Oscars audience to be treated to live 'Les Mis' performance
The cast of 'Les Miserables', Catherine Zeta-Jones and Jennifer Hudson will sing live at the Oscars.
The Academy Awards will pay tribute to musical films on Sunday with a big song-and-dance segment featuring the stars of 'Les Mis' - including Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Samantha Barks and Helena Bonham Carter - along with Oscar winners Catherine and Jennifer, who will revisit their roles from 'Chicago' and 'Dreamgirls' respectively.
The musical tribute will pay homage to the three successful films, each of which were hugely successful at the Oscars, with 'Les Miserables' earning a total of eight nominations at this year's ceremony. Meanwhile, 'Chicago' received an impressive 12 nominations in 2003 and won in six categories, including the top prize for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Catherine.
'Dreamgirls' led the nominations pack at the 2007 Oscars with eight and earned Jennifer the Best Supporting Actress award.
Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who will produce the Oscars telecast, previously confirmed they wanted to incorporate more musical performances in this year's ceremony than ever before.
Craig commented to Deadline: "There's so much more entertainment this year, especially compared to a normal Oscar year. We were in the recording studio rehearsing Sunday with orchestra for the first time. We have a 60 piece orchestra this year. And the musicians who I guess do it almost every year said to Bill Ross, our musical director, 'This is the Oscars?'
"Usually when they have their rehearsals for the Oscars it is in and out because there's nothing to play except lead-ins and entrance music and all that. And we were rehearsing all the musical numbers that we were doing and they couldn't believe it."
As well as the all-star tribute to musicals, the cast of 'Chicago' - including Catherine, Richard Gere, Renee Zellweger and Queen Latifah - are still expected to reunite on stage, Barbra Streisand is expected to perform, and Adele and Dame Shirley Bassey will sing during a tribute to the James Bond franchise.
The Academy Awards take place on Sunday from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
