Emma Stone, Dwayne Johnson and Charlize Theron to Present at the 2017 Oscars

Amy Adams, Riz Ahmed, Javier Bardem, Felicity Jones, Janelle Monáe, David Oyelowo and more stars will take the stage at the 89th Academy Awards

By Zach Johnson Feb 16, 2017 3:01 PMTags
Watch: 2017 Oscar Nominees for Best Lead Actor and Actress

In less than two weeks, the 2017 Oscars will bring out the brightest stars in Hollywood.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences announced the third slate of presenters Thursday morning, with Amy Adams, Riz Ahmed, Javier Bardem, John Cho, Dwayne Johnson, Felicity Jones, Leslie Mann, Janelle Monáe, David Oyelowo, Emma Stone and Charlize Theron joining fellow actors Halle Berry, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Dornan, Chris Evans, Gael García Bernal, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Dakota Johnson, Brie Larson, Shirley MacLaine, Kate McKinnon, Mark Rylance, Hailee Steinfeld and Alicia Vikander onstage.

"No matter who you are or where you live, movies bring us together. Through indelible, fearless performances these extraordinary actors help make it happen," producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd said in a statement. "We are thrilled to welcome them to the 89th Oscars stage."

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2017 Oscars: Meet the Presenters
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

The 89th Oscars will be held on Sunday, Feb. 26, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT; it'll also be televised in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Performers will include Auli'i Cravalho and Lin-Manuel Miranda (singing "How Far I'll Go" from Moana), John Legend (singing "Audition [The Fools Who Dream]" and "City of Stars" from La La Land), Sting (singing "The Empty Chair" from Jim: The James Foley Story) and Justin Timberlake (singing "Can't Stop the Feeling!" from Trolls). Harold Wheeler will again conduct the orchestra.

Glenn Weiss is also returning to direct the ceremony after having a "wonderful" time doing it last year. "This particular show is under a magnifying glass like no other," Weiss tells Medium. "Everything is very much a topic of water cooler talk, not just the next day but for a long time to come. The size and scale of the Oscars make it what it is, which is the granddaddy of them all."

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Oscars Class Photos Throughout the Years

"The Oscars are a television show for millions of people to see, but it's also dependent on the thousands in the theater to give it the right energy. In my mind, it's not an either/or. I have to do something that's going to entertain the millions who watch at home, but by the same token, I don't want to lose the people in the house who can make it feel emotionally great or not," Weiss explains. It's a sentiment shared by Molly McNearney, co-head writer for ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!. "When you write for late night, you're writing mostly for the home audience. When you write for an awards show, you really want to connect with the people in the room," McNearney reiterates. "If you can make them laugh, hopefully the people at home will follow."

Kimmel hired his late-night staff to work on jokes for the Oscars.

"There are 13 of us. We are juggling a daily late night show and preparing jokes and bits for the Oscars simultaneously," McNearney, who married Kimmel in July 2013, tells Medium. "I really don't know how Jimmy is doing it all. Many hosts before him have had the luxury of focusing all their energy on just this one big show for months leading up. We have to get our show on air every night. And then breathe for a minute, minute and a half, and then work on the Oscars."

"To say that Jimmy is 'involved' would be a dramatic understatement. He is constantly writing material and punching up our jokes. He is invested in every part of the show. He really wants the whole show to be favorable, not just his hosting," McNearney adds, estimating that 80 percent will be scripted and 20 percent will be improvised. "He wrote a lot of jokes on the fly at the Emmys and I anticipate he will again at the Oscars. We will be backstage, writing as we go."

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