All five of the Best Original Song nominees will now perform at the Oscars ceremony on 24 February, following a widespread backlash.
The Academy initially planned only to have Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper perform “Shallow” from A Star is Born, as well have Kendrick Lamar and SZA perform “All the Stars” from Black Panther. Producers are said to have told representatives for the rest of the nominees that there would not be time to perform all give songs at the now-shortened show.
Variety reports that they have since backtracked on the decision, with the Academy’s official Twitter account revealing that Jennifer Hudson will perform “I’ll Fight” from the documentary RBG and that “There Place Where Lost Things Go” from Mary Poppins Returns would be “performed by a surprise special guest” – leading many to guess that Emily Blunt will be joined onstage by Julie Andrews.
Also nominated in the category is the song “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, performed by Willie Watson and Tim Blake Nelson.
Sources now state that offers have gone out to representatives for all five nominees to perform the songs, although in a truncated, 90-second form.
There were also plans of having the current members of Queen open the show with a track in honour of Bohemian Rhapsody, but these plans have reportedly since been quashed.
