Neil Patrick Harris Teases Oscars Musical Number… and Magic Tricks: ‘I’ve Said Too Much’ (Video)

“[The producers] have seen what didn’t work in previous iterations, and they’re confident in what does work,” Oscar host says in the run-up to Sunday’s show

Critics of Sunday’s Oscar ceremony, direct your complaints straight to host Neil Patrick Harris.

“I gotta feel like it’s my show, and that what I have to execute is going to fall on me, regardless of who wrote it,” said the actor/musician in a new Academy interview about his upcoming hosting duties.

Harris also believes this year’s ceremonies will be all the good parts of years past, without the bad parts.

“Neil [Meron] and Craig [Zadan, the show’s EPs] have seen what didn’t work in previous iterations, and they’re confident in what does work, and why,” Harris said. “They really want things that can only happen on the show, that you have to watch the show to see.”

The actor said he believes it’s his job “to be out there a lot, like a dinner party. You want to keep saying, ‘Hi, welcome back.’ The hots is the puppet master, with an ear on what’s going on when you’re not on stage, to being on stage, to calming people down, to commenting on things, to working hard but not too hard.”

“There’s going to be a musical number at some point,” Harris teased of the ceremony itself. “I’m a magician, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a hint of magic. I fear I’ve said too much.”

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