Oscar Attendees Will Not Wear Masks during Telecast

The 93rd Academy Awards, also known as Oscars, is set to take place this Sunday, April 25.

According to Variety, the Academy will not be asking attendees to wear face masks as cameras are rolling during the live ceremony.

During a Zoom meeting on Monday morning with Academy reps, nominees, studio, and personal publicists, it was declared that the ceremony is being treated as a TV/film production thus nominees, their guests, presenters, and other attendees will not be required to wear masks.

However, when guests are off the camera, they will be asked to wear masks for instance they are to be put on during commercial breaks at the 93rd Academy Award being held at the Art Deco Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.

The audience capacity is set at 170 people with those in the crowd being rotated in and out of the ceremony, according to the weekly magazine.

The producers of the Oscars have also revealed recently that the ceremony will have the look and feel of a movie as well as give the winners more time for speeches, noting that the coronavirus masks will play a major role.

Presenters including Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford, and Halle Berry are said to be playing themselves or at least a version of themselves.

The ceremony will also be presented by many A-listers such as Reese Witherspoon, Renee Zellweger, Joaquin Phoenix, Don Cheadle, Regina King, Rita Moreno, Laura Dern, Zendaya, Angela Bassett, Bryan Cranston, Marlee Matlin, and last year´s best director winner Bong Joon Ho.

Oscar winners’ speeches were previously limited to 45 seconds, this year, they were given space and encouraged to tell a story and to say something personal.

Nominees unable to attend the ceremony can participate through satellite hookups from venues around the world but there will not be Zoom appearances.

A 90-minute pre-show will be screened before the ceremony, which will feature performances of the five original song contenders that were previously recorded at the new Academy Museum in Los Angeles, and in Iceland.

From L.A., H.E.R. will perform “Fight For You” from Judas and the Black Messiah, Celeste and Daniel Pemberton  “Hear My Voice” from The Trial of the Chicago 7, Laura Pausini and Diane Warren will collaborate for the Italian-language “Io Si (Seen)” from The Life Ahead, and Leslie Odom Jr is set to sing “Speak Now” from One Night In Miami.

Molly Sanden will be performing from Iceland the song “Husavik” from the “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”.

The Oscars will be broadcast live on ABC at 8:00 PM (Eastern Time).