The producer of the Academy Awards says Sunday’s show will strike a balance between being upbeat and fun, while also acknowledging the war in Ukraine

By The Associated Press

March 27, 2022, 9:44 PM

• 3 min read

The Latest on the Oscars (all times local):

2:30 p.m.

The producer of the Academy Awards says Sunday’s show will strike a balance between being upbeat and fun, while also acknowledging the war in Ukraine.

Producer Will Packer says it’s difficult to put on a show while serious world events are unfolding, but he’s also trying to give people a diversion.

“In the midst of the revelry and the fun, we will acknowledge it and then we’re going to try to make sure that we give people who are in tough situations there and around the world something to look at, a release, something that’s upbeat and fun,” Packer told The Associated Press ahead of Sunday’s ceremony.

Packer also addressed the film academy’s controversial decision to award eight Oscars ahead of the live telecast and weave them into the broadcast.

“We’re going to treat all the honorees with an amazing amount of respect. That’s what we do,” Packer said.

Dozens of nominees are already on the Oscars red carpet ahead of the ceremony, which begins at 4 p.m. Pacific with an hourlong ceremony bestowing eight awards.

Best original song nominee Diane Warren wore a ribbon supporting Ukrainian refugees as part of her outfit.

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THE BACK-TO-NORMAL ACADEMY AWARDS

— Here’s how to watch or stream the Oscars this year

— Lin-Manuel Miranda misses show after COVID scare

— List of nominees for the 94th Academy Awards

For complete coverage of this year’s Oscars, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

3 a.m.

For the first time in two years, the Academy Awards are rolling out the red carpet at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre for what the film academy hopes will be a back-to-normal Oscars. Except for all the stuff that’s changed.

The telecast for the 94th Academy Awards will begin, as usual, at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. But little else about how this year’s Oscars will get underway is traditional. An hour before the broadcast begins, attendees will assemble in the Dolby for the presentation of eight awards and acceptance speeches that will be edited into a broadcast that producer Will Packer has promised will be a tight three hours.

It’s one of many shifts, both slight and tectonic, around this year’s ceremony. After two years of pandemic — and a socially distanced 2021 edition with record-low ratings — the Academy Awards will try to recapture their exalted place in pop culture with a revamped telecast that’s expected to see a streaming service win best picture for the first time.

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