Of their plan for next year's Oscars, Meron says, 'Of course there will be some musical elements, because we love music and that's what we do.'
- Aug 24, 2012
AceShowbiz - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has officially chosen two acclaimed producers for its awarding event in 2013. On Thursday, August 23, newly-minted Academy President Hawk Koch announced that Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are set to produce the 2013 Oscars, which will take place on Sunday, February 24, 2013.
This would be the duo's first gig with the Academy. Of why the organization picked the "Hairspray" producers, Koch said, "Craig and Neil are forward thinkers who bring a unique perspective to the Oscar show. Their enormous collective talent, coupled with their love of film, serves our show perfectly."
Expressing their excitement to be involved in the prestigious show, the duo said in a joint statement, "We are very excited to collaborate with Hawk and everyone at the Academy to produce this year's Oscars."
"We hope to utilize our experience in producing features, TV and theater to bring something fresh and special to this incredible awards show. When we filmed 'The Bucket List', we made our own personal bucket list, and producing the Oscars was #1. It's truly a great honor."
The Academy CEO Dawn Hudson chimed in, "Craig and Neil have great talent relationship and bring an infectious energy to the production." He went on gushing, "They are creative producers in the best sense of the world."
Following the announcement, Zadan and Meron dished on their plan for next year's Oscars to Entertainment Weekly. Teasing that they might bring more musical numbers to the telecast, Meron said, "We've been on the job a very short time. Doing what we're known for is part of our professional DNA. Of course there will be some musical elements, because we love music and that's what we do."
Speaking about who's going to host the event, Zadan admitted that he and his partner haven't picked anyone just yet. "We've had the job for two days. We haven't had the time to get in-depth...," he said. "We've put together a cool list of ideas of who could host. Hawk Koch also put his list. We've looked at these people, to figure it out. We've had so many exciting possibilities."
Meron added, "It's unfair to anyone to start spit balling names until we lock into our pecking order,... but we're going to decide right away. What I love about the Oscars is the speculation. People get excited. It's part of the game."
Zadan and Meron are known for producing Oscar-winning film "Chicago" in addition to "Hairspray", "The Bucket List" and "Footloose". They also worked on TV series "Smash", as well as produced Tony-winning Broadway shows "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and "Promises, Promises".
The 85th Annual Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood & Highland Center. The anticipated show will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide by the ABC Television Network.
