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

LOS ANGELES — “I’m Just Ken” is a hard act to follow. “He’s got some surprises up his sleeve, which is fantastic because we love to keep people guessing.” There will still be performances Ariana Grande Ariana Grande Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print 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. “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.” A new spin on the ‘fab five’ 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. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print 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. “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.