Oscars 2016: Hollywood's A list hit the red carpet for a night at the movies

As Hollywood gears up for the Oscars the stars are getting ready to put their best foot forward on the red carpet ahead of the 88th Academy Awards. On social media the excitement is palpable, as the A-listers prepare to celebrate the year's best movies.

Adele was one of the famous names tweeting a good luck message to Leonardo Dicaprio. Despite three previous nominations, the golden statuette has so far eluded the 41-year-old actor who is tipped to bag the award this year for his role as Hugh Glass in The Revenant. Alluding to the clock in the Titanic, where lovers Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater meet, she wrote: "Good luck Leo! Everyone loves you because you're the best. Meet me at the clock anytime bruv X."

The Hello singer is of course already an Oscar winner herself, having bagged the coveted award for her 2013 James Bond movie soundtrack, Skyfall.

Pre-Oscar preparations were well underway with the stars selecting their all-important gowns and jewellery. Cate Blanchett who is nominated for her role in Carol modelled diamonds from Tiffany's while Jennifer Lopez oozed old school Hollywood glamour at her agent's pre-Oscars party on Saturday.

Sharing a selfie, she said: "Hello... #CAAparty #Oscarweekend #bronxgirl doing #hollywoodishh #goodtimes." Behind the scenes, the red carpet was being rolled out and the giant Oscar statues lining the way to The Dolby Theatre were given a final respray and polish.

E! host Guiliana Rancic took her spot on the red carpet early. "'Red carpet rehearsals with these two beauties @chaneliman @mrbradgoreski See everyone tomorrow on E!!!' wrote the mother of one.

Quantico star Priyanka Chopra, who will be presenting an award, couldn't conceal her excitement as she attended a pre-Oscars bash, while Best Supporting actor nominee Sylvester Stallone was anticipating a "memorable night."

As well as the winners, on the night all eyes will be on host Chris Rock, who will be traversing the minefield of the 'lilywhite' Oscars controversy. The comic was being pressured to pull out of the role after celebrities like 50 Cent and Tyrese Gibson urged him to back out of the awards show following the ongoing race row. Several A-list actors including Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith are skipping the awards in protest at the lack of diversity.

While Whoopi Goldberg sent a message of support to Rock, movie mogul Harvey Weinstein said the comedian will ensure that the point about the lack of representation is made. "I just can imagine Chris Rock's opening remarks," he said. "If anybody's planning on boycotting the Oscars, don't, because Chris Rock is gonna annihilate every one of us in the first 20 minutes of the show, and it will be well worth watching.

"It will be an Oscars to remember." The 88th Academy Awards will be held on February 28 at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Centre in Los Angeles. The ceremony will be televised live on the ABC Network.

BEST PICTURE

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Bryan Cranston - Trumbo

Matt Damon - The Martian

Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant

Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne - The Danish Girl

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Christian Bale - The Big Short

Tom Hardy - The Revenant

Mark Ruffalo - Spotlight

Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies

Sylvester Stallone - Creed

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Cate Blanchett - Carol

Brie Larson - Room

Jennifer Lawrence - Joy

Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years

Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight

Rooney Mara - Carol

Rachel McAdams - Spotlight

Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl

Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Animalisa

Boy and the World

Inside Out

Shaun The Sheep Movie

When Marnie Was There

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Carol

The Hateful Eight

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Sicario

COSTUME DESIGN

Carol

Cinderella

The Danish Girl

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

DIRECTING

Adam McKay - The Big Short

George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road

Alejandro González Iñárritu - The Revenant

Lenny Abramson, Room

Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Amy

Cartel Land

The Look Of Silence

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Body Team 12

Chau, beyond the Lines

Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah

A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness

Last Day of Freedom

FILM EDITING

The Big Short

Chau, beyond the Lines

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Spotlight

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Colombia - Embrace of the Serpent

France - Mustang

Hungary - Son of Saul

Jordan - Theeb

Denmar - A War

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared

The Revenant

Mad Max: Fury Road

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

Thomas Newman - Bridge of Spies

Carter Burwell - Carol

Ennio Morricone - The Hateful Eight

Johann Johannsson - Sicario

John Williams - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

ORIGINAL SONG

'Earned It' - Fifty Shades of Grey

'Manta Ray' - Racing Extinction

'Simple Song No. 3' - Youth

'Till it Happens to You' - The Hunting Ground

'Writing's on the Wall' - Spectre

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Bridge of Spies

The Danish Girl

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)

Bear Story

Prologue

Sanjay's Super Team

We Can't Live Without Cosmos

World of Tomorrow

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)

Ave Maria

Day One

Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)

Shok

Stutterer

SOUND EDITING

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

SOUND MIXING

Bridge of Spies

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

VISUAL EFFECTS

Ex Machina

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

Charles Randolph and Adam McKay - The Big Short

Nick Hornby - Brooklyn

Phyllis Nagy - Carol

Drew Goddard - The Martian

Emma Donoghue - Room

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

Matt Charman, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen - Bridge of Spies

Alex Garland - Ex Machina

Pete Doctor, Meg LeFauce, and Josh Cooley - Inside Out

Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy - Spotlight

Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff - Straight Outta Compton