Oscars To Celebrate Big-Screen Heroes

LOS ANGELES (AP) – It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s the Oscars?

The producers of the 86th annual Academy Awards say this year’s ceremony will honor big-screen, real-life heroes, superheroes, popular heroes and animated heroes – both past and present – as well as the filmmakers who bring them to life.

Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said Tuesday that they want to unify the March 2 show with an entertaining and emotional theme. They also teased that the Dolby Theatre ceremony will feature comedy from host Ellen DeGeneres, as well as a few musical surprises.

The nominations for this year’s Oscars will be announced Thursday morning.