Oscar statuette by Bob D'Amico/ABC
The show will go on! With the writers’ strike officially in the can, producers of the 80th Academy Awards have scrapped their contingency plan.
Although the show’s more than 700 crew members had previously been preparing two completely different shows (the one you will now see on Oscar night and a star-free backup show with produced packages and film clips), everything appears to be moving forward business as usual. For the most part, anyway.
The writers returning to work on the Oscars today will have less than two weeks to craft a show they normally begin writing just after nominations are announced. Even so, associate producer Michael Seligman isn’t worried.
"Now everyone can focus on what they have to do," he told the AP. "It's a major relief because we can really push ahead with the show we always wanted to do."
The writers should get some help from the team of host Jon Stewart, who is expected to arrive in Los Angeles Saturday. Presenters and performers will be announced tomorrow. — Adam Bryant
|
