With rumors flying that young stars like Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus and Robert Pattinson are going to make appearances in one form or another at Sunday's Academy Awards, it seems that producers are attempting to recover from last year's all-time low ratings, perhaps with a little stunt casting.
Efron is rumored to be presenting Best Original Song and hitting the stage with his "High School Musical" co-star and real-life girlfriend, Vanessa Hudgens, E! Online reports. Sources told the site that the Disney stars will join Beyoncé and host Hugh Jackman onstage for a musical number directed by "Australia" helmer Baz Luhrman. "Mamma Mia!" stars Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper are also rumored to be participating in the number if their scheduling conflicts are resolved.
The show's producers have said that for this year's broadcast they want to shake things up, so lining up a roster of young megastars may be just the formula to do that. Rumors began surfacing on Monday that "Twilight" heartthrob Robert Pattinson will present an award. No word yet on what he'll be presenting or if Kristen Stewart will be by his side.
Of course, we can't forget the presence of the teen queen herself, Miley Cyrus. While Hannah Montana isn't yet scheduled to take the stage to perform or present, E! reports that she will be present in support of "Bolt," which is up for Best Animated Feature.
Reps from the Academy Awards had not responded for comment on the rumored lineup by press time.
Will it be a curious night for "Benjamin Button"? Can "Slumdog Millionaire" grab Oscar gold? Will Brad Pitt surprise leading contenders Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn? MTV News has the Academy Awards covered every which way with news, interviews, photos and more. Check out a complete list of the Oscar nominees here and keep it locked on MTVNews.com until the statues are handed out on Sunday, February 22.
