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Academy Awards

Josh Gad unmasks 'Frozen' star Adele Dazeem

Josh Gad
Special for USA TODAY
Idina Menzel or Adele Dazeem? We may never know.

I was recently fortunate enough to be a part of history when my Disney film, Frozen, won the very first Academy Award for animated feature in the studio's history. And since that night, I have had many an eager fan, friend or family member ask me the same question. Not "what is it like being a part of this movie?" Not "how was the movie made?" Not "what was it like hearing the film called by the presenters?" No. None of those things come close to the one question that is apparently on everyone's mind ... "Josh, who is Adele Dazeem?"

"Adele Dazeem." Not since I first heard the term "gluten free" have I been so shocked by two words. You see, for the past three years, I thought I had been working with musical artist Idina Menzel while recording my lines for Frozen, but instead I had been working with an actress that sounds like a Season 4 terrorist on Homeland. So who is this Adele Dazeem and how has she captured the nation?

As difficult as it is for me to revisit this dark night, my peers at USA TODAY have given me a forum to do an exclusive exposé on this captivating member of the elusive Dazeem family. But, in order to truly understand how this "wickedly talented" performer sneaked into the Oscar ceremony and bamboozled us into thinking she was the same girl from Enchanted, we must first understand the depth of her web of deceit. Thankfully, much like he has done throughout his storied career, John Travolta unmasked this fraud like she was Nicolas Cage's face in the aptly titled Face/Off. So what were Adele Dazeem's true intentions?

The first question we must ask ourselves is where does Dazeem begin and Menzel end? When I go back and listen to Let it Go and compare it to Idina's earlier hit Defying Gravity, it seems like a perfect vocal match, but upon closer inspection, Dazeem's live rendition at the Oscars also had all the classic trademark flourishes of the Rent star's one-of-a-kind pipes. So what does it all mean? Could the two be twins? Not likely. Unless the twins are Hayley Mills, no two twins have ever sounded that much alike.

Could they be clones like the five girls on Orphan Black? It seems too science fiction. Perhaps our best clue is in the phrasing of Travolta's "wickedly talented" line, which seemed to have sinister undertones. Was the ever-prescient Travolta indicating that Dazeem used some sort of "wicked" black magic to take on Idina's identity? The similarities are, after all, undeniable. Perhaps a dark voodoo curse was placed on Menzel and she took on an alter ego whose sole purpose is to not be called Idina Menzel at the Oscars.

Or perhaps, she was possessed by some sort of demon who hates Disney movies and wanted to ensure she was never given proper credit when her name was called. The truth is, we will never truly know. The secret will most likely die with Dazeem and the sleuth from Grease.

But to borrow an equation from the title of Idina's new show If/Then ... If Adele Dazeem performed at the Academy Awards, then who did I see perform live in Wicked in the fall of 2003?

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Contact Josh Gad via twitter: @JoshGad

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