What to expect at the 2014 Oscars

Published on February 25, 2014 in Associated Press

Photos of Wong war-wai at red carpet (March 2nd, 2014)

With less than a week to go before the Academy Awards, the Dolby Theatre in the heart of Hollywood is on lockdown.

Guards stand at every door, and handlers with walkie-talkies keep a close eye on any visitors.

Neil Meron, who is producing the Oscar show for the second time with partner Craig Zadan, hopes a careful blend of secrecy and teasing - topped with some of the tightest races in recent Oscar memory - makes the 86th Academy Awards a lure that viewers can't resist.

Some of that entertainment has been announced, and some only hinted at. MsDeGeneres is returning as host after making her Oscar debut in 2007 and she's had a close hand in the writing process, Mr Meron said.

"Like us coming back for the second time, she comes back also with confidence in knowing what the job entails," he said. "And she will be a host in the best sense of the word, in terms of being very present for the entire show."

U2, Pharrell Williams, Karen O and Idina Menzel are slated to perform the nominated original songs plus Bette Midler and Pink are also set to perform, though producers haven't said exactly what.

The production duo's concept for this year's telecast includes a multi-part tribute to movie heroes.

Special presentations will honor animated heroes, those from real life (such as Nelson Mandela) and popular heroes, "like the superheroes: the Supermans, the Avengers and the Indiana Joneses and the Harry Potters," Mr Meron said.

Adding to the show's intrigue this year are tighter-than-usual races, including those for best picture and supporting actress.

Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle) and Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave) have each won honors in the latter category.

'American Hustle' and '12 Years a Slave' are also up for best picture - a prize each claimed at the Golden Globes - along with "Gravity," which won top awards from the directors and producers guilds.

Other contenders in the category are "Dallas Buyers Club," featuring actor and supporting actor front-runners Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, "The Wolf of Wall Street," ''Captain Phillips," ''Nebraska," ''Philomena" and "Her."

http://tvnz.co.nz/entertainment-news/expect-2014-oscars-5849268
 

About the Show
The Facts About the Oscars

Far from the eagerly anticipated and globally televised event it is today, the first Academy Awards ceremony took place out of the public eye during an Academy banquet at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Two hundred seventy people attended the May 16, 1929 dinner in the hotel's Blossom Room; guest tickets cost $5. And there was little suspense when the awards were presented that night, as the recipients had already been announced three months earlier.

That all changed the following year, however, when the Academy kept the results secret until the ceremony but gave a list in advance to newspapers for publication at 11 p.m. on the night of the Awards. This policy continued until 1940 when, much to the Academy's surprise, the Los Angeles Times broke the embargo and published the names of the winners in its evening edition – which was readily available to guests arriving for the ceremony. That prompted the Academy in 1941 to adopt the sealed-envelope system still in use today.

As the event grew in size, banquets became impractical and the event moved from banquet room to a theater venue beginning with the 16th Oscar ceremony in 1942, held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Since 2001, the Oscar ceremony has been held in Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, just steps from the historic Chinese Theatre.

In 1953, the first televised Oscar ceremony enabled millions throughout the United States and Canada to watch the proceedings. Broadcasting in color began in 1966, affording home viewers a chance to fully experience the dazzling allure of the event. Since 1969, the Oscar show has been broadcast internationally, now reaching movie fans in over 200 countries.

As the world marches forward, so has The Oscars. Oscar.com has long been an online companion to the broadcast, and Oscar’s 2011’s second-screen experience garnered the Emmy Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media. As time-honored Oscar traditions keep in step with new technology, 2014 Oscar content will be available on a multitude of devices to complement the 86th Academy Awards, airing LIVE Oscar Sunday Mar 2 7e|4p on ABC.

http://oscar.go.com/about-the-show