Much like the top-secret ending to The Crying Game,* the producers of this year’s Oscars ceremony have done a valiant job keeping the goings on under a tight veil of secrecy. However, with less than two days to go until the big night, some rumors are starting to leak regarding the particulars of how Sunday is going to go down. We already know that some presenters have chickened out at the eleventh hour and that Hugh Jackman is threatening to go Full Monty, but what else do Bill Condon and Lawrence Marks have in store for the hundreds of people who are likely to tune in? Click through if you dare!
• Ricky Gervais, Ghost Writer? While Ghost Town didn’t get any Academy love, that didn’t stop Hugh Jackman from ringing up Vulture’s dream host for some zingers. According to Gervais’s blog, “Hugh Jackman called me again for another brainstorming session about the Oscars. He called me out of the blue a couple of weeks ago and said he wanted me to write some gags for him. We’ve spoken a few times and we’ve come up with some funny ideas I think. It’s difficult for me because it’s so mainstream, and 90 percent of everything that comes into my head is unsuitable. He’s great though. He seems to have no ego at all. Nice bloke. Hope he does well.†Looks like some more Holocaust jokes will be on the docket!
• Ricky Gervais, Ghost Writer? While Ghost Town didn’t get any Academy love, that didn’t stop Hugh Jackman from ringing up Vulture’s dream host for some zingers. According to Gervais’s blog, “Hugh Jackman called me again for another brainstorming session about the Oscars. He called me out of the blue a couple of weeks ago and said he wanted me to write some gags for him. We’ve spoken a few times and we’ve come up with some funny ideas I think. It’s difficult for me because it’s so mainstream, and 90 percent of everything that comes into my head is unsuitable. He’s great though. He seems to have no ego at all. Nice bloke. Hope he does well.†Looks like some more Holocaust jokes will be on the docket!
• Is This the Kodak Theatre or the Cotton Club? In an interview with USA Today, production designer David Rockwell gave away some secrets about the elaborate stage setup. While at times the set will include a “futuristic†display of upwards of twenty screens playing famous film clips, the orchestra pit has been removed in an attempt to “create a kind of nightclub, Coconut Grove-in-the-1930s feel.†Let’s just hope that this doesn’t cause Robert Evans to experience any painful flashbacks.
*Spoiler Alert: She’s really a he!
Anne Hathaway Rumored to Open 2009 Oscars With Hugh Jackman [Ace Showbiz]
This Side Of Truth [RickyGervais.com]
The Oscar 11: Team aims to revive awards’ telecast [USAT]