“The rumors are rampant, let’s say that,” joked Raj Kapoor, one of many govt producers of the 97th Oscars, over Zoom.
He and colleague Katy Mullan had not but confirmed studies that the Academy Award-nominated “Depraved” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande could be acting on the telecast March 2. Although it’s nonetheless unclear if the musical pair will open the present, or do a medley of songs from the Finest Image-nominated blockbuster, Kapoor stated, “What we’re doing at first of the present is a love letter to Los Angeles, and there’s a lovely movie, and there’s a gorgeous efficiency.”
There may be nonetheless time to put bets on how these plans contain Erivo and Grande, or a number of the different introduced performers like Queen Latifah or “Born Once more” collaborators Doja Cat, Raye, and Lisa of Blackpink, however our cash is on the Los Angeles Grasp Chorale.
Kapoor and Mullan each affirm the present will acknowledge the efforts to rebuild Los Angeles after the devastating wildfires in January and their results on the movie business. “So many individuals in that room have been impacted,” stated Kapoor. “Everyone knows anyone who has been affected by this … lots of people are going to be sitting in that viewers who could have misplaced their house, or anyone of their household has misplaced their house, or their college, or their church, or their favourite enterprise.” He added, “Los Angeles is the guts of filmmaking. And so, all of those filmmakers being within the room, we’ve to have that message.”
General, “connectivity” is the key phrase for this 12 months’s Academy Awards, in response to the manager producers, and one of many greatest modifications with this 12 months’s present shall be new host Conan O’Brien because the one to deliver everyone collectively.
“Conan goes to be the right host, as a result of what Conan has is that this present to have the ability to react on the spot to the whole lot that’s occurring in that room. For us, his present of improv, his present of fast wit, goes to be unparalleled,” stated Kapoor. “Each time he walks into our room and we’re in a position to spend a while with him, he continuously comes up with recent concepts, reacts to what’s being stated, what occurs within the second. We’ll see a whole lot of that on this present. Conan shall be very current, and something that occurs dwell, anticipate Conan to acknowledge [it].”
Given the rollercoaster this awards season has been, with most of the main classes together with Finest Image nonetheless up within the air, and scandals plaguing a number of contenders, from A.I. use to offensive social media posts, the present might use a bunch who can roll with the punches. However a number of the modifications to the present had been within the works lengthy earlier than anybody hit translate on any of Finest Actress nominee Karla Sofía Gascón’s tweets.
For instance, the Fab Fives, the favored presentation format used for the performing classes final 12 months, the place every nominee bought their very own dedication from a former winner, is again in a special type. “There shall be a model which is an evolution of the Fab Fives that we did final 12 months,” stated Mullan, “however this time, for a number of the non-acting classes … and once more, large stars on stage, talking from the guts, making it private, and celebrating all of the superb connections that outline the flicks that we’re celebrating this 12 months.”
“That call was made means prematurely,” stated Kapoor. “We’d like to do the performing classes, however it’s difficult to ebook 5 previous winners presenting to this 12 months’s nominees,” he stated. “It’s only a huge variety of presenters to make occur. This 12 months, creatively, we shifted our focus, we put them in a pair completely different locations. So, Fab 5 is returning, simply not within the performing classes.”
Why did the Oscars ditch performances of every Finest Authentic Track nominee in favor of a package deal highlighting their songwriters? “There’s a crew of individuals that aren’t engaged on the rest, however are literally serving to us craft this movie, and it’s about songwriting and the method,” stated Kapoor. “That specific nomination package deal goes to have a special focus this 12 months. You’ll positively hear items of the songs inside it, however we’re additionally speaking to the songwriters and having their enter and a bit little bit of BTS, perhaps, on how a number of the songs really got here to be. And we’re doing that for just a few different disciplines as nicely. Just a few completely different classes are being offered a bit in a different way.”
Finally, coming off a number of Emmy wins for the 2024 present, together with one for Excellent Selection Particular (Dwell), the onus has been on the producers to “proceed to reimagine, reinvent, refocus,” stated Kapoor. “We’re doing fixed edits. There’s folks being added day by day which are going to be a part of this Oscars. There’s some actually enjoyable cameos which are going to be unannounced.”
One acquainted face that isn’t returning to the present, nonetheless, is four-time host Jimmy Kimmel, who govt produced the final present with Kapoor and Mullan, in addition to his accomplice Molly McNearney. As a lot because the producers are excited for O’Brien, they admit they checked again in with the late-night host first, given final 12 months’s success and the present nonetheless airing on his house community, ABC.
“We completely beloved Jimmy. Jimmy and Molly are such superb companions. Jimmy’s executed a incredible job internet hosting this present. And naturally, a proposal was made to Jimmy,” stated Kapoor. McNearney informed IndieWire in Might 2024 that she and Kimmel turned down a fifth time producing and internet hosting because of the added strain of additionally having to cowl the presidential election on “Jimmy Kimmel Dwell!” across the similar time they’d’ve been required to begin planning for the Academy Awards. “It’s vital to have a bit recharge and really get to make eye contact with the children for just a few weeks,” she stated. “I look ahead to coming again and having the ability to talk all types of emotions in regards to the present local weather.”
With regards to Kimmel, Kapoor additionally stated, “We had been so fortunate that he invested his time, nevertheless it’s additionally an enormous dedication… we might like to have him again.”
The 2025 Oscars will air dwell on ABC and stream dwell on Hulu on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
