This year, either because ABC really wanted to
streeeetch out its viewership numbers by an extra two hours or because the actual event will be so tightly packed with good stuff that there will be no time for anything else, the Academy Awards bumped the usual performances from the Best Song nominees to a pre-show event with slightly lower-key red carpet interviews and reasonably charming vamping from Ariana DeBose and Lil Rel Howery (who had to be prompted by Chloé Zhao when they came back from a commercial break, which was fun). But we’re not here for reasonably charming vamping, we’re here for the musical performances, which you can see below without having to sit through an hour and a half of interviews.