As I watched the Oscar show this year I kept wondering if they could even put on a show like that if they had to go thru the same copyright clearance hoops that the rest of us would have to go thru to play all that famous music and show all those clips.

The Academy certainly clears every clip they show the same way you or I would have to. They probably use a clearance house, just like we can.

My bet is that they get a blanket clearance from the major studios and catalog owners to use anything they want.

<<<-- Originally posted by John Galt : As I watched the Oscar show this year I kept wondering if they could even put on a show like that if they had to go thru the same copyright clearance hoops that the rest of us would have to go thru to play all that famous music and show all those clips. -->>>

They absolutely do clear everything. There are professional clip clearance services that do this.

And for what it's worth, American Idol has to go through the same process, and that's an entire series, not just a once-a-year show.