The 91st Oscars just got a whole lot more musical.
On Thursday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the Oscar-nominated songs “I’ll Fight,” from RBG, and “The Place Where Lost Things Go,” from Mary Poppins Returns, will be performed at its annual awards ceremony.
The Academy first revealed that Jennifer Hudson would be performing “I’ll Fight,” tweeting: “Things we’d like to announce today: 1. @IAMJHUd will perform the nominated song ‘I’ll Fight’ on the #Oscars! 2. This has been our favorite tweet of the day.”
Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock; Jay Maidment/Disney
Later in the afternoon, the Academy added: “Spoiler Alert: ‘The Place Where Lost Things Go’ from ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ will be performed on the #Oscars. BONUS SPOILER ALERT: It will be performed by a surprise special guest!”
Hudson recorded “I’ll Fight,” the theme song to the acclaimed Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary, which earned a Best Original Song nomination for the track and songwriter Diane Warren. This will mark Hudson’s return to the Oscar stage after performing “I Can’t Let Go” during the In Memoriam segment in 2015. She also won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2007, for her portrayal of Effie White in Dreamgirls.
While the Academy has yet to confirm who will perform “The Place Where Lost Things Go” on the broadcast, it would make sense for Emily Blunt to reprise her role as Mary Poppins to sing the nominated song, by composers Marc Shaiman and lyricist Scott Wittman. But the options are truly endless (and we wouldn’t complain if they somehow coaxed Julie Andrews into it).
The news that these songs will be featured on the broadcast should come as a welcome relief to many Oscar fans. Previously, Variety reported that only Black Panther’s “All the Stars” and A Star Is Born’s “Shallow” would receive performance time during the ceremony.
Though the Academy never officially confirmed this decision to any outlets, the report had many in a tizzy, with music industry professionals blasting the notion as unfair and reporters and pundits calling out the Oscars for shying away from the sort of spectacle that has been a hallmark of the show.
The Academy did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment on the performance status of this year’s final nominated song, “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings,” from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
The Oscars will air live on ABC at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 24.
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