Producers tease 'KPop Demon Hunters' and 'Sinners' celebrations

Los Angeles, Mar. 13: The K-Pop Demon Hunters hit “Golden” has been performed several times over the past few months. Singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami have appeared on Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon’s shows, the Brit Awards and even the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. However, when they take to the stage at the Oscars on Sunday, it will not simply be their usual song-and-dance routine.

The producers behind the 98th Academy Awards aim to celebrate not only the song but also the cultural phenomenon of the film itself. That reasoning is why the only other nominated song set to receive a moment during the broadcast is “I Lied to You”, from Sinners — a blockbuster and the most-nominated film of all time.

“We have two really unique stories that are going to be celebrated on stage,” said Oscars executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor. “They’re bigger than just the songs. They’re really about filmmaking and craft.”

Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq will be present for the Sinners segment, which intends to explore the role music plays in the film. The performance will feature ballerina Misty Copeland, blues musicians Eric Gales, Buddy Guy and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, actors Jayme Lawson and Li Jun Li, along with Brittany Howard, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey and Alice Smith. Kapoor added that filmmaker Ryan Coogler has also been involved in shaping the segment.

Kapoor and executive producer Katy Mullan, who won Emmys for their work on the 96th Oscars, have spent months preparing Sunday’s ceremony, which will mark the return of host Conan O’Brien.

“His humour, his tone and his reverence for the art form — he genuinely cares about making this a true celebration,” Mullan said. “We’ve been in tears of laughter … there are so many great moments he’s going to bring to the show.”

One of the ceremony’s themes this year is the “human touch”, Kapoor said — from the set design to the filmed packages.

“It’s really the story of how we feel this connection and how the heartbeat of cinema is unmistakably human,” Kapoor explained. “Hopefully the entire show — how Conan makes you feel and everything around it — will feel as though it has been shaped by human hands and human creativity.”

The show will also bring back its “fab five” format, first used to highlight the acting nominees in 2024 and later applied to costume design and cinematography in 2025. This year, it will be used for the newly introduced casting award.

“Because it’s a new category, we want to celebrate it with a moment where we not only have incredible stars speaking about the nominees but also giving context and insight into what casting directors actually do,” Mullan said. “Viewers will see many stars people love on stage discussing the outstanding nominees this year.”(AP)