Cynthia Erivo denies ‘Wicked’ Oscars performance rumours: “This feels like wishful thinking to me”

nme.com:

Wicked songs at the 2025 Oscars, saying the idea felt like “wishful thinking”.This year’s ceremony will not include live performances for the Best Original Song category, where previously artists nominated in the category would perform throughout the night in the lead-up to the award being presented.

Instead, the show is spotlighting “personal reflections” from the songwriters.While the majority of the Oscar nominations were revealed earlier this year, the shortlist for Best Original Song and Best Original Score were unveiled in December.

Among the artists who made the shortlist for Best Original Song are Elton John, Pharrell Williams, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Kneecap and more.Several major blockbusters have had their scored listed in the shortlist for Best Original Score, including Gladiator 2, Challengers, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Alien: Romulus and the Erivo-starring Wicked.She spoke to Variety on the red carpet of the Critics’ Choice Awards last night (February 7) in light of rumours that the Academy was looking to open its telecast with a medley of Wicked numbers performed by herself and co-star Ariana Grande.“Why does everyone keep saying that?

I don’t know where this has come from,” she said when asked about the reports. “This feels like wishful thinking to me, personally.