Oscars Show Secrets: Rihanna and Tom Cruise Jokes You Didn’t Hear, the Lady Gaga Saga and Whether Jimmy Kimmel Will Return (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety

As he was lifted into the Dolby Theater rafters five minutes before the Oscars were set to begin, Jimmy Kimmel ’s monologue still wasn’t locked.

Kimmel has earned strong positive marks for this year’s monologue, and it helped set the stage for what was a celebratory, emotionally charged evening.

“We’ve put a ton of time and energy into these big produced bits, whether they be live, like we did with the movie theater break-in or the Hollywood tour bus that surprised people and brought them in.

Here are a few more behind-the-scenes tidbits about this year’s Oscars telecast, via McNearney and Rob Mills, Walt Disney TV exec VP of unscripted and alternative entertainment:

Viewers used to hearing “Rihanna” with a soft “a” were confused when Kimmel said her name with an “anna” that rhymes with “banana.” But it turns out many of us have been pronouncing it wrong (and there are plenty of videos online explaining this).

Michael B. Jordan, Pedro Pascal, Michelle Yeoh, Steven Spielberg and Andrew Garfield were informed moments before air that they’d be singled out as part of Kimmel’s “security team.” “I went up to Michelle, Michael, Pedro, Andrew, Steven Spielberg, and we told them minutes before the show started, ‘you’re going to be on camera, Jimmy’s going to refer to you as part of his security team.