ASHLEY GRAHAM, VANESSA HUDGENS AND LILLY SINGH TO HOST 'COUNTDOWN TO THE OSCARS(R),' MARCH 12 ON ABC

ABC NEWS KICKS OFF OSCAR(R) SUNDAY WITH 'ON THE RED CARPET LIVE: COUNTDOWN TO OSCARS 95'

Model Ashley Graham, actor Vanessa Hudgens and multihyphenate Lilly Singh will host "Countdown to the Oscars(R)," the official lead-in to the 95th Oscars on Sunday, March 12, airing at 6:30 p.m. EDT/3:30 p.m. PDT on ABC. This marks Hudgens' second consecutive year hosting the official pre-show. Content creator Reece Feldman will be a backstage correspondent, and Rocsi Diaz will be the correspondent for the Academy's member viewing party in New York. The 90-minute special will highlight Oscar nominees, performers and presenters, and give fans around the world the ultimate insider's sneak peek at Hollywood's biggest night.

"Countdown to the Oscars" is executive produced by David Chamberlin and Michael Antinoro, alongside executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner.

Leading into the official pre-show, ABC News will have special coverage of Hollywood's biggest night with a live Oscars pre-show "On The Red Carpet Live: Countdown to Oscars 95," Sunday, March 12, at 1:00-4:00 p.m. EDT/10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. The pre-show coverage will also stream on ABC News Live starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/10:30 a.m. PDT throughout the day until the start of the 95th Academy Awards(R). ABC News Live Prime anchor and "World News Tonight" weekend anchor Linsey Davis and "Good Morning America" weekend co-anchor and "World News Tonight" weekend anchor Whit Johnson will host the red-carpet special at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre, featuring interviews with Oscar nominees and previewing the big night. Davis and Johnson will be joined by ABC News correspondent Chris Connelly, ESPN's Andscape senior entertainment reporter and ABC News contributor Kelley Carter and Hollywood insiders, including Variety's Elizabeth Wagmeister and Clayton Davis, and celebrity stylist Joe Zee.

"On The Red Carpet Live: Countdown to Oscars 95" is produced by Catherine McKenzie and John Green.

The 95th Oscars will be held Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby(R) Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 10,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the arts and sciences of the movies, including public programming, screenings, publications, educational outreach, exhibitions, and more.

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