The 94th Academy Awards are just three days away and this afternoon producers Will Packer and Shayla Cowan, hosts Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall, director Glenn Weiss, musical director Adam Blackstone and production designer David Korins took questions from the press about the telecast. A ceremony that has already upset members of the Academy over how eight categories will be incorporated into the broadcast. Based on the panel’s general demeanor and Packer’s upbeat comments everyone seemed pretty convinced it will give those winners the recognition they deserve.
READ MORE: Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes are your 2022 Oscars
It should be noted the third co-host, Amy Schumer, was not able to attend but made sure the moderator passed along a message, “Don’t worry I don’t have COVID.”
The theme of this year’s ceremony is “Movie Lovers Unite” as both Packer and Cowan (and, most importantly, ABC) hope to convince non-traditional Oscar viewers to tune into this year’s event.
“When we talk about movie lovers uniting we are going to obviously showcase the amazing movies that we have and the incredible artists and craftsman and women and artists that are part of the show and being honored,” Packer says. “But we are also going to have timeless classics. This is the 50th ann of ‘The Godfather’ so we are going to have Francis Ford Coppola‘s classic. We are going to honor it. We got have some surprises around that. And, By the way, 60 years of Bond. That’s gonna be on the show as well. These are two films that don’t happen to be nominated this year, but a lot of people love those. That’s exactly the sort of thing we want to do. Think about something like ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno.’ If there is a song that unites people this year that is kind of the epitome, to me, of what movies can do. Because people of all stripes, ethnicities, backgrounds, around the world, were singing that song ad nauseam and we are gonna help them out so they can sing it a bit more. Our apologies to the parents.”
Sykes echoed most of Packer’s comments remarking, “We are trying to stay aligned with the themes. It’s movie lovers unite. We are coming in with love. We want everyone to have a good time. These people worked hard on these films. We are gonna have some fun. We are gonna point out some things. Satire, but it’s not going to be mean-spirited. None of us are mean-spirited. Except for Regina, we have to hold her back sometimes.”
Hall added, “We really do want to make the night so celebratory. We are so blessed. We are working with a creative team that is so supportive. That is wonderful to work with Will and Shaylaa. Wanda is so unselfish most of the time time. She’s like ‘Do you like this joke? Do you like that? ‘It has been what makes the process enjoyable.”
Keeping all that in mind, here are the important details of the 94th Academy Awards that are confirmed so far:
It won’t be one host per hour
When Hall, Schumer, and Sykes were first announced, it was positioned that each host would carry one of the show’s expected three hours. During the press conference Hall and Sykes revealed that yes, all three women will appear at the beginning of the show and then in different formations throughout the night. They will each get their own “moments,” but they will appear sometimes in two or three formations.
An all-star band
Blackstone was quite excited about his band which includes blink-182’s drummer Travis Barker, percussionist and singer Sheila E., and pianist Robert Glasper. The musical director made sure to confirm there would be orchestral elements as well. It was previously announced that DJ D-Nice and vocal group The Samples will also be part of the ceremony. Blackstone also revealed there will be some surprise performers and” It’s not just your typical score. I have some funk, some hip hop” that will be part of the mix.
Musical performances
Yes, the much-hyped first live performance of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is happening featuring the film’s cast members Adassa, Stephanie Beatriz, Mauro Castillo, Carolina Gaitan, and Diane Guerrero, with Becky G and Luis Fonsi. There will also be performances from four of the five Original Song nominees: Beyonce via satellite from the Comptons Tennis Courts (“Be Alive” from “King Richard”), Billie Eilish and Finneas (“No Time To Die” from “No Time To Die”), Reba McEntire (“Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days”), and Sebastián Yatra (“Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto”). It’s still unclear if these performers will pre-tape their performances or perform live at the Dolby Theater. Additionally, ABC has been hyping “the biggest opening musical number in Oscars history” in their advertising for the show but it didn’t come up during the press conference.
“The Godfather” and James Bond anniversaries will be celebrated
Packer confirmed that there will be salutes to the 50th and 60th anniversaries for both films during the ceremony. And they will have – you guessed it – “surprises.”
A set that will illuminate the future
Korins revealed that this year the winner’s circle will go out further into the audience than it ever has before. As you can tell in the set design image at the top of this post, it will also bring back the “cabaret-style” set up from last year’s ceremony for the Orchestra seats. Additionally, every part of the set will be lit in some manner to tie into a theme about “the future.”
Here are all the announced presenters
It’s quite an eclectic mix of category presenters this year. And, yes, “West Side Story” star Rachel Zegler finally made the cut. Josh Brolin, Jacob Elordi, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Momoa, Jill Scott, J.K. Simmons, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Stephanie Beatriz, DJ Khaled, Jennifer Garner, H.E.R., Tiffany Haddish, Tony Hawk, Bill Murray, Elliot Page, Kelly Slater, Shaun White, Halle Bailey, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Shawn Mendes, Tyler Perry, Tracee Ellis Ross, Daniel Kaluuya, Mila Kunis, Lupita Nyong’o, Naomi Scott, Wesley Snipes, John Travolta, Ruth E. Carter, Kevin Costner, Anthony Hopkins, Zoë Kravitz, Lady Gaga, Lily James, John Leguizamo, Simu Liu, Rami Malek, Rosie Perez, Chris Rock, Uma Thurman, Yuh-Jung Youn, and Zegler. At this point, Frances McDormand is the only acting winner from 2021 who has not been confirmed for the ceremony. Additionally, it would be head-scratching if Chloe Zhao did not present Best Director, but that appears to be the case.
Best Picture will be the last award of the night and…
The Playlist asked Packer if the presenters for Best Picture had been announced yet and…they have not. It’s yet another surprise. Place your bets.
The situation in Ukraine will be acknowledged during the show
Both Hall and Sykes sort of gave away that there is a moment planned during the telecast to bring up the war raging in Ukraine. The ladies described it as something “organic,” “thoughtfully” done and they love the idea of how they are going to acknowledge what is going on.
The Fan Favorite Award might not go to one film
So, there may not be one fan-favorite winner. Or maybe there will be? In a response to a question about the online promotion, Packer insinuated that a number of the films voted on will be celebrated at some point during the ceremony. That will go over well no doubt!
Your pre-show has a whole new slate of hosts
The Oscars Red Carpet show will begin at 3:30 PM PT/5:30 PM ET and will be hosted by Vanessa Hudgens, Terrence J, and “Project Runway” judge and fashion designer Brandon Maxwell. Much of it may be pre-taped as many of the stars are expected to be seated in theater in time to see the first eight categories announced in person.
