Oscars to hit musical high note

Los Angeles – The legendary Barbra Streisand will perform for the first time in 36 years, Adele will sing Skyfall, and the stars of Chicago will reunite 10 years after their Academy Awards triumph.

Sunday’s Oscars show, the climax of Hollywood’s yearly awards season, will hit a musical high note, if nothing else.

Les Misérables – a film performed almost entirely in song – could also provide some highlights with eight nominations, while Norah Jones, whose Indian sitar legend father Ravi Shankar died last year, is also due to appear.

On the diva legend front, Britain’s Dame Shirley Bassey, who sang two 007 theme songs – Goldfinger in 1964 and Diamonds are Forever a decade later – is due to make her first Oscars appearance.

Although full details have yet to be revealed, presumably it will be in the segment of the show celebrating the 50th anniversary of the James Bond movie franchise – along with her fellow British singing star.

Adele – in her first live performance since last year’s Grammy Awards – has said it will be “terrifyingly wonderful” (she used more earthy language backstage at this year’s Grammys) to sing the Skyfall theme tune.

“It’s an honour to be nominated and to be singing in front of people who have captured my imagination over and over again,” said the 24-year-old Londoner, who gave birth in October. “It’s something I’ve never experienced and probably only ever will once.”

The musical theme to this year’s Oscars is no coincidence: the show’s producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan produced hit 2007 film Hairspray, 2011’s Footloose as well as multiple TV credits.

“The musical as a motion picture genre has had a remarkable renaissance in the last decade,” they said in advance of the show, announcing it will showcase Chicago, 2006’s Dreamgirls and Les Misérables.

Oscar winners Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), Catherine Zeta-Jones and Russell Crowe will join Les Misérables cast members Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks and Helena Bonham Carter.

“We are thrilled that so many talented actors have agreed to bring our vision to life,” the show’s producers said yesterday.

Meron and Zadan also co-produced Chicago in 2002, which won six Oscars including best picture – and whose stars will be reunited on stage at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on Sunday evening.

Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere and Queen Latifah were all nominated for the film, although only Zeta-Jones won a personal prize, for best supporting actress.

The cast of Les Misérables will be hoping the film can score a musical triumph 10 years on. Its eight nods include supporting actress for Hathaway, who gives a stunning rendition of I Dreamed a Dream, in relentless close-up.

It appears likely the film’s cast will sing together on Sunday – coincidentally, Hathaway and Jackman have already sung together on the Oscars stage, as part of the Australian’s opening segment as host in 2009.

Helped by the success of the film version, the Les Misérables stage show will be going back to Broadway in March next year, producer Cameron Mackintosh has announced.

- Sapa-AFP