Oscar show producers to return in 2015

Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will return to oversee the Academy Awards show for a third consecutive year, Oscars organizers announced Monday. The duo -- famed for big-screen musicals such as "Chicago," "Footloose" and "Hairspray" -- were re-hired after successfully producing the 2013 and 2014 shows that both saw jumps in audience numbers. "We couldn't be more thrilled to have Craig and Neil back to produce the Oscars again in 2015," Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said in a statement. "Their showmanship has elevated the show to new heights and we are excited to keep the momentum going with this creative partnership." Zadan and Meron said they were "proud of the show's success over the last two years" and were "eager to embark on another entertaining show to honor this year's motion pictures." The 86th Academy Awards on March 2 was watched by 45.4 million viewers in the United States, the largest audience in 10 years for the movie industry's biggest night of the year. The ceremony, hosted by comedian Ellen DeGeneres, included several well-received musical slots from performers such as Pharrell Williams, Pink, and Idina Menzel. And not to be missed was a star-studded "selfie" that became a Twitter sensation, eventually retweeted 32.8 million times. Next year's Oscars will take place February 22 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. Nominations will be announced on January 15.