A scene from Chicago…or this year’s Oscars?
The prolific duo of Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the producers behind the 2002 Best Picture winner Chicago, NBC’s musical series Smash, and the Tony-winning revival of Broadway’s How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying — among others — have been tapped to produce this year’s Oscar ceremony, airing on February 24th, 2013. Expect a lot of musical numbers. Well, okay, more than usual. I think.
“Craig and Neil are forward thinkers who bring a unique perspective to the Oscar show,” Academy president Hawk Koch said in the official press release announcing the decision. “Their enormous collective talent, coupled with their love of film, serves our show perfectly.” CEO Dawn Hudson added “Craig and Neil have great talent relationships and bring an infectious energy to the production. They are creative producers in the best sense of the word.”