*Queen Latifah will honor the late Quincy Jones with a special tribute at the 2025 Oscars on March 2 at the Dolby Theatre.
The tribute recognizes Jones’ groundbreaking contributions to film music and his historic achievements at the Academy Awards. A longtime friend of Jones, Latifah previously collaborated with him on his 1995 album Q’s Jook Joint.
“One of the most exciting things I think that we’ve worked on this year is a musical performance that will tribute Quincy Jones,” said executive producer Raj Kapoor during a press conference on Zoom with the Oscars creative team on Wednesday (Feb. 26), Billboard reports.
“[Quincy] was the recipient of one of our Governors Awards [last] year, and we’ve planned and curated this beautiful moment that we hope will uplift the room, that will celebrate the spirit of Quincy and all of his greatness, and we are happy to say that Queen Latifah is part of that performance. You’ll have to tune in Sunday to see what we have in store, but it’s a beautiful moment, and we think it will make everybody feel really good.”
Jones, who passed away in November at 91, was a trailblazer, becoming the first Black music director for the Oscars and earning multiple nominations for his iconic film scores.
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Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are set to open the 2025 Oscars with a “Wicked” medley, celebrating their roles in the upcoming film adaptation. The ceremony will also feature performances by Doja Cat, Raye, and BLACKPINK’s LISA, along with a special appearance by the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
“There are special moments that are planned and it’s about music, it’s about celebration, it’s about celebrating some really amazing pieces of film and even a Governor’s Award with Quincy Jones,” said Kapoor. “The music performances are just really special and curated this year. And I think they speak to this year in film, and they also speak to icons and legends.”
In the Zoom call, first-time Oscar host Conan O’Brien jokingly explained that he plans to aim for many A-listers in his monologue.
“I think Ron Howard has been riding too high, too long. Tom Hanks, too. Those are just two people,” said O’Brien. “People always think, ‘Oh, they’re a nice person. What a great guy.’ No one has a bad thing to say about him. I’m going to take them both down. I think I don’t want to go after the villains that you’re used to people going after,” O’Brien continued:
“I really want to tear down people who are beloved, people who are really good at what they do, who’ve stood the test of time. So I hope Spielberg’s there because I’m going to go after every one of his films. George Lucas. I don’t care. I don’t believe in this whole thing, ‘Oh, what an icon, what a nice guy, what a nice woman.’ Not going to happen! I go after all the people that are the most beloved and leave anyone who’s got any shady past, I’m going to leave them completely alone. No one’s going to see that coming.”
O’Brien said he talked to past Oscar hosts Billy Crystal and Jimmy Kimmel about the hosting gig.
“I’ve spoken with Billy Crystal, who I think is the all-time great, and mastered the hosting of the Oscars, in my opinion, defined it, and will always be the top, I think,” he said.
“And one of the first contacts I had was from Jimmy Kimmel and his wife Molly, who’ve done a beautiful job with this show. He reached out to me and said, ‘Let’s get together.’ I went on Jimmy’s show last night. We talked about it. [Jimmy and Molly] could not have been lovelier to me,” O’Brien added. “They’ve been very supportive and very helpful and so that’s nice because I came up in a very different era of late night when not everybody was chummy and friendly and you didn’t just pick up the phone. So this new era where people are so lovely to each other is something I don’t take for granted.”
Asked if he was going to tap into the “fraught” political moment we’re in, or steer clear of it, O’Brien said, “I think as host I cannot ignore the moment we’re in, but I also have to remember it’s threading a needle. I also have to remember what we’re here to celebrate and infuse the show with positivity and also shine a light on all these people who’ve worked incredibly hard, not just A-list celebrities but people that you never see, craftsmen, craftspeople that have spent years making these films. And so it’s a difficult line to walk but I’m determined to figure it out.”
The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC, streamed live on Hulu.
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: 97th Oscars Nominations Announced: ‘Emilia Pérez’ Leads
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