In a completely standard and totally precedented move, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is now planning for all five of the — *checks notes* — five songs nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar to perform at the February 24 ceremony. Following rumors that only the Lady Gaga-Bradley Cooper Star Is Born collab “Shallow†and the Kendrick Lamar-SZA Black Panther collab “All The Stars†would be invited to perform on air, the Academy tweeted Thursday afternoon that the nominated songs from Mary Poppins Returns and the documentary RBG would be performed at the ceremony. The Academy did not specifically tweet a messaging promising that the nominated songs from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Black Panther, or A Star Is Born would be performed.
Per Variety, the songs will be performed in shorter, 90-second formats. Previously, producers told talent reps that there wouldn’t be time for all nominees to perform in a slimmed-down show. Sources told Variety that nominees considered telling the Academy that the song performance would be all or nothing, but it’s unclear if the nominees delivered that ultimatum. (One nominee, Lin-Manuel Miranda, tweeted his dissatisfaction with rumors that all the nominated songs wouldn’t be performed; in November, Bradley Cooper hinted that he had “cool, unorthodox†plans for what he and Gaga could do onstage if they were nominated.)
The Academy has previously said that some technical awards — possibly even the Oscar for Best Cinematography — will be handed out during commercial break, and edited into the final broadcast. This is all entirely normal and natural and reasonable, and not at all just the latest development in an awards season plagued by Academy scandals and missteps!
Update, February 1: The Academy announced on Friday that two more Best Original Song nominees have been officially added to the telecast: Songwriters Gillian Welch and David Rawlings will perform “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings†from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga will perform “Shallow.â€
Please update your “Songs That Will Be Performed on This Year’s Oscar Playlist†— which you definitely have — accordingly, and expect another exceedingly lame tweet announcing Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s performance by end of day.