Will there be an actual host this year?
Not only will there be an emcee, there will be three funny ladies taking turns on stage—namely, Amy Schumer, who will kick off the show, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall, with each overseeing one hour of the telecast. Will Packer, the producer of the show, worked with Hall on the 2017 comedy film “Girls Trip.” As for Schumer, she has a new TV show, “Life & Beth,” that will stream on Hulu, which shares ABC’s parent company, Disney. Sykes has made appearances on ABC’s comedy series, “Black-ish.” Hall also stars in “Master,” premiering on Prime Video March 18th. It’s the first time since the 59th Oscars in 1987, when “Platoon” won Best Picture, that there will be three separate hosts—back then it was Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn, and Paul Hogan. Directing the show for the seventh year in a row is Glenn Weiss, who has won two Emmys for helming the annual Oscar telecast.
What is the ceremony’s theme this year?
It’s “Movie Lovers Unite,” which is part of the new “Oscar Fan Favorite” contest that ran until March 3rd. The Academy teamed up with Twitter to host the contest, where users voted for their favorite film of the year and their favorite movie moment. The two with the most votes will be announced during the show. Fans shared their picks on Twitter using the hashtags #OscarsFanFavorite and #OscarsCheerMoment and on the Oscar fan favorite website. The winner will receive an award at the ceremony. Select participants could win a trip to next year’s Oscars, where they could present an award to a winner on stage. For those in the know, these two contests echo the idea of the “Popular Oscar,” which was proposed in 2018 and then canned.
How will the Academy deal with pandemic protocols for attendees?
The Academy is not requiring proof of vaccination or the wearing of masks for all attendees. This issue is opposed to other upcoming awards telecasts demands, including the Critics Choice Awards on March 13 and the Screen Actors Guild on February 27. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will instead require only nominees and invited guests, which amounts to 2,500 attendees, to show proof of vaccination (with or without a booster). As for onstage performers and presenters, they must show a negative PCR test or a negative rapid antigen test on the day of the event. Vaccines are not required but are strongly encouraged.