Barbra Streisand will sing “The Way We Were” during a memorial segment of the Oscars, a tribute to those in the industry who have recently passed.
Likely to be included this year are Ernest Borgnine, Charles Durning, and Nora Ephron, according to the New York Times.
Borgnine won an Academy Award for playing a sensitive butcher in “Marty” in 1955—winning out against Frank Sinatra and James Dean. At the age of 82 he became Mermaid Man in “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
Durning appeared in classics such as “The Sting” and popular modern flicks such as “Oh Brother, Whereart Thou?”
Ephron wrote the screenplay for “When Harry Met Sally,” co-wrote “Sleepless in Seattle,” and directed “You’ve Got Mail.”
Streisand’s performance is her second in Oscars history and first in the last 36 years. Senior Editor & Writer at EONLINE Marc Malkin revealed in a Tweet that Streisand would be singing “The Way We Were.” It is a fitting choice for the memorial segment, as the composer for the song’s music, Marvin Hamlisch, passed in August.
In 1977, Streisand sang “A Star is Born,” which won best original song.
Oscars producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said in a press release, “In an evening that celebrates the artistry of movies and music, how could the telecast be complete without Barbra Streisand? We are honored that she has agreed to do a very special performance on this year’s Oscars.”
Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore tweeted on Sunday, “At the #Oscars show rehearsal tonight in the formerly ‘Kodak,’ now Dolby Theater. Walked in, Barbra Streisand was singing. #nuffsaid.”
Billboard.com chose a few other memorable Oscars performances from Oscars past. Among the top performances, Billboard listed Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” in 1998, Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia” in 1994, and Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce’s “Dreamgirls” in 2007.
