Oscars Show Secrets: Rihanna and Tom Cruise Jokes You Didn’t Hear, the Lady Gaga Saga and Whether Jimmy Kimmel Will Return (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large As he was lifted into the Dolby Theater rafters five minutes before the Oscars were set to begin, Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue still wasn’t locked.

It couldn’t be: Several of his gags would involve pop superstar Rihanna — but it all depended on whether she’d be in her seat. “We had two versions of the monologue,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live” executive producer (and Kimmel’s wife) Molly McNearney told Variety on Monday afternoon. “One if Rihanna was in her seat, one if she was not in her seat.

One if Rihanna had her baby on her lap, which she wanted to do. And one if her baby was not on her lap. A lot of our jokes were kind of at the mercy of people being in their seats.” Kimmel opened the Oscars by jumping down on stage in a parachute. “As they were pulling Jimmy up on that harness for the open, we’re shouting up to him, ‘Rihanna is not in her seat!

We’re going to adjust the prompter!’” McNearney said. So goes the fast-paced nature of preparing for a live awards event. In the case of the Oscars, a lot went down in the final days that forced some last-minute switcheroos.