LOS ANGELES — Host Ellen DeGeneres, right, is rooting for unexpected nudity on tonight's Oscar telecast.

DeGeneres and producer Laura Ziskin chatted in the Kodak Theatre on Wednesday as workers rigged lighting and moved in set pieces, including a Swarovski crystalstudded curtain. The arrivals show airs at 6 p.m. with the awards at 6:30 on ABC.

Both agreed that no amount of planning does as much as a good surprise.

Then DeGeneres surprises her boss: "I came up with a really fun idea for the end of my monologue that I think is going to set this room off."

Says Ziskin: "This is the first I'm hearing about it."

Though producers often hate last-minute changes, Ziskin loves them. At least when it comes to the Oscars. "All the architecture of the show is just there, waiting for things to happen."

Adds DeGeneres, "We're praying for that. I want somebody to do a one-armed pushup. I want somebody to streak."

Ziskin shakes her head. "Those days are gone."

DeGeneres agrees but not because of network censorship. "It's just that everybody is so body conscious: 'I would streak, but I'm bloated.' "

DeGeneres is crafting her performance with help from her talk-show writers and her brother Vance (a former "Daily Show" correspondent). She'll do mantras to keep mellow.

"Anybody who's freaking out or getting nervous, I push them away from me," she says. "I like calm energy."

Ziskin, best known for producing the "Spider-Man" movies, says creating that feeling in the theater is a large part of the host's job. "People are so nervous, so terrified, not just the nominees, but the presenters. She releases us, makes us happy and forget about ourselves."

DeGeneres jokes: "I didn't realize that was my job. I'm going to have to change my entire monologue."

She describes her work this way: "As the night goes on and the room is filled with more and more losers, I still want them to have a good time."

As for perennial complaints about the show's length, don't expect sympathy from Ziskin, who says to prepare for 3 1/2 hours minimum. "You get your popcorn and invite your friends over. Or get in bed by yourself or with someone you like, and you wait to see what's going to happen."