Oscars show reinvented as a movie - with masks, longer speeches

LOS ANGELES - The Oscars ceremony next week will have the look and feel of a movie, giving winners more time for speeches, while coronavirus masks will play a major role, producers of the show said on Saturday.

The coronavirus pandemic and a trio of new producers have led to a reinvention of the traditional show where the world's highest movie honors are handed out before a seated theater audience of more than 4,000 A-list stars and industry executives. Much of the April 25 ceremony will instead be held at the Art Deco Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, where a stage is being built and where presenters will be doing more than opening an envelope with the winner's name.