The 2014 Oscars will be a lot more family-friendly than this year’s telecast. Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has been tapped to host the 86th Annual Academy Awards, set to air March 2, 2014.
She tweeted, “It’s official: I’m hosting the #Oscars! I’d like to thank @TheAcademy, my wife Portia and, oh dear, there goes the orchestra.” Of course, she can never make a statement without playing it for laughs.
This is the comedienne’s second time hosting the big event, following her debut in 2007, although she’s most certainly not a novice when it comes to award shows. She’s hosted the Emmys twice (both times after national tragedies — September 11 and Hurricane Katrina) and the Grammys twice. Her first stint with the Oscars earned her an Emmy nomination.
“We are thrilled to have Ellen DeGeneres host the Oscars,” producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said in a statement. “As a longtime friend, we had always hoped to find a project for us to do together, and nothing could be more exciting than teaming up to do the Oscars. There are few stars today who have Ellen’s gift for comedy, with her great warmth and humanity. She is beloved everywhere, and we expect that the audience at the Dolby Theater, and in homes around the globe, will be as excited by this news as we are.”
Besides the tweet she send out, DeGeneres also made another joke in the press release: “I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time. You know what they say — the third time’s the charm.”
This year’s Oscars host Seth MacFarlane received some criticism for his edgy brand of humor, and back in May, he revealed he would not be returning, saying, “Traumatized critics exhale. I’m unable to do the Oscars again. Tried to make it work schedule-wise, but I need sleep.” DeGeneres doesn’t do cruel humor, so she’ll be more family-friendly to the viewing audience.
Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was widely reported to be the frontrunner to host next year. It would have been a perfect fit considering his show is on ABC, the same network that airs the Oscars.
If you missed DeGeneres’ 2007 Oscar monologue or want to re-watch it, check it out below:
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Maybe she can return for the 2016 Academy Awards — the highly anticipated Finding Nemo sequel Finding Dory, for which she’s voicing the titular character, will have come out that previous November, and considering it’s a Pixar film, there’s a good chance it’ll be nominated for Best Animated Feature.
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(Image courtesy of WENN)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
