Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to Produce Academy Awards Show

By MICHAEL CIEPLY

LOS ANGELES-The next Oscar show, has found its producers, and they are a very musical pair. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, whose films include the musicals “Chicago” and “Hairspray,” have agreed to produce the 85th Academy Awards ceremony, set for Feb. 24, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on Thursday. Along with their credits as film producers, Mr. Zadan and Mr. Meron have worked in television, where their series include “Drop Dead Diva” and “SMASH,” and on Broadway, where they were producers of the revived “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Promises, Promises.” The recruiting of Mr. Zadan and Mr. Meron was the first major step by Hawk Koch, who was elected president of the Academy earlier this month.