Oscar statues at the Kodak Theatre, which is the site of the Sundays 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, on February 26, 2011. Hollywood is bracing for the climax of its annual awards season this weekend, with British drama “The King’s Speech” and Facebook film “The Social Network” battling neck-and-neck for top Oscars glory. Tinsel Town’s glittering stars will descend on the red carpet Sunday for the 83rd Academy Awards, the ultimate accolade for filmmakers and performers in the multi-billion-dollar movie industry. Other films in the running for some of the top gongs include hi-tech blockbuster “Inception,” western remake “True Grit” and sexually-charged ballet thriller “Black Swan.” AFP PHOTO / Mark RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
Photo: MARK RALSTON/2011 AFP
AMPAS has announced the first key part of its next Oscar telecast, but don’t expect it to involve Jimmy Fallon or Lorne Michaels. Instead, the Academy has drafted Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Chicago, Footloose, Smash) to produce the show, so obviously, musical numbers will not be endangered during this telecast. Here is the money quote from both men: “When we filmed The Bucket List, we made our own personal bucket list, and producing the Oscars was No. 1.” No. 2 better have been “Draft Tina Fey.”