February 12, 2015

Grantland to Preview 2015 Oscars with Bill Simmons, Chris Connelly and Wesley Morris

Online Video Segments Debut on Grantland February 11; One-Hour Television Special to Premiere on ESPN February 15 and on ABC February 21

The Grantland Oscar Preview hosted by Bill Simmons, Chris Connelly and Wesley Morris has launched its preview coverage of the 2015 Oscars at http://grantland.com/2015-oscars with expanded content airing across ESPN’s telecast and digital platforms and on ABC. Nine video segments will roll out each day through February 20.

For the first time ever, Grantland’s Oscars preview coverage will also be showcased in a one-hour television special premiering February 15 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN and February 21 at 1 p.m. ET on ABC. One video segment will also air during the 6 p.m. ET SportsCenter on February 20. Additionally, the resulting audio will be released on two “B.S. Report” podcasts on February 13 and 20.

In the television special and video segments, Simmons, Connelly and Morris will cover a wide-ranging discussion on the most notable movies of the year, favorite performances as well as insightful commentary surrounding nominee selection criteria.  On Grantland, pop culture contributor Mark Harris will again share his “Oscar Picks,” including Best Picture, Best Actor, Visual Nominations and more.

“We approached this like a sports show – we didn’t want to just break down the major categories,” said Simmons. “That felt lazy to us. We’d much rather argue about whether Bradley Cooper has stolen Leo DiCaprio’s corner as Hollywood’s most bankable actor, or whether Boyhood is a better gimmick than an actual movie. We taped the show for 2 and a half hours, with the intention of rolling out that content in different forms – not just the TV show, but bonus internet clips and podcast material, too. We are steadfastly determined to make Grantland the best multi-media site on the internet, so trotting out an Oscars special on ABC certainly helps that cause.”

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Media Contacts:

Danny Chi                    ESPN Communications; 213-405-4400; [email protected]
Joyce Wang                 ESPN Communications; 213-405-4403; [email protected]