went to runaway favorite Gary Oldman, who sat in make-up for three hours a day to disappear entirely into the role of British wartime prime minister Winston Churchill for “Darkest Hour.”

Allison Janney won best supporting actress for her turn as the cold, sardonic mother of disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding in “I, Tonya” — capping a sparkling awards season which saw her sweep the major prizes.

“My fellow nominees, you represent everything that is good and right and human about this profession. You are all extraordinary,” the statuesque 58-year-old Janney, the overwhelming favorite, enthused at the podium.

Activism

With the #MeToo and Time’s Up campaigns against sexual misconduct and gender inequality dominating the 2018 awards circuit, this year’s Oscars gala was seen as an opportunity for Tinseltown to support female filmmaking.

Greta Gerwig, only the fifth woman in Oscars history to be nominated for best director — for comedy/drama “Lady Bird” — however went home empty-handed, despite other nominations for best picture and best screenplay.

There was also the first nod in history for a female cinematographer — Rachel Morrison, who shot Dee Rees’s racial drama “Mudbound” — although the award ended up going to Roger Deakins on his 14th attempt, for “Blade Runner 2049.”

The Time’s Up initiative was not as visible as at the Golden Globes in January, with no coordinated protest — like the striking Globes red carpet “blackout.”

But towards the end of the show, Salma Hayek fronted the presentation of a video of stars advocating for women’s rights and racial equality, including Ava DuVernay, Chadwick Boseman, Lee Daniels and Geena Davis.

“This entire fall, (through) the #MeToo, the Time’s Up movements, everyone is getting a voice to express something that has been happening forever, not only in Hollywood, but in every walk of life,” said Mira Sorvino (“Mighty Aphrodite”).

In another nod to the women’s movements, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tapped past winners Jennifer Lawrence and Jodie Foster — on crutches — to present McDormand’s best actress Oscar.

Traditionally, the previous year’s best actor winner would present that statuette, but Casey Affleck, who triumphed in 2017 for “Manchester by the Sea,” withdrew under a cloud of sexual harassment accusations he denies.

– Presenters atone for 2017 flub –

Other winners included Pixar’s “Coco” for best animated feature and “A Fantastic Woman” — a love story from Chilean director Sebastian Lelio with a much-praised star turn from transgender actress Daniela Vega — in the foreign film category.

And Jordan Peele won the award for best original screenplay for his highly acclaimed debut film, horror satire “Get Out.”

Organizers were looking to rebound after last year’s flubbed announcement by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway of the best picture winner — the trophy was initially given to “La La Land,” when the actual winner was “Moonlight.”

In a surprise turn of events, Beatty and Dunaway were tapped to present the same prize this time around, and the presentation went without a hitch.

“It’s so nice seeing you again,” joked Beatty, to laughs from the audience.

“The Shape of Water” was the big winner of the night with four statuettes, including best picture and best director.

Best picture: “The Shape of Water”

Best director: Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water”

Best actor: Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”

Best actress: Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Best supporting actor: Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Best supporting actress: Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”

Best foreign language film: “A Fantastic Woman” (Chile)

Best animated feature: “Coco”

Best documentary feature: “Icarus”

Best original screenplay: “Get Out” – Jordan Peele

Best adapted screenplay: “Call Me By Your Name” – James Ivory

Best production design: “The Shape of Water”

Best original score: “The Shape of Water” – Alexandre Desplat

Best original song: “Remember Me” from “Coco”

Best film editing: “Dunkirk”

Best sound editing: “Dunkirk”

Best sound mixing: “Dunkirk”

Best cinematography: “Blade Runner 2049” – Roger Deakins

Best visual effects: “Blade Runner 2049”

Best make-up and hairstyling: “Darkest Hour”

Films with more than two wins:

“The Shape of Water” – 4

“Dunkirk” – 3

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” – 2

“Darkest Hour” – 2

“Coco” – 2

“Blade Runner 2049” – 2

The film focuses on successful novelist Delphine (Emmanuelle Seigner who soon starts receiving anonymous letters accusing her of exposing her family to the public. Suffering from depression and writer’s block, Delphine meets and begins a romance with a mysterious younger woman (Eva Green) who understands Delphine better than anyone else.

Eva Green talks about her role in the film, sexual harassment and the director Polanski.

“Based on a true story” , by Roman Polanski, is your first French film since 2004. You are perceived as a French actress who works in Hollywood

That’s an illusion. By the way, most of the American films I have played in were shot in London, where I live. There has never been anything deliberate.

So you are not disenchanted with French cinema?

No, even if French cinema may have thought I snubbed it. I say to myself, in retrospect, that if I did make known my desire to shoot in France earlier, it was to mark a distance with my mother (actress Marlene Jobert).

What made you decide to do this movie?

Polanski sends you a screenplay, which is written by Olivier Assayas … how not to read it? But it was also the rare opportunity of a film built on a relationship between two women, with a fuzzy character, ghostly … You never know if this girl exists, even I don’t know – she may not be a projection. I had to be all that Delphine (Seigner) is missing. I worked a very particular diction, I speak a little like a book, like an inner voice.

You joined a filmmaker and his wife on the set. How did you find a place in this equation?

At first I worried there would be creates favouritism or tension but it was the opposite. Polanski treats everyone the same way, from the technicians to the star.

The film is based on Emmanuelle Seigner and you. Did you know each other?

Absolutely not. First day, first scene, Roman asks me to push her to the end, to dominate her. And then, we make the film in two, mirroring, wedging one on the other, in a fusional way.

Your mother spoke about the Weinstein affair, revealing that he had harassed you …

I did not know that my mother intended to speak. (Silence.) It’s very difficult to talk about that. It is positive that women have finally managed to make themselves heard on this subject. On Harvey Weinstein, it’s a little late. But the subject is larger, and if women are heard in all the professional circles, maybe we can put an end to harassment. As far as I’m concerned, I’m not going into details, not here, not now.

Did you expect this total fall from grace?

Everyone knew it in the trade. And I’m glad it happens. It is an abuse of power. He is a sick person.

Roman Polanski himself is accused of rape, dating back to the 1970s. Does that complicate your position?

No. Because he has always been very correct with me. That’s why I can face the promotion for this film. I did not forbid any questions . I do not try to defend him, I just know he has always behaved with me with great kindness.

From classic white to fire engine red, with shades of teal, fuchsia, powder blue and lavender mixed in, here are some highlights of the style parade on Tinseltown’s biggest night:

White-hot

White is associated with the suffragette movement, and on Sunday, many of Hollywood’s top stars embraced it.

“Get Out” star Allison Williams was one of the first stars on the red carpet and her look was killer — a cream beaded Armani princess gown with sheer cap sleeves that earned raves in the Twitterverse.

Jane Fonda also embraced the ice princess look, looking fabulous at age 80 — !! — in a sculpted white Balmain gown with a geometric neckline.

Laura Dern — who joined the “Star Wars” family last year in “The Last Jedi” and will present an award on Sunday with her co-stars — wowed red carpet watchers in a Calvin Klein gown with a large tie draped over one shoulder.

And Mary J. Blige — the first person to be nominated for acting and song writing for the same film, “Mudbound” — wore a white gown with a glittering bodice and an asymmetrical neckline. She will perform during the gala.

Ladies in Red

Allison Janney — seen as the favorite to take home the Oscar for best supporting actress for her searing portrayal of figure skater Tonya Harding’s mom LaVona in the biopic “I, Tonya” — looked ready for her close-up.

The statuesque actress was red-hot in a show-stopping fire engine red Reem Acra gown with flowing sleeves, a plunging neckline — and plenty of diamonds to fill the gap.

“This is my first time at the Oscars,” she told E! television. “It’s pretty overwhelming.”

Three-time winner Meryl Streep also wore red — a simple gown with a deep-V neckline and three-quarter-length sleeves. She is again a nominee this year, for Pentagon Papers drama “The Post.”

US Olympic medalists kick back

Some of America’s top Olympians graced the red carpet, including bronze medalist figure skaters Mirai Nagasu — in an ethereal powder blue Tadashi Shoji gown — and Adam Rippon, sporting a curious black bondage-inspired harness jacket.

Skier Lindsey Vonn, who earned bronze in the downhill competition, bared some skin in a sheer black sequined lace gown with flapper fringe.

Classy with a twist

Hollywood’s men tried to look classic and make a statement at the same time.

Oscar nominee Jordan Peele — who wore a snappy red jacket to Saturday’s Spirit Awards, where he took home the top prize for horror satire “Get Out” — went for a white dinner jacket on Sunday.

The star of his film — Britain’s Daniel Kaluuya, also a nominee — wore a striking brown jacket with black lapels.

One of Kaluuya’s competitors, Timothee Chalamet (“Call Me By Your Name”), went for an all-white suit and the best accessory — his mom.

And “Call Me” screenwriter James Ivory paid Chalamet the ultimate compliment — wearing a shirt with the actor’s face on it.

Here is a brief summary of the nine films vying for the most prestigious prize at Sunday’s Oscars ceremony:

‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’

Martin McDonagh’s darkly funny tragicomedy has surged at the 11th hour to go into Sunday as the narrow favorite in what most experts are characterizing as a four-way race with “The Shape of Water,” “Get Out” and Lady Bird.”

Oscarologists see its star Frances McDormand as a sure thing for the best actress statuette for her visceral turn as a rage-filled grieving mother at loggerheads with the local police over the failure to find her daughter’s killer.

The film’s late momentum comes as something of a surprise after it was hit by the biggest backlash of any of this year’s contenders.

The criticism mainly centers on what has been perceived as a cheap redemption for racist, violent cop Dixon, played by Sam Rockwell — a performance that has made him a favorite for best supporting actor honors.

‘The Shape of Water’

Guillermo del Toro’s romantic Cold War-era fantasy tells the story of a mute cleaning woman who falls in love with a captive magical river creature in a secret US government lab in 1960s Baltimore.

The movie starring Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer nabbed the most Oscar nominations with 13, including best picture, director and actress.

It has lost some momentum in the best picture race, where it was the favorite for several weeks but now is in second place in the betting.

‘Get Out’

The bold satire about race relations — told by first-time feature director Jordan Peele in the form of a fantastical horror movie — is one of the top five best critically-received movies of all time, according to Rotten Tomatoes, which collates reviews.

It tells the grisly tale of an African American spending the weekend with his white girlfriend’s family, and discovering all is not as it seems.

The Universal/Blumhouse film — which cost $4.5 million to make — has raked in $255 million so far at the box office.

‘Lady Bird’

A film with a female perspective has not won best picture since “Million Dollar Baby” in 2005 and coming of age tale “Lady Bird” would be a popular winner with supporters of the #MeToo and Time’s Up campaigns demanding justice for sexual misconduct victims and fair treatment for women in the workplace.

Greta Gerwig’s solo feature directorial debut — a moving and authentic portrait of a volatile mother-daughter relationship — could see her become only the second woman ever to win the Oscar for best director.

‘Dunkirk’

Sweeping World War II epic “Dunkirk,” directed by Christopher Nolan, will have to pull off a feat almost as unlikely as the air and sea rescue it depicts to win best picture.

The tense retelling of the storied 1940 evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Allied troops from a beach in northern France, starring One Direction singer Harry Styles, is an outsider for the top prize going into Sunday.

It is in good shape however to take some of the technical Oscars for sound and film editing, as well as sound mixing.

‘Darkest Hour’

In many ways a companion piece to “Dunkirk,” “Darkest Hour” follows the politics of the rescue at home — the machinations of the British government and the maneuvers of newly-anointed wartime leader Winston Churchill.

British actor Gary Oldman, who disappears entirely into the role of Churchill thanks to some convincing make-up and padding, is expected to bring home his first Oscar for best actor, although the movie is another outsider for best picture.

‘Call Me by Your Name’

James Ivory scooped the Writers Guild of America award for best adapted screenplay for his work transforming Andre Aciman’s 2007 novel “Call Me by Your Name” into the film of the same name, starring Timothee Chalamet.

Luca Guadagnino’s paean to the universal heartbreak of first love, set in northern Italy in the 1980s, has three nominations other than best picture — for Ivory’s screenplay, a best actor nod for Chalamet’s performance and best original song.

It burst into theaters before Christmas to critical acclaim — it currently boasts an average score of 8.7 out of 10 from 271 reviews collated by Rotten Tomatoes — but has lost momentum since and is seen as a long shot.

‘The Post’

Steven Spielberg’s celebration of journalism and the free press recounts the nail-biting behind-the-scenes story of the 1971 publication by The Washington Post of the Pentagon Papers, which exposed the lies behind US involvement in the Vietnam War.

It stars best actress nominee Meryl Streep as aristocratic Post publisher Katharine Graham and Tom Hanks as the newspaper’s scrappy executive editor Ben Bradlee.

Not mentioned in the film but present between the lines on every page of the script is President Donald Trump, who has waged a vitriolic campaign against media outlets he believes are unfair to him.

‘Phantom Thread’

In a movie full of noteworthy performances, the most remarkable thing about this project is the fact that its towering, iconic star — triple Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis — says it will be his last.

One of the most acclaimed performers of his generation, the British-Irish method actor, 60, announced he would “no longer be acting” after reuniting with “There Will Be Blood” director Paul Thomas Anderson for the story about fashion in 1950s London.

Anderson’s tender but brutal story of the romance between a dressmaker and his muse is also up for best director and actor, best supporting actress for Lesley Manville, best score for Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and best costume design.

But if there’s one thing previous ceremonies have demonstrated, it’s that it’s a good idea never to expect the expected on Hollywood’s biggest night.

Here are five things to watch for:

The specter of ‘Envelopegate’

It may have been the most embarrassing flub in Oscars history, but don’t expect host Jimmy Kimmel to shy away from mining “Envelopegate” for comedy gold at the Academy’s expense.

The embarrassing mix-up at last year’s show saw the best picture Oscar incorrectly given to musical “La La Land” before the actual winner, coming-of-age drama “Moonlight,” was finally handed the prize.

Accountants for PricewaterhouseCoopers, the firm responsible for tabulating Oscar ballots, had handed Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway the wrong envelope.

Oscar watchers expect the mistake, which made for a chaotic end to the film industry’s biggest night, to be fodder for both Kimmel’s opening monologue and jokes from the presenters.

Best picture photo finish

“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro’s much-admired Cold War-era fairy tale love story, goes into the Oscars with the most nominations — 13 — compared to just seven for its main rival, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”

But Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards,” an early favorite in the prestigious best picture race, has weathered a backlash against its treatment of race issues to launch a late assault on the statuette.

It has regained its status as the narrow frontrunner at odds of 13/10 against 2/1 for “The Shape of Water,” according to awards prediction website Gold Derby.

Every Oscars ceremony serves up some shocks, however, so don’t count out “Get Out,” the third favorite ahead of outsiders “Lady Bird” and “Dunkirk.”

#MeToo and Time’s Up

The #MeToo and Time’s Up movements — against sexual misconduct and gender inequality, respectively — have featured prominently in the awards season, inspiring many powerful speeches and turning the red carpet into a sea of symbolic black dresses at the Golden Globes and the Baftas.

While there is no official repeat planned, some actresses have indicated they will again wear black in support of #MeToo on Sunday.

Ryan Seacrest, an Academy Awards mainstay interviewing the rich and famous on the red carpet for E! News, is facing his own backlash following allegations of repeated sexual harassment from a former stylist.

The channel is standing by Seacrest, host of ABC’s “American Idol” and “Live With Kelly and Ryan,” and says he’ll be on the red carpet as usual.

Oscar rarities and firsts

Don’t be alarmed if you hear glass ceilings shattering at this year’s Oscars, with numerous breakthroughs to cheer among the nominees.

“Mudbound” director Dee Rees is the first black woman nominated for best adapted screenplay, while her director of photography Rachel Morrison is the first woman to be nominated for best cinematography.

“Mudbound” scored another first, with soul diva Mary J. Blige the first person nominated for acting and best original song in the same film.

Yance Ford (“Strong Island”) is the first openly transgender director ever nominated, and Jordan Peele (“Get Out”) is the first black filmmaker nominated for directing, writing, and producing.

He is also only the fifth black person ever nominated for best director — after John Singleton, Lee Daniels, Steve McQueen and Barry Jenkins — and could be the first to win.

Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird”) is the fifth woman in history nominated for best director” and the first to land the nod for a directorial debut.

Other firsts include a superhero film nominated for best adapted screenplay (“Logan”) and the first person over the age of 87 to be nominated for an acting award — Christopher Plummer in “All the Money in the World.”

Hosting test for Kimmel

Comedian and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel will preside over the Oscars for the second consecutive time, with critics tuning in to see how he navigates the tricky balancing act of being funny without making light of the #MeToo victims.

Keeping the more than three-hour show — usually the most-watched non-sports telecast each year in the United States — upbeat in a year overshadowed by allegations of sexual assault will also be a tough challenge.

The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host was presenting last year when Beatty and Dunaway wrongly gave best picture to “La La Land” instead of rightful winner “Moonlight” after being handed the wrong envelope.

“We were like, we have 10 seconds to say goodbye, we don’t know how long the speech is going to be, and it affects your rating in a very negative way if you go on past midnight,” Kimmel recalled in an interview with news portal AZ Central.

“And then all of a sudden it was like, ‘Forget midnight. This might go on into ‘Good Morning America.'”

The Robin Campillo film, which tells the story of French AIDS activists in the 1990s, received 13 nominations and took home six gongs, including best film.

The best director award went to Albert Dupontel for “Au Revior la-haute”, an adaptation of a Pierre Lemaitre novel about the friendship between two World War I soldiers.

Jeanne Balibar took home best actress for her performance in “Barbara” while Swann Arlaud was awarded best actor for his role in “Petit Paysan”.

Top streaming service Netflix recently unveiled new about the cast as well as a first look at the series, which launches March 23.

The comedy is centred on Joel (Timothy Olyphant) and Sheila (Drew Barrymore) Hammond, a married couple working as realtors and leading vaguely discontented lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita with their teenaged daughter Abby (Liv Hewson) – until Sheila goes through a dramatic change and begins a new diet of human flesh sending their lives down a road of death and destruction…but in a good way.

Picking up right where it left off, Season 2 of Santa Clarita Diet finds the Hammonds trying to adapt to Sheila’s now-advanced undead state  even though she’s desperately working to hold on to her suburban lifestyle and not become defined as just another monster. Unfortunately – while the family has become markedly better at murder – the number of missing people in Santa Clarita is starting to pile up and it’s no longer going unnoticed.  Meanwhile, the Hammonds are chasing the source of the virus so they can stop it from spreading and save humanity. Through it all, Sheila and Joel are grounded by their unconditional love for one another. Sure, being undead – or loving someone who is – isn’t always easy, but don’t all relationships have their challenges? Joel McHale and Maggie Lawson guest star as Chris and Christa, married realtors in Santa Clarita and a more successful, more aggressive version of Sheila and Joel.

Other new cast members includes Gerald McRaney as Ed Thune, a retired army colonel who Joel finds very intimidating. Zachary Knighton plays Paul, a relaxed descendent of Serbian ancestors who has been tasked with pursuing the truth of the undead, no matter who or what stands in his way.

Find out more at Facebook.com/SantaClaritaDiet/.