Oscar voting has officially begun and for the next week, members will be peppered one last time to consider a slew of nominees. In the meantime, executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor and executive producer Katy Mullan are in the trenches getting the big show ready for March 2. This morning, the duo and The Academy announced new presenters for the ceremony including Scarlett Johansson (“Marriage Story”) and four-time host and winner Whoopi Goldberg (“Ghost”).
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The other new presenters include Oscar winners Halle Berry (“Monsters Ball”) and Penélope Cruz (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”). Additional stars appearing on the Dolby Theater stage include Elle Fanning (“A Complete Unknown”), John Lithgow (“Conclave”), Amy Poehler (“Inside Out 2”), June Squibb (“Thelma”), and Bowen Yang (“Wicked”).
Previously, The Academy announced that, as is tradition, last year’s acting winners, Emma Stone, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Cillian Murphy, and Robert Downey, Jr., would return to induct new members into the Academy Awards winner’s circle.
This year’s ceremony will be hosted by Conan O’Brien. The Academy has also revealed that this year’s Best Original Song nominees will not perform live during the ceremony. A rare move, this has only resulted in minor pushback considering how difficult it would be to perform a few of the nominees (although they are, in theory, missing out on an Elton John performance). What is less surprising is The Academy attempting to have a “Wicked” moment during the show.
There were no original songs in “Wicked: Part One” (that won’t be the cast with the upcoming “Wicked For Good”), but rumors have circulated that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will perform a medley from the box office smash to open the ceremony. At the Critics Choice Awards on Friday night, Best Actress nominee Erivio dismissed the report noting, “Why does everyone keep saying that? I don’t know where this has come from.”
Best Supporting Actress nominee Grande, on the other hand, was slightly more coy at the Santa Barbara Film Festival a few nights later adding, ““Yeah, I don’t know either. It would be really fun. We will have our thermoses, our pink and green thermoses, filled with tea. Hers will probably be rose and an English breakfast mixed together or something like that. In case, we’ll be ready, but I know nothing.”
Are Erivo and Grande playing possum? Or has the awards season rumor mill exaggerated their participation in the show? We’ll have a better idea when rehearsals for the telecast begin approximately two weeks from now. That being said, you can bet the Academy has done everything it can to convince the pair to participate.
The 97th Academy Awards will occur on Sunday, March 2 at 4 PM PT and 7 PM ET on ABC and Hulu.