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USA TODAY film critic Brian Truitt predicts who will win an Oscar this year and who deserves it.
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It's real life (not just a fantasy): Queen opens the TV broadcast of the Oscars Sunday.

Instead of the traditional 20-minute joke series of a host (because, well, the Oscars do not have it this year), expect an early-night rock-and-roll to the award ceremony (ABC, 8 ET / 5 PT).

"If you're already listening to Queen's music, I think it will be something that will really please you," producer Glenn Weiss said. "The music is so well known that it has become a really great way for us to open up the show and not be traditional as a classic record and depend on things like a monologue."

So what can we expect? There will be a lot of music, say the producers (but not Kendrick Lamar). And while the animator (formerly Kevin Hart, until his surrender in December) generally looks at the current monologue's opening, a less politicized show could also be considered.

All you need to know about the 2019 Oscars: How to look, who is hosting, how long does it take

Lead guitarist Brian May, right, of Queen and singer Adam Lambert at a show in Madrid in 2018. Lambert will appear with the group to open the Sunday Academy Awards show. (Photo11: VICTOR LERENA, EPA-EFE)

"Politics has been part of the series for a long time, we can not really control what the winners say, but we can control the overall story of what we mean," said producer Donna Gigliotti. "What we want to say is that this year has been an amazing and inclusive year for the film."

It is inevitable that this year's Oscars elections will spark much controversy, ranging from headaches to the Academy's decision to exclude four less starry awards from the live broadcast – only to add them after the public outcry.

Today, producers have stated that the awarding of these awards is not a major disruption.

"Things happen and change all the time between nominations and the show," says Weiss. "Part of the programming of a live TV show is to adapt and make changes." We spent last month since the nominations to change things you may have heard about and so many things you have not heard of. "

More: The 10 biggest winners of the best Oscar-nominated film

Also: Why an Oscar favorite, "A star is born" is extinct in the season of awards

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