Hollywood can breathe a sigh of relief after last year’s controversial performance from Seth MacFarlane. America’s favorite talkshow host, Ellen DeGeneres, is hosting the 2014 Oscars ceremony.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences made the announcement today, confirming that DeGeneres will host the ceremony for a second time. She previously hosted the 79th Academy Awards in 2007, earning an Emmy nomination for her performance.
“We are thrilled to have Ellen DeGeneres host the Oscars," said returning producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. "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 Theatre, and in homes around the globe, will be as excited by this news as we are."
DeGeneres added in the announcement, “I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time. You know what they say - the third time's the charm.”
Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who was named Academy President just this week, added, “We're looking forward to an entertaining, engaging and fun show."
The 2014 Oscars ceremony, which will honor the best films of 2013, is scheduled for March 2, 2014 so it doesn’t coincide with the Sochi Winter Olympics.
This year’s ceremony was hosted by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, as Zadan and Meron tried to honor musicals in a big way during the show. MacFarlane made it pretty clear repeatedly that he was not going to host a second year in a row.
DeGeneres is one of the most popular personalities in America right now, thanks to her enormously successful syndicated talk show. ABC and the Academy will be hoping that she can bring in even more viewers than MacFarlane did.
image: ABC