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Producer Bruce Cohen has been talking up the re-vamped Oscars ceremony.
Ahead of the imminent arrival of the 83rd Academy Awards on February 27th 2011, Cohen gave some insider insight about what audiences can expect this year.
When asked about the multiple lives streams that'll be airing on Oscar.com, Cohen said: "We're really trying to present a great multi-screen experience for people who happen to be on computers or BlackBerrys also watching the show on TV."
"We're giving you a lot of different perspectives or ways into the show. No matter how disconnected you might feel from movie stars and the glamour of Hollywood, we do have a way in for you to experience the Oscars. It will be amazing if we can pull that off."
On changes to the format of the show itself, Cohen offered: "We are hoping this year to celebrate the year in movies but also remind people what they love about the Oscars and their favorite films from the past."
"We have a whole wealth of tradition for the hundred years of the movie business and 83 years of the Oscars to pull from... We're hoping that it's an interactive experience."
There have been rumours flying around that the show might return to a former tradition of performing all the Best Original Song nominess live on the night, with whispers suggesting that hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway might even be doing some singing.
Responding to this suggestion, Cohen hinted: "We're talking to Anne and James about those opportunities.... What I will say is that we couldn't be more excited that they're our hosts. We've gotten a tremendous response from people who really seem to like them as well."
"When you have people as talented as Anne and James, you'd be crazy not to take advantage of as many of their talents as possible. If they have a talent we want to show it off."
When asked if the show would still feature lengthy montages and clip reels, Cohen said: "There are so many award shows on television and this is the one that celebrates the movies and only the movies."
"We wanted the show to be cinematic and showing clips from the films isn't necessarily cinematic.... We're focused on showing the stage and all the things happening on it; hopefully for the television audience that will feel like an exciting large-scale experience."
"Of course there will be some clip packages, but very few. When we're ready to present a specific Oscar we'll show some of the work in that category, or celebrate a genre or performance."
Giving a his thoughts on this year's Best Picture list, Cohen added: "It was a great year for movies... What's music to our ears is how many of those 10 movies are very popular and struck a huge chord with audiences both here and around the world."
"So combining those artistic achievements with the best hits and nominees will make it a really good year for the producers after the show."
Finally, when asked if he could pick a favourite between The King's Speech and The Social Network , he joked: "I am Switzerland this year. And I'm very happy with that."
