Did the Oscars finally get something right this year? After numerous hurtles, it has been announced that Bette Midler will be appearing on stage to sing the Oscar nominate song ’The Place Where Lost Things Go’ during the live telecast. And when she’s done, there shouldn’t be a dry eye in the house.
Emily Blunt was not able to perform the Mary Poppins Returns song on the telecast, so last week, The Academy began teasing a very special surprise guest. Immediately fans began speculating that it would be Julie Andrews, the original Mary Poppins, who does not actually appear in the movie. But Andrews, who is 83, has had complications from vocal cord surgery, and she isn’t doing much singing at the present time.
Bette Midler announced the news that she would be stepping on stage to sing the song live this weekend. She tweeted this out to all her fans, who are surely beyond excited that Midler will be participating.
"So, (drum roll) Ladies and Gentlemen, I will be chanteusing (that’s singing) on the Oscars on Feb 24...the nominated song from "Mary Poppins"..."The Place Where Lost Things Go" ...so excited!!"
Bette Midler is no stranger to awards shows. She brought the world ’The Wind Beneath My Wings’ from the hit movie Beaches and she’s won 3 Grammy awards, 4 Golden Globes, 3 Emmys, and 2 Tony Awards. She’s not an EGOT holder yet, but not without a lack of trying. She has been nominated for 2 Best Actress Oscars at The Academy Awards, the first time in 1980 for The Rose and again in 1992’s For the Boys.
The Oscars have been a hot bed of controversy this year. Just a week away, the show will fly without a host for the first time in thirty years. The last time happened in 1989, and it was an absolute disaster, and even featured Corey Feldman doing his signature Michael Jackson dance, though that was overshadowed by the musical number between Rob Lowe and Snow White. The clips available on Youtube will have any movie fan cringing, so perhaps this year’s Oscarcast will deliver some more viral moments. If the 91st Academy Awards doesn’t open with Rob Lowe and Snow White, that’s a huge missed opportunity.
Kevin Hart was supposed to host the Oscars, but some old anti-gay tweets and his refusal to apologize immediately, though he did later, resulted in him sidelining himself from the stage. The latest dust up occurred when The Academy decided to hand out 4 awards during the commercial breaks. After nearly everyone in Hollywood had a problem with this, the Academy reversed the decision, and now all the awards will be given out live during the show.
In terms of Bette Midler singing her Mary Poppins song, the Oscars originally only wanted to do two of the nominated songs live. ’Shallow’ from A Star is Born and ’All the Stars’ from Black Panther. This was met with outcries of unfairness as well, so Oscars also changed their mind about this, allowing all five nominees to be heard. Which is where Bette Midler steps in. You can check out her tweet below direct from the official Bette Midler Twitter.
So, (drum roll) Ladies and Gentlemen, I will be chanteusing (that’s singing) on the Oscars on Feb 24...the nominated song from "Mary Poppins"..."The Place Where Lost Things Go" ...so excited!!
— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) February 17, 2019