Kristen Chenoweth and Seth MacFarlane -- two stars known, respectively, for the stage and small screen -- will close out the Oscars on Sunday night with a final musical performance after the Best Picture award is announced.
"Seth and Kristin will perform a special number and we think it will be a 'can't miss' moment," said Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron in a statement.
The 85th annual Academy Awards are loaded with Broadway flourishes and musical performances -- a twist, perhaps, since the night ostensibly celebrates the best movies of the last year. In addition to the closing number, the Oscars will feature performances from Adele, Barbra Streisand, Shirley Bassey, the cast of "Les Miserables" and past Oscar winners Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Of course, this shouldn't be too surprising: Zadan and Meron were producers on the 2002 Best Picture winner "Chicago" (which is celebrating 10 years as an Oscar winner), as well as "Hairspray," "Footloose" and the television series "Smash."
Not everyone, however, was thrilled with the idea of extending the Oscar telecast beyond the announcement of Best Picture -- the normal end to the broadcast. A smattering of tweets mocking the move can be found below.
@m1keh0gan
Michael Hogan
@BrianDuffield
Brian Duffield
@DavidPoland
David Poland
@richardrushfield
Richard Rushfield
The Oscars 2013 ceremony takes place on Sunday, Feb. 24. Festivities start at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
The Huffington Post | By Christopher Rosen Posted: 02/21/2013 8:19 am EST | Updated: 02/21/2013 10:02 am EST