Oscars performers to include Mary J. Blige, Common
Mary J. Blige, Gael García Bernal, Sufjan Stevens, Common and others will perform the Oscar-nominated songs during this year’s awards telecast.
The show’s producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd announced Friday that the ceremony will include five musical numbers.
“We’re excited to have these talented artists showcase the powerful contribution music makes to filmmaking,” De Luca and Todd said in a statement.
Blige will celebrate being the first person to be nominated for an acting award and an award for best original song in the same year by performing the song “Mighty River,” which she wrote for “Mudbound” with Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson. She is nominated for best actress in a supporting role for her work in the movie.
A trio of performers, including Bernal, will perform “Remember Me” from the animated film “Coco.” He will be joined by the singers Natalia LaFourcade and Miguel. In the film, Bernal provides the voice of Héctor, the skeletal sidekick of the story’s main character.
Common is set to return to the Oscars stage, this time with Andra Day, for “Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall.” In 2015 he and John Legend performed “Glory” from the film “Selma.” It won that evening for best original song.
Stevens will make his Oscars debut with “Mystery of Love,” which appeared in Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me by Your Name.” After being nominated, Stevens told Vanity Fair, “I have a dirty little secret: I’ve never watched the Oscars.”
Musical theater fans will also have something to tune in for. Keala Settle will bring a bit of Broadway to the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles with her performance of “This Is Me” from the musical drama “The Greatest Showman,” a film about P.T. Barnum.
The Oscars will air on ABC on March 4 and will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for the second year in a row.
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