Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Oscars Add Raft of Talent to This Year’s Show Including QuestLove as Musical Director, 4 Black Writers, and 2 Producers

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The Oscars are getting an Oscar for diversity this year.

Producers Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher, and Jessie Collins have added a slate of writers and producers to their team, as well as named a musical and lighting director.

The bulk of this group is Black, which is no coincidence. After the Golden Globes race debacle, the Academy is being careful to emphasize inclusivity. It’s about time.

Named as musical director is Questlove, of the Roots and Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight show. Amir Thompson is his real name, and he just directed his first documentary, “Summer of Soul.”

The Academy named four Black writers, as well as director-screenwriter Richard LaGravenese, The writers are Mitchell Marchand, dream hampton, Rodney Barnes, and Amberia Allen.  Head weiter remains Jon Macks.

Dionne Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay join the production team.

Returning are David Rockwell as the production designer, and Robert Dickinson as lighting designer.

There’s no host for the Oscars this year. Raj Kapoor returns as co-producer. Glenn Weiss is running the show.

But the show is going to be hip and stylish, and different. And that’s a good thing!

 

 

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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