E! Online is reporting that stage and screen star (and Oscars' host) Hugh Jackman won't be the only one singing and dancing at this Sunday's Academy Awards. They report that he'll be joined on stage by stars including Beyonce, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Amanda Seyfriend, Dominic Cooper & more.
Jackman and Beyonce are said to be rehearsing already, and the entire group will begin rehearsals together tonight in Hollywood in a special song & dance routine being put together by Baz Luhrmann.
Hugh Jackman recently told the Associated Press he knows the Oscars ceremony isn't about him, but he's looking forward to enjoying it all the same. The screen and stage superstar chatted with the AP in a phone interview yesterday, Friday, February 13th, less than two weeks before the Feb. 22 ceremony which will be airing on ABC.
In the relaxed interview Jackman discussed his upcoming Academy Award hosting duties saying,"Celebration is the key. I'm certainly going to have a good time. If I'm not going to have a good time, how the hell is anybody else?"
Academy Awards producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon have said they plan to take the ceremony in a new direction. Asking the multitalented star of "Australia" and the "X-Men" films to host was their first apparent step.
The rest of the details have been under tight wraps, but Jackman, who has served as host of the Tony Awards for three times so far, dropped a few hints - including the rumored more "intimate" look and setting for the ceremony's home, the Kodak Theatre.
To read the entire AP interview click here.
Previous hosts have usually been TV or film comedians including Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, John Stewart, Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres and others.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center(R), and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world's preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards - in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners - the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.
