BEVERLY HILLS—On Friday, August 2, it was announced that Ellen Degeneres will return, once again, to host the Oscars®. The announcement came courtesy of producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.
“We are thrilled to have Ellen DeGeneres host the Oscars,” said Zadan and 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.”
Ellen DeGeneres’s first time hosting was at the 79th Annual Academy Awards® in 2007. Her performance was well received with much praise from critics and viewers alike.
“I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time. You know what they say – the third time’s the charm,” said Degeneres.
The Academy’s President, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, also chimed in on the decision saying, “I agreed with Craig and Neil immediately that Ellen is the ideal host for this year’s show. We’re looking forward to an entertaining, engaging and fun show.”
DeGeneres started her career in her hometown of New Orleansas a comedy emcee. She later ventured off into a career in television in such shows like “These Friends Of Mine” which was later renamed “Ellen.” DeGeneres later earned the Peabody Award in 1997 as well as an Emmy Award for writing the “Puppy Episode” when her character came out as a gay woman to a record 46 million viewers.
Her work in feature films has been just as successful as her television work. She famously played “Dory,” a short-termed memory fish, in the classic Disney-Pixar “Finding Nemo.” DeGeneres will reprise the role in November of 2015 when the sequel to “Finding Nemo,” “Finding Dory,” is released.
She has become a household name in huge part to her daytime talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” The show has earned her a total of 45 Daytime Emmys in its 10 year existence.
The 86th Annual Academy Awards® will be broadcasted live from the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® on Sunday, March 2, 2014, on the ABC Television Network.
By Chet Kincaid
