Harris & Short to Open Oscar Ceremony with Shankman-Helmed Musical Number, 3/2

Deadline.com is reporting that before hosts Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin make their much anticipated entrance onto the Oscars stage this Sunday, Neil Patrick Harris and Martin Short will perform a large, original production number choreographed by Oscar Ceremony producer Adam Shankman. 

Short reportedly has a longstanding relationship with the ceremony's musical director Marc Shaiman. The pair first worked together on Saturday Night Live, and have since collaborated on The Martin Short Show and the one-man stage show Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. No stranger to the stage, Neil Patrick Harris has appeared on Broadway in Children and Art, Assassins, Proof, and Cabaret, and is an awards show favorite. He currently stars on CBS' How I Met Your Mother.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT/ 8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world's preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards - in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners - the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

For more information, visit www.oscars.org.