Queen to rock Oscars with live performance

Bohemian Rhapsody — centred on the band's late frontman, Freddie Mercury — is up for best picture

Image | Brian May and Adam Lambert

Caption: Brian May, left, and Adam Lambert perform at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., in this July 2014 file photo. Queen will perform at the upcoming Oscars this Sunday. (Kevin Winter/Getty)

British rock band Queen will perform live at Sunday's Oscars ceremony, organizers said on Monday — an announcement that follows the blockbuster success of best picture nominee Bohemian Rhapsody.
"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? We welcome @QueenWillRock and @adamlambert to this year's Oscars!," the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on its official Twitter feed.
The band, whose late frontman Freddie Mercury is the subject of Bohemian Rhapsody, is now made up of original members Brian May and Roger Taylor, with former American Idol star Adam Lambert taking on vocals.
"Queen and @adamlambert will ROCK YOU," the band tweeted in response, giving the Feb. 24 date of the Oscars ceremony in Hollywood.

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Bohemian Rhapsody has a total of five Academy Award nominations, including a best actor nod for Rami Malek, who takes on the role of Mercury. Mercury died of AIDS in London in 1991 at the age of 45.
The movie has taken more than $854 million US at the global box office to become the most successful musical biopic ever.

Image | BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

Caption: Lucy Boynton, as Mary Austin, and Rami Malek, as Freddie Mercury, are shown in a scene from Bohemian Rhapsody, which is nominated for best picture at the 91st annual Academy Awards. (Alex Bailey/Twentieth Century Fox)

The academy did not say what songs Queen would perform or when they would appear on stage during the telecast, which is going ahead without a host for the first time in 30 years.
Bohemian Rhapsody is not nominated for its songs or soundtrack, but other musical performances at Sunday's ceremony will include Lady Gaga and actor-director Bradley Cooper singing their Oscar-nominated song Shallow from the film A Star is Born, while Bette Midler will sing best original song contender The Place Where Lost Things Go, from Mary Poppins Returns.