How to Watch the Oscars From Anywhere

New Yorkers have been up in arms over the dispute between local cable provider Cablevision and the ABC network, which has left the network with the Oscar rights dark on some TVs. But the good news is, even if you have an old tube TV with rabbit ears, there are plenty of ways to watch the awards online and load up on water-cooler talking points for tomorrow.

Starting as early as 6 p.m. tonight, the red carpet arrivals will be streamed live online at Oscar.com. If you have a Facebook account, you can even post questions for the stars as they walk the red carpet. The "Backstage Cam" will catch behind-the-scenes footage and press room interviews with winners.

Oscar.com also says 50 charities around the country are hosting viewing parties tonight where you can catch ABC's live coverage. It's a great way to learn about a charitable organization while hob-nobbing with other like-minded individuals.

The Associated Press is also streaming the red carpet arrivals, starting at 6 p.m. The AP stream is also on Facebook: Become a fan of AP Live to see it.

ABC hasn't indicated plans to stream the ceremony live, but clips should be posted frequently at abc.com. Clips will also be available at the official Oscars YouTube channel and on Hulu.com.

Hundreds of bloggers will be covering the awards tonight as well — way too many to list here, but some good sites to bookmark include: Entertainment Weekly, Film.com, the Onion's A.V. Club, the LA Times Oscar blog "The Envelope" and oscarsliveblog.com.

You can also check out what people are saying as you watch the awards on TV or online by search for #oscar on Twitter.

There are also several free apps that will send updates on the results, including the AT&T Film Awards app and the Vanity Fair Hollywood app.

Ahh! Now log on, sit back and enjoy! Just be glad none of that red carpet pressure is on you tonight!

Read more of Tonic's 2010 Oscars Coverage.

Photo by Georges Biard via Wikimedia Commons.