HOLLYWOOD—Mark your calendar, Kevin Hart will be hosting the 2019 star-studded Oscars. The Oscars will take place in Los Angeles on February 24, 2019. He has described it as “a goal on my list for a long time.” He’s following in the footsteps of Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted both last year and also in 2017. Previous hosts include Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock, Hugh Jackman, Jon Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal, amongst a legendary list.
Hart will be hoping no Envelopegate will happen. You may recall when the Best Picture award was wrongly handed to “La La Land” instead of “Moonlight.” The pressure will be on to attract a bigger TV audience, especially a younger demographic, as viewing figures for the ceremony continue to dwindle. This year’s ceremony attracted its smallest US TV audience with 26.5 million total viewers, down from 32.9 million in 2017.
It’s just interesting, that you would think that hosting the Oscars would be the least wanted job in Hollywood. My guess is that, the pressure is on. Why is it that many celebrities pass on the job? Oprah Winfrey. Justin Timberlake. Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Jerry Seinfeld…even Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who shined at the Golden Globes in 2013, 2014 and 2015, have passed on the Oscar job. Jimmey Kimmel has done the honors twice. Billy Crystal always did a great job, however, it seems that no one wants to do it more than twice.
Speaking of “two-timers” Kimmel, DeGeneres, Jackman, Rock and Stewart, have said most of them have vowed never to do it again. Jon Stewart hosted the 80th Academy Awards in 2008, his second time hosting the Oscars. The Best Picture winner was “No Country for Old Men.” He also hosted the 78th Academy Awards in 2006, when the Best Picture winner was “Crash.”
Jimmy Kimmel hosted in 2017 with an encore in 2018. He was the first consecutive host of the awards since 1992, when Billy Crystal wrapped a four-year run. Crystal hosted the 76th Academy Awards in 2004. The Best Picture winner was “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.” The 70th Annual Academy Awards was hosted by him as well, where “Titantic” was victorious in the Best Picture race.
Chris Rock hosted the Academy Awards in 2016 and rather than easing tension in the room, he supplied it, confronting Hollywood’s diversity problem- which had come to a head with the OscarsSoWhite movement-with one-liners including, “This year, in the In Memoriam package, it’s just going to be black people that were shot by the cops on their way to the movies. YES. I said it! Rock also ran the show back in 2005, where “Million Dollar Baby” won the Best Picture prize.
Neil Patrick Harris hosted the Academy Awards in February 2015. Ellen DeGeneres hosted the Academy Awards for a second time in March 2014. She hosted the 79th Academy Awards in 2007, where “The Departed” won Best Picture. Seth MacFarlane hosted the 85th Academy Awards for the first time in February 2013, where the Best Picture was “Argo.”
Billy Crystal hosted the 84th Academy Awards in 2012, his ninth Oscars gig, with “The Artist” taking home the Best Picture award. He also hosted the 72nd Academy Awards in 2000. The Best Picture winner was “American Beauty.” Billy Crystal’s song-and-dance opening numbers from the 90s are now largely a thing of the past. Who could forget James Franco and Anne Hathaway? They co-hosted the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011, where the Best Picture winner was “The King’s Speech.”
They hosted to attract a younger audience demographics. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin co-hosted the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010, where “The Hurt Locker” won the Best Picture prize. Hugh Jackman hosted the 81st Academy Awards in 2009. The Best Picture winner was “Slumdog Millionaire.”
Actor Steve Martin hosted the 75th Academy Awards in 2003, where “Chicago” was victorious for the biggest prize of the night. He also hosted the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001, where Best Picture was “Gladiator.” Whoopi Goldberg hosted the 71st Academy Awards in 1999 with “Shakespeare in Love” winning Best Picture. Also hosting the 68th Academy Awards in 1996, and “Braveheart” was the Best Picture of the year. She also hosted the 66th Academy Awards in 1994, with “Shindler’s List” coming out on top. David Letterman hosted the 67th Academy Awards in 1995, where “Forrest Gump” was the Best Picture winner. Chevy Chase hosted the 60th Academy Awards in 1988. The Best Picture that year was “The Last Emperor.”
DeGeneres’ hosting duties included serving the audience pizza from a delivery box in 2014, along with taking a selfie which included Hollywood royalty such as Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence and Brad Pitt, which was a hit! She really triumphed with that selfie.
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