It took a while, but the details of this year’s Academy Award telecast are finally in place.
One key detail – performances of the Oscar-nominated songs – wasn’t announced until Tuesday night. What emerges is a ceremony that will work hard to entertain us … unlike recent years. Details include:
WHEN: 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) Sunday, March 27, on ABC.
HOSTS: Comedians Amy Schumer (see separate piece, under “Stories”) and Wanda Sykes, actress Regina Hall. Expect to be amused.
SONGS: Four of the best-song nominees will be performed. (See separate piece, under “News and Quick Comments.”) Beyonce will do “Be Alive” (from “King Richard”), which she co-wrote … Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, will do the “No Time to Die” title song, which they wrote … Reba McEntire will do “Somehow You Do,” from “Four Good Days” … and Sebastian Yatra will do “Dos Oruguitas” (from “Encanto”). However, “Down to Joy” (from “Belfast”) will be skipped, because singer-songwriter Van Morrison won’t be there.
MORE MUSIC: There will be an orchestra and a DJ (D-Nice), plus The Samples, a reggae-influenced rock band. And Adam Blackstone, the music director, will be in an “all-star band,” with pianist Robert Glasper and percussionists Travis Barker and Sheila E.
PRE- and POST-OSCAR: ABC starts its red-carpet coverage at 6:30 p.m. ET. The E cable channel is on the red carpet at 5; it also has “Brunch at the Oscars” at 2 p.m. and an “After Party” at 11.
THE CATEGORIES: Eight of the winners will be announced before the show, with only brief clips during the telecast. That leaves 15 to spread during the three hours; that includes feature-length documentaries (see piece under “Stories”).
FINDING THE BEST-PICTURE NOMINEES: You can still catch a few of them in theaters … and all of them floating somewhere in the internet. That includes:
–Netflix: “Don’t Look Up,” “The Power of the Dog.”
— HBO Max: “Dune,” “Drive My Car,” “Nightmare Alley” (with Hulu), “West Side Story” (with Disney+).
— Apple TV+: “Coda.”
— Strictly video-on-demand rental or sales: “King Richard,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Belfast.”