Late yesterday afternoon the Academy announced that scuttlebutt to the contrary, Sufjan Stevens will perform “Mystery of Love” on the March 4th Oscar telecast.
Hollywood Elsewhere has a notion that the Call Me By Your Name guys were just as surprised and elated as I was by this decision. Direct quote from director Luca Guadagnino from his home in Crema, received at 8:28 am Pacific: “FANTASTIC!”
It was pure coincidence that producers Mike DeLuca and Suzanne Todd announced this hours after yesterday’s HE rant about rumors (which were first aired by Gold Derby‘s Chris Beacham) that Stevens might be eliminated from the show. And the announcement was not a reversal of an earlier indicated position when DeLuca and Todd didn’t ask Stevens to perform when they first invited him to attend the show. (In a 2.3.18 interview with The Hollywood Reporter‘s Michael O’Connell, Stevens said that he might not perform “Mystery of Love” during the ceremony since “they’ve only asked if I’m going to attend.”)
No, seriously — I think the Academy did respond to pressure from some quarter. Maybe the Sony Classics guys called up and said “Yo, what da fock?”
It was also announced Gael García Bernal, who plays the skeletal Hector Rivera in Coco, will join Natalia LaFourcade and Miguel in performing “Remember Me” from the Oscar-nominated Disney animated feature, which has earned $732 million worldwide.
Mary J. Blige, Andra Day, Common and Keala Settle will also perform tunes at the 90th Oscar ceremony, which will air live on ABC with Jimmy Kimmel hosting.
