So who turned up at the Emmys last night? None other than newly minted Academy Award show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. They were there to observe how a big awards show is made with Don Mischer, who ran the Emmys last night and will helm the Oscars in February.
The appointment of Meron and Zadan is one of the best announcements ever from the Academy. Oscar winners for Rob Marshall’s “Chicago,” this pair knows how to put on an enterainment. They promised me that music will be back in the Oscars this year in a big way.
Already there have been changes. No songs were performed last year, and only three songs were nominated for Best Song. Now the Academy has ruled that there will be five. With Zadan and Meron, all will be performed, and then some. This is the year of Tom Hooper’s “Les Miserables.” We are guaranteed a live performance of Anne Hathaway singing “I Dreamed a Dream.” And Hugh Jackman warbling away. So get ready.
Are these two guys popular? On the ramp leading into the Governors Ball at the Convention Center, they literally stopped traffic as tons of stars poured by.
Now all they need is a host. And I would not be surprised if Hugh Jackman got the job. With Zadan and Meron, it’s going to be about music and movement. Just sayin’…
