Oscar ceremony details leaked: No James Franco in drag singing Cher song
The 2011 Oscar ceremony rundown has been leaked to Deadline’s Nikki Finke. Among the revelations are a mystery “guest host” halfway through the show, Mo’Nique’s refusal to present this year’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar, Steven Spielberg presenting Best Picture, and Anne Hathaway undergoing five dress changes. Of course, it would have been more intriguing were Spielberg the one undergoing five dress changes during his Best Picture presentation, but anyhow…
Finke says that Billy Crystal may turn out to be the mystery guest host. So, no Olivia de Havilland or Luise Rainer. Or, even more suitable in our reactionary times, anti-establishmenters Glenda Jackson, Julie Christie, or Vanessa Redgrave. Or Jean-Luc Godard, whose Oscar monologue would likely be in pig Latin.
Godard, an absentee Governors Award recipient late last year, has turned down the Academy’s invitation to show up at the Oscar ceremony. But Eli Wallach, Francis Ford Coppola, and Kevin Brownlow will be there.
Halle Berry intros Lena Horne Tribute
A part-black actress, Halle Berry, will introduce a tribute to part-black singer Lena Horne, who was seen in less than 20 films – four of which as a leading lady, a couple of others in supporting roles, and the rest in guest spots. Céline Dion will be heard singing “Smile.”
Oscar winner Patricia Neal (Hud, 1963) and two-time Oscar nominee Jean Simmons (Hamlet, 1948; The Happy Ending, 1969), both of whom also died last year and starred in dozens of movies, will apparently get no such tribute. With luck, you’ll be able to spot Neal and Simmons for a second or two during the “In Memoriam” segment.*
No Mo’Nique, ‘scenic transitions’
Best Actress Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line, 2005), not Mo’Nique, will present the Best Supporting Actor award. Here’s one Oscar prediction: Witherspoon – or the announcer – will remind viewers that Francis Lawrence’s Water for Elephants, in which she costars opposite last year’s Best Supporting Actor winner, Christoph Waltz (and Robert Pattinson), opens in the spring.
Finke doesn’t know who’s presenting Best Supporting Actress, but she asserts that Hilary Swank and Kathryn Bigelow will be handing out the Oscar for Best Director.
In her piece, she also talks about “Scenic Transitions.” These are described as “virtual reality lookbacks” at the first Oscar ceremony, the 1939 multiple Oscar winner Gone with the Wind, the first televised Academy Awards, and so on. Not sure what this actually entails.
No James Franco à la Robert Preston in Victor/Victoria
One musical number featuring Oscar host James Franco in drag singing “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” had to be scrapped for a couple of reasons:
- The Golden Globe-winning Cher song from Burlesque – surprisingly – failed to land an Oscar nomination.
- As per Finke, James Franco’s singing was “too horrible.”
That’s too bad as “too horrible” sounds exactly like the kind of entertainment that might jolt people awake at strategic moments during the three-hour-plus show. You can judge for yourself:
But then again, Banksy, whose Exit Through the Gift Shop is in the running for Best Documentary Feature, may show up in monkey garb. So perhaps all is not lost.
* Update: Actually, Jean Simmons was included in last year’s In Memoriam segment. The organizers had her name superimposed over a picture of Oscar winner Jennifer Jones, who had died in late 2009.
James Franco and Anne Hathaway: 2011 Academy Awards ceremony hosts.
ABC to air Oscar show up to (at least) 2020
In other news, despite lower television ratings, ABC’s contract to broadcast the Academy Awards ceremony in the U.S. has been extended for six more years, through 2020.
“This contract ensures that the Oscar show will be an ABC tradition for 45 consecutive years,” Academy president Tom Sherak was quoted as saying in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ press release.
International rights are covered by a separate agreement with Walt Disney International which runs through 2014.
The 2011 Oscar ceremony will take place on Sunday, Feb. 27, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.
Via the Academy:
“Get ready for the most interactive Academy Awards in history,” says Dave Karger at oscar.com. Coverage begins on Sunday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. Apparently, online viewers will have to sign in to be able to check out reports from the red carpet, backstage, and even the Governors Ball.
Nominees for the 2011 Academy Awards include The King’s Speech, The Social Network, Inception, True Grit, Biutiful, A Better World, Natalie Portman, Annette Bening, Michelle Williams, Melissa Leo, Amy Adams, Colin Firth, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Nolan, David Seidler, Debra Granik, and Toy Story 3.
The 2011 Oscar ceremony will take place on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. In the U.S., it’ll be broadcast live on ABC.
Amy Adams: Oscars’ four-time Best Supporting Actress nominee.
Amy Adams Oscar: Best Supporting Actress Nominee and Award Presenter
Amy Adams, a three-time Oscar nominee within a six-year span, will be a presenter at the 2011 Academy Awards ceremony.
Adams is in the running this year as Best Supporting Actress for her performance in David O. Russell’s boxing drama The Fighter, also featuring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Melissa Leo.
Her previous nods, both in the Best Supporting Actress category, were for Phil Morrison’s Junebug (2005) and John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt (2008).
Other notable Amy Adams movies include Kevin Lima’s Enchanted (2007), opposite Patrick Dempsey and Susan Sarandon, and Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia (2009), costarring Meryl Streep.
The 2011 Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, Feb. 27, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. In the US, it’ll be broadcast live on ABC.
Amy Adams Oscars 2009 image: Darren Decker | © A.M.P.A.S.
Top photo of 2011 Oscar ceremony hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway: Bob D’Amico | ABC.
Lower photo of Oscar ceremony hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway: © A.M.P.A.S.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (A.M.P.A.S.) website.