Oscars producers promise fresh energy, big stars and surprises at the show

LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — “I’m Just Ken” is a hard act to follow.

Last year’s Oscars was by all accounts a successful show, with memorable performances and unscripted moments (thanks in part to Emma Stone’s dress), and a winning movie that most people had seen. But the team behind last year’s show is “aiming for the stars” once more.

“We’re feeling the pressure,” said Oscars executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor. “But we’re not ones to rest on our laurels. We always want to push the envelope.”

With just days to go until the three-and-a-half hour live broadcast, airing on ABC and streaming live on Hulu Sunday, March 2, the team behind the show gave The Associated Press a little insight into what to expect.

“We want people when they watch the Oscars to be inspired by the films but also be inspired by the broadcast and feel something like it’s a show that you can watch with your friends and your family and debate on who should have won and who is winning,” Kapoor said. “We want people to have all the feels when they watch the show.”

One of the major things that the producers are excited about this year is their first-time host, Conan O’Brien.

“That alone brings this fresh, invigorated energy,” Kapoor said. O’Brien, he said, has been a “wealth of ideas and imagination” since he accepted the gig and that he and his team are going to keep writing up until the show — and as a veteran of live television, he’s skilled at in-the-moment improvisation as well.

“He is going to be this great, exciting, warm hug and guide us through the night,” said Oscars executive producer Katy Mullan. “He’s got some surprises up his sleeve, which is fantastic because we love to keep people guessing.”

The Oscars this year decided to nix performances of the original songs, but there will still be some big names gracing the stage including “Wicked” stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo — though they’re staying mum on whether any gravity will be defied in that performance.

“We’ve been talking for months,” Kapoor said. “And it’s a moment that’s been very special.”

Lisa of Blackpink and Doja Cat will also be part of the broadcast, and the producers promised a musical moment that will honor Los Angeles and filmmaking in Hollywood.

The wildfires, Mullan said, will be acknowledged in the show.

“The Grammys did an incredible job with their show and how it was treated,” Mullan said. “Our show being a month after that and Conan having been affected himself, we’re just looking at the right way to calibrate it so that it feels like the right show for March 2 — that we do acknowledge it and reflect on it but also allow people the chance to step on that stage and have their moment and celebrate their talent.”

Last year the Oscars made a moment out of what is usually just a list of names by inviting past Oscar acting winners to speak about each of the nominees before the winner was read. This year it’s back, but evolved. It won’t be the actors this time, but some of the other categories that “maybe don’t normally get the spotlight on the Oscar stage,” Mullan said.

She added: “Our theme is all about collaboration and the alchemy of filmmaking and really taking a look behind the scenes and understanding a bit more of the interconnectedness of how a film comes together.”

First, Mullan said, it’s only Wednesday — there’s still time to catch the diverse group of 10 best picture nominees before Sunday if you really try. But don’t fret if you’ve only seen a few. The show could be a discovery event.

“If you love the movies, like come to the Oscars and maybe you’ll discover things that you actually have not seen yet but will want to,” Kapoor said. “Hopefully you’ll fall in love even with a few pictures while watching the show.”

Also? It’s just full of major stars.

“We’ve got some reunions that I think will hit people in the heart,” Mullan said.

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For more coverage of this year’s Oscars, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards

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