Oscars 2015: Neil Patrick Harris brings a bit of magic to latest promo

On the day that all of the Oscar nominations were announced, it makes sense that the awards-show would also release one of its latest promos featuring host Neil Patrick Harris.

This one is very sharp, not just when it comes to its simplistic nature, but because it really plays up some of the whimsy and fun that folks expect from the host. Harris is well-known for his magic in particular, given that he has shown an affinity for some of it in particular on both “American Horror Story” and also “How I Met Your Mother.” Therefore, this latest promo is more or less one big optical illusion.

We’ll be surprised if much of this is included in the actual broadcast, though, mostly because there are around a billion or so other things that the Oscars are going to have to prioritize over the course of the entire night.

When it comes to what our general expectations are for Neil as a host here, we are reasonably excited. However, we are at the same time fairly self-aware of the fact that he is a guy whose hosting skills have already been featured multiple times elsewhere. We’re not sure how many more surprises he has still left in him, since we know so much already about his skill set and his hosting style. Even if the show is somewhat predictable, though, it could still be very good. Harris is charming, funny, can sing, and also knows the audience for this show very well. It’s certainly different than having Seth MacFarlane back on board.

The Oscars air on ABC Sunday, February 22 live.