The Academy Finally Reveals the Surprise Special Guest it Promised

Bette Midler. Photo by Erik Pendzich/REX/Shutterstock (9934566bk)

The Oscars are just around the corner and things are finally slotting into place for the big ceremony.

Last month, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it would break tradition by not having all the songs nominated for Best Original Song performed during the show.

Only “Shallow” from A Star Is Born and “All the Stars” from Black Panther would receive performance honors, meaning “I’ll Fight” from RBG, “The Places Where Lost Things Go” from Mary Poppins Returns, and “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs would not get their chances to shine.

Not all were pleased by the decision, including Mary Poppins Returns star, Lin-Manuel Miranda who labelled the decision “truly disappointing.”

The decision was reversed by The Academy a few days later, who also teased that a “surprise special guest” would be performing the song from the Mary Poppins sequel…

The special guest in question has now been revealed as Bette Midler!

The “Wind Beneath My Wings” singer is no stranger to the Oscars stage, having performed that very song during the In Memorium segment of the 2014 telecast.

Bette will perform “The Place Where Lost Things Go” with composer Marc Shaiman on February 24th.