Now we’re getting some gravitas.
After a couple of press releases in which the Oscar producers announced young-skewing presenters whose careers had involved limited work on Oscar-caliber films, the Academy has come up with a more substantial batch of new presenters, all of whom are either past winners or nominees.
Best Actress winners Barbra Streisand, Charlize Theron (below left) and Kathy Bates will participate in the show, as will nominees Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah and John Travolta.
The seven new presenters have 16 Oscar nominations and four wins between them.
The press release:
PAST WINNERS BATES, STREISAND, THERON PLUS FORMER NOMINEES DOWNEY, JACKSON, QUEEN LATIFAH AND TRAVOLTA JOIN 82ND OSCAR® SHOW
Beverly Hills, CA — Past Oscar winners Kathy Bates, Barbra Streisand and Charlize Theron will join former Oscar nominees Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah and John Travolta as presenters at the 82nd Academy Awards®, telecast producers Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic announced today. Collectively the group has earned 16 nominations and won four Academy Awards.
Bates won an Academy Award® for her lead performance in “Misery” (1990). Streisand won Oscars® in 1968 for her lead performance in “Funny Girl” and in 1976 for the Original Song “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born).” In 2003 Theron received an Academy Award for her lead role in “Monster.”
Downey earned Oscar nominations for his lead performance in “Chaplin” (1992) and his supporting role in “Tropic Thunder (2008). Both Jackson and Queen Latifah received nominations for their supporting roles in “Pulp Fiction” (1994) and “Chicago” (2002), respectively. Travolta earned nominations in the lead acting category for both “Saturday Night Fever” (1977) and “Pulp Fiction” (1994).
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT/ 8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
(Photo by HO/AMPAS)
