Full steam ahead for the Oscar ceremony
With the writers' strike over, planning is in full swing for the Feb. 24 Academy Awards ceremony, and organizers announced today that all four winners of last year's major acting awards will be presenters at the event.
Helen Mirren, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Hudson and Alan Arkin will all be on hand at the Kodak Theatre to present awards during the ceremony -- the future of which had been in doubt until this week's resolution of the Writers Guild of America strike. With the strike resolved and fears of picket lines removed, officials from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said today the Oscar ceremony will be its usual star-studded affair.
Producer Gil Cates and Academy President Sid Ganis announced that other celebrities expected to be presenters during the show include Amy Adams, Jessica Alba, Cate Blanchett, Josh Brolin, Steve Carell, George Clooney, Penelope Cruz, Miley Cyrus, Patrick Dempsey, Cameron Diaz, Colin Farrell, Harrison Ford, Jennifer Garner, Tom Hanks, Anne Hathaway, Katherine Heigl, Jonah Hill, Dwayne Johnson, Nicole Kidman, James McAvoy, Queen Latifah, Seth Rogen, Martin Scorsese, Hilary Swank, John Travolta, Denzel Washington and Renee Zellweger.
Adams will also perform ``Happy Working Song'' from ``Enchanted.'' Kristin Chenoweth and Marlon Saunders will perform ``That's How You Know'' and Jon McLaughlin will perform ``So Close'' -- two more songs from ``Enchanted'' and all of which are nominated for best original song. The other two nominated songs will also be performed during the show. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova will sing ``Falling Slowly'' from ``Once'' and Jamia Simone Nash will perform ``Raise It Up'' from ``August Rush,'' with the backing of the IMPACT Repertory Theatre of Harlem.
Jon Stewart will host the ceremony for the second town, and now has the help of his writing staff. Also working on the show will be writers Hal Kanter, Buz Kohan, Jon Macks and Bruce Vilanch. The films ``No Country for Old Men'' and ``There Will Be Blood'' lead all Oscar nominees with eight each, including nods for best picture. Other best picture contenders are ``Atonement,'' ``Michael Clayton'' and ``Juno.''
—From news services