What's Pink Doing at the Oscars?

If you thought the news that Bette Midler was performing at this year's Oscars was surprising, just wait until you hear this: Grammy-winning singer and all-around badass Pink is set to perform at the Oscars, she announced on Friday. In a tweet sent early in the afternoon, the singer shared her "big news!!!", thanking the Academy for the invite and hashtagging an appropriate #holycow.

If Pink sounds shell-shocked, she's not the only one. While we're all in support of the singer getting another chance to perform one of her gorgeous songs live, the Oscar stage is the last place we'd expect her to show up. Pink has no nominations or, as far as we know, any connection to this year's contenders other than being a celebrity herself, so the announcement of her performance comes as a bit of a surprise. Still, we're not complaining; as we all know well by now, Pink is one of the most talented and hardest-working singers in Hollywood, and her trapeze-heavy, intricately choreographed performances are always extraordinary. We're thrilled that she's going to liven up the Oscar ceremony, but we can't help wondering — why her? Five theories:

1. The Oscar Producers Loved Her Grammy Performance

At last month's Grammys, Pink, up for two awards, gave stunning, intensely physical performances of her hits "Try" and "Just Give Me A Reason" that brought down the house. Sure, the Cirque Du Soleil-inspired routine felt a bit old after so many similar performances, but it was far from boring, and energized the weary audience. Perhaps, the Oscar producers, worried that this year's show wouldn't be exciting enough to keep viewers' attention, panicked and called Pink's agent. If anything's going to make the Oscars more interesting, a scantily-clad singer flying over the audience might just do the trick.

2. She's Performing During The In Memoriam Segment

While it's more likely that Bette Midler is handling this portion of the night, it's possible that Pink, instead, is the singer enlisted with adding emotion to the already-moving segment. We're not sure exactly what song from her repertoire she would sing — "Blow Me (One Last Kiss) doesn't exactly scream "in memoriam" — but maybe she'll perform a cover of someone else's tune. It would be an odd choice for the segment, but you never know.

3. She's Doing an Interpretive Piece To Frozen

It's already been announced that Frozen star Idina Menzel is performing "Let It Go" at the Oscars, so it's not too far off to suggest that Pink is adding some additional spark to the nominated song. After all, the singer clearly loved the movie; in January, she tweeted at Josh Gad, who played the lovable snowman Olaf, that he was "freaking AMAZING" in Frozen and that she and her daughter had just danced to him "serenading" them. Maybe she wanted to take her love for the film to a whole new level, and asked the Oscars to let her play backup to Menzel's performance with an interpretive, snow-inspired piece. Okay, it's unlikely, but we can dream, right?

4. She's Doing Something With the 'Heroes' Theme

Back in January, it was announced that this year's Oscars would revolve around a theme of "heroes," ranging from the supernatural, like Superman or Mr. Incredible, to the real-life, like Gandhi or Silkwood. Pink may not be a hero in the traditional sense, but her can-do attitude and general badassery have inspired countless women and girls to embrace their differences and pursue their dreams. Seeing as how Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres is a fan and friend of Pink, it wouldn't be a shock if she'd persuaded the producers that the singer qualified as "heroic" and should be present on the night of the show.

5. The Producers Really Loved Thanks For Sharing

When the indie dramedy Thanks for Sharing failed to receive any Oscar nominations this year, it wasn't exactly considered a snub; the September-released film got middling reviews and only grossed a little over a million dollars, despite an A-list cast that included Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Ruffalo, and, in her first serious film role, Pink (credited under her real name, Alecia Moore). Thanks likely flew under the radar of most Oscar voters, but maybe the producers held it in higher regard and wanted to honor one of its stars. Sure, it'd be weird, but it's the Oscars; far stranger things have been done on the stage of the Academy Awards.