87th Oscars: Presenters & Performances Update

With the site maintenance issues we’ve experienced over the last couple of weeks, I’ve missed out on posting a number of important Oscar ceremony announcements, namely the announcement of several performers and presenters. Here is the summary followed by the official Academy press releases.

Performers:

Adam Levine performing “Lost Stars” from Begin Again
Common and John Legend peforming “Glory” from Selma
Rita Ora performing “Grateful” from Beyond the Lights
Tim McGraw performing “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
Tegan and Sara, and The Lonely Island performing “Everything Is Awesome” from The Lego Movie

Presenters:

Cate Blanchett to present Best Actor
Matthew McConaughey to present Best Actress
Lupita Nyong’o to present Best Supporting Actor
Jared Leto to present Best Supporting Actress
Marion Cotillard
Benedict Cumberbatch
Meryl Streep
Oprah Winfrey
Reese Witherspoon

Sci-Tech Presentation

Margot Robbie
Miles Teller

Other Performances

Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez writing original song for host Neil Patrick Harris
Jack Black

PRESS RELEASES

February 6, 2015

TEGAN AND SARA RETEAM WITH COMEDY-MUSIC TRIO THE LONELY ISLAND FOR OSCARS® PERFORMANCE

LOS ANGELES, CA — Pop duo Tegan and Sara and comedy-music trio The Lonely Island will perform the Oscar®-nominated song “Everything Is Awesome” at the 87th Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will air on Sunday, February 22, live on ABC.

“Tegan and Sara and The Lonely Island?…..Everything Is Awesome, indeed. This is certainly an ‘Only on the Oscars’ moment,” says Zadan and Meron.

“Everything Is Awesome,” written by Shawn Patterson for the animated feature “The Lego Movie,” is nominated for Original Song. The four other nominated songs are “Glory” from “Selma,” “Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights,” “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me” and “Lost Stars” from “Begin Again.”

Canadian twin sisters Tegan and Sara have been releasing critically acclaimed albums and touring internationally alongside some of the biggest names in the industry since 1999. Their seventh and latest studio album, “Heartthrob,” debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200, with certified gold single “Closer” charting in the top 20 at U.S. pop radio. Tegan and Sara were recognized with a Grammy nomination in 2013, and won Pop Album of the Year for “Heartthrob”, and Group of the Year, at Canada’s 2014 Juno Awards. “Everything Is Awesome,” which the duo recorded with The Lonely Island, has sold more than half a million copies in the U.S.

A comedy, music and filmmaking trio composed of “Saturday Night Live” alumni Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, The Lonely Island has released three studio albums and several gold and platinum singles. “I’m On A Boat,” featuring singer-songwriter T-Pain, achieved double-platinum status and earned a 2009 Grammy nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. The group is responsible for one of the biggest channels on YouTube, garnering over 1.5 billion views.

The 87th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscars, produced by Zadan and Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

February 6, 2015

OSCAR® NOMINEES COTILLARD, CUMBERBATCH, STREEP, WINFREY AND WITHERSPOON TO PRESENT AT 87TH OSCARS®

LOS ANGELES, CA—Oscar® nominees Marion Cotillard, Benedict Cumberbatch, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon will be presenters at this year’s Oscars®, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will air on Sunday, February 22, live on ABC.

Cotillard is nominated for Actress in a Leading Role for “Two Days, One Night.” She previously won an Oscar in this category for the 2007 film “La Vie en Rose.”

Cumberbatch is nominated for Actor in a Leading Role for “The Imitation Game.”

Streep earned a record 19th acting nomination this year for her supporting role in “Into the Woods.” She previously took home Oscars for her lead performances in “Sophie’s Choice” (1982) and “The Iron Lady” (2011), and her supporting performance in “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979). Streep’s previous Best Actress nominations were for “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” (1981), “Silkwood” (1983), “Out of Africa” (1985), “Ironweed” (1987), “A Cry in the Dark” (1988), “Postcards from the Edge” (1990), “The Bridges of Madison County” (1995), “One True Thing” (1998), “Music of the Heart” (1999), “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006), “Doubt” (2008), “Julie & Julia” (2009) and “August: Osage County” (2013). She also received Best Supporting Actress nominations for “The Deer Hunter” (1978) and “Adaptation” (2002).

Winfrey is nominated for Best Picture as one of the producers of “Selma.” She was previously nominated for Actress in a Supporting Role for “The Color Purple” (1985). She received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2011.

Witherspoon is nominated for Actress in a Leading Role for “Wild.” She previously won an Oscar in this category for the 2005 movie “Walk the Line.”

February 5, 2015

JACK BLACK TO PERFORM AT THE OSCARS®

LOS ANGELES, CA —The versatile actor, singer and comedian Jack Black will make a special appearance at the 87th Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will air on Sunday, February 22, live on ABC.

“Jack Black is a complete original comic voice and we’re beyond thrilled that he has agreed to join the Oscars show in a very special sequence” says Zadan and Meron.

Black has starred in such films as “High Fidelity,” “Shallow Hal,” “School of Rock,” “King Kong,” and “Tropic Thunder,” and is voicing the title character in “Kung Fu Panda 3,” his third turn in the animated feature series. He also is the lead singer and guitarist of the comedy rock duo Tenacious D, which he formed in 1994 with Kyle Gass. Black has made three previous appearances on the Oscars, most recently as a presenter at the 81st Academy Awards.

February 4, 2015

OSCAR® WINNERS BLANCHETT, LETO, MCCONAUGHEY AND NYONG’O TO RETURN AS PRESENTERS AT 87TH OSCARS®

LOS ANGELES, CA — Cate Blanchett, Jared Leto, Matthew McConaughey and Lupita Nyong’o, last year’s Oscar winners in the leading actress, supporting actor and supporting actress categories, will return to present at this year’s Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will air on Sunday, February 22, live on ABC.

“The great tradition of having the previous year’s Oscar-winning best actors and actresses in all 4 categories happily continues this year with the amazing quartet of Cate, Jared, Matthew and Lupita. We’re thrilled to have them back,” says Zadan and Meron.

Blanchett has been nominated for six Oscars and has won two, including last year’s award for “Blue Jasmine.” Her previous win was for Actress in a Supporting Role for the 2004 film “The Aviator.” Blanchett also received leading actress nominations for “Elizabeth” (1998) and “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (2007), and supporting actress nominations for “Notes on a Scandal” (2006) and “I’m Not There” (2007).

Last year, Leto won the Oscar for Actor in a Supporting Role and McConaughey for Actor in a Leading Role, both for “Dallas Buyer’s Club.” Nyong’o took home the Oscar for Actress in a Supporting Role for “12 Years a Slave.”

January 29, 2015

COUNTRY SUPERSTAR TIM MCGRAW TO PERFORM FOR GLEN CAMPBELL AT THE OSCARS®

LOS ANGELES, CA – Grammy®-winning singer, songwriter and actor Tim McGraw will perform the Oscar®-nominated song “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” for Glen Campbell at the 87th Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will air on Sunday, February 22, live on ABC.

“We couldn’t think of anyone better than Tim McGraw to properly celebrate Oscar nominee, Glen Campbell. Tim is the consummate country artist and will bring a bit of Nashville to the Oscars stage,” says Zadan and Meron

“I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” written by Campbell and Julian Raymond for the documentary feature “Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me,” is nominated for Original Song. The four other nominated songs are “Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie,” “Glory” from “Selma,” “Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights” and “Lost Stars” from “Begin Again.”

“I’m honored to be asked to sing this powerful song from one of the true legends of the music industry,” said McGraw.

In addition to his three Grammy Awards, 14 ACM Awards, 11 CMA Awards, 10 AMA Awards, McGraw has numerous film acting credits including “The Blind Side,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Country Strong” and the upcoming “Tomorrowland.”

January 28, 2015

MARGOT ROBBIE AND MILES TELLER TO HOST ACADEMY’S SCI-TECH AWARDS

LOS ANGELES, CA – Actors Margot Robbie and Miles Teller will host the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation on Saturday, February 7, at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. They will present 21 awards to 58 individual recipients during the evening.

“We’re very excited to have Margot and Miles hosting this year’s Sci-Tech Awards,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Both are fresh voices in our industry and will be a welcome addition to the night where we honor our colleagues’ technical achievements.”

“Margot and Miles represent some of the best of the next generation of rising stars and it is only fitting that they host an evening saluting the film innovations and innovators who will inform the future,” said Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

Robbie gave a breakout performance in the Oscar®-nominated feature “The Wolf of Wall Street” in 2013. Her most recent credits include starring roles in “Z for Zachariah” and “Focus,” which is due out next month. In the summer of 2016, Robbie will be seen starring in “Tarzan” and the highly anticipated “Suicide Squad.”

Teller stars in the current Best Picture nominee “Whiplash.” Later this year, he will appear in the feature “Bleed for This,” as well as “The Fantastic Four” and “Insurgent,” the sequel to “Divergent.” Teller also appeared in the 2013 film “The Spectacular Now.”

Portions of the Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation will be included in the Oscar telecast.

January 28, 2015

BRIT PHENOM RITA ORA TO PERFORM AT THE OSCARS®

LOS ANGELES, CA – Singer, songwriter and actress Rita Ora will perform the Oscar®-nominated song “Grateful” at the 87th Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will air on Sunday, February 22, live on ABC.

“International recording artist, Rita Ora, will make her Oscar stage debut this year. The mixture of her incredible voice and glamour makes a perfect combination for our show” says Zadan and Meron.

“Grateful,” written by Diane Warren for the film “Beyond the Lights,” is nominated for Original Song. This marks Warren’s seventh Oscar nomination in the category. The four other nominated songs are “Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie,” “Glory” from “Selma,” “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me” and “Lost Stars” from “Begin Again.”

Ora dominated the U.K. charts with her first and certified platinum album “Ora” (2012), which included the number one singles “R.I.P.,” “How We Do (Party)” and “Hot Right Now.” Currently featured on the smash single “Black Widow,” with fellow superstar Iggy Azalea, Ora is readying her second full-length album, to be released this spring. She will appear in a number of upcoming films, including the highly anticipated “50 Shades of Grey” and Jake Gyllenhaal’s “Southpaw” to be released in July.

January 27, 2015

OSCAR® NOMINEES COMMON AND JOHN LEGEND TO PERFORM TOGETHER AT THE OSCARS®

LOS ANGELES, CA – Musical artists Common and John Legend will perform their Oscar®-nominated song “Glory” at the 87th Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will air on Sunday, February 22, live on ABC.

“Common and John Legend are artists who have always lifted our spirits and made us think,” said Zadan and Meron. “The Oscar stage is that much more profound because of their presence and we welcome them.”

“Glory,” written by John Stephens (a.k.a. John Legend) and Lonnie Lynn (a.k.a. Common) for the film “Selma,” is nominated for Original Song. The four other nominated songs are “Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie,” “Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights,” “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me” and “Lost Stars” from “Begin Again.”

Common won a Grammy® in 2002 for Best R&B Song for “Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop),” and in 2007 for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for “Southside,” with Kanye West. His many acting credits include the films “American Gangster,” “Wanted,” “Date Night” and “Selma,” in which he plays the role of Civil Rights leader James Bevel.

Legend is a nine time Grammy-winning singer/songwriter. His critically acclaimed debut album, “Get Lifted,”scored multiple Grammy Awards in 2006, including Best R&B Album, Best New Artist and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. The follow up was the platinum-selling “Once Again,” which garnered a Best Male R&B Performance nod. Legend’s most recent highly acclaimed fourth studio album, “Love in the Future,” scored two Grammy nominations and features his break out hit, “All of Me,” which is his highest selling and charting song to date and also earned a 2015 Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance.

January 27, 2015

“LET IT GO” OSCAR®-WINNING TEAM KRISTEN ANDERSON-LOPEZ AND ROBERT LOPEZ WRITE ORIGINAL MUSICAL NUMBER FOR OSCAR HOST NEIL PATRICK HARRIS

LOS ANGELES, CA – Oscar host Neil Patrick Harris and show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron shared that the Oscar-winning songwriting team from “Frozen,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, are in the midst of writing an original multimedia, musical sequence, “Moving Pictures,” which Harris will perform on Oscar Sunday, February 22, on ABC. Harris made the initial announcement on his Twitter account, posting the network’s first tweet using its new mobile video camera feature.

“On the heels of the international success of last year’s “Frozen” and their Oscar for “Let It Go,” we couldn’t be happier to have Kristen and Bobby Lopez write an incredibly special song for Neil Patrick Harris and special guests to perform this year on the Oscar stage,” said Zadan and Meron. “YouTube, get ready!”

“We love the Oscars® and have always been huge Neil Patrick Harris fans, so when he asked us to write him a song for this year’s show we said, ‘Yes!’ before he could finish the sentence – it’s possible he may have been asking us for something else,” said the Lopezes. “We are having so much fun collaborating, and have even enjoyed weaving our experience as Oscar nominees into the song.”

Lopez is an Oscar, Tony®, Emmy®, Grammy® winning songwriter and co-creator of the worldwide smash-hit Broadway musicals “Avenue Q” and “The Book of Mormon.” Anderson-Lopez in an Oscar-winning songwriter for film and television, who along with her husband, co-wrote songs for “Frozen” and “Winnie the Pooh.” The pair won an Oscar for original song for “Let It Go” from the 2013 Oscar-winning animated film “Frozen,” and are currently working on music for the upcoming stage musical “Up Here.”

January 26, 2015

MUSIC SUPERSTAR ADAM LEVINE TO PERFORM AT THE OSCARS

LOS ANGELES, CA — Grammy®-winning singer, songwriter and actor Adam Levine will perform the Oscar®-nominated song “Lost Stars” at the 87th Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will air on Sunday, February 22, live on ABC.

“Adam Levine is an exceptional and dynamic artist. We’re thrilled to have him make his Oscars stage debut this year,” said Zadan and Meron.

“Lost Stars,” written by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois for the film “Begin Again,” is nominated for Original Song. The four other nominated songs are “Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie,” “Glory” from “Selma,” “Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights” and
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me.”

Levine is the lead singer for the group Maroon 5, which has received three Grammy® Awards, two for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (2005 and 2007) and one for Best New Artist (2004). Levine made his feature film acting debut in “Begin Again,” which is directed by John Carney and also stars Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo.