I don’t particularly find anything Ellen DeGeneres has ever done all that funny, aside from Finding Nemo of course. However, I have seen her host a myriad of award shows and I thought she ws fantastic and I think she has just the right kind of humor for the Oscars, which is a good thing considering 79th Academy Awards telecast producer, Laura Ziskin, announced today that it will be DeGeneres to host the 2007 Oscars on February 25, 2007. This will be her first time as Oscar® host, as well as her first appearance on an Academy Awards telecast.
“Ellen DeGeneres was born to host the Academy Awards,” said Ziskin. “There is no more challenging hosting job in show business. It requires someone who can keep the show alive and fresh and moving, as well as someone who is a flat-out great entertainer. Ellen completely fits the bill. I can already tell she is going to set the bar very high for herself and therefore for all of us involved in putting on the show. Now all we need is a lot of great movies.”
DeGeneres is the host of the syndicated talk show “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” which this year won its third Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show and earned DeGeneres her second Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host.
Launched in September 2003, the show won four Daytime Emmys in its freshman year, including Outstanding Talk Show, after garnering a record twelve nominations. In its second season, the show won five Daytime Emmys, and this year earned a total of six Emmy Awards.
“When Laura Ziskin called, I was thrilled,” said DeGeneres. “There’s two things I’ve always wanted to do in my life. One is to host the Oscars. The second is to get a call from Laura Ziskin. You can imagine that day’s diary entry.”
DeGeneres has twice hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards telecast and co-hosted the show in 1994. For her first solo Emmy stint, which took place shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, she received high praise.
“She just sparkles,” said Academy President Sid Ganis. “She is such a pleasure to watch. Her wit cuts to the truth of things, but in a wonderfully warm-spirited way. I think she’ll be a fantastic host for this show and we’re extremely pleased that she’s agreed to do it.”
The ceremonies honoring film achievements for 2006 will be held on Sunday, February 25, 2007. The 79th Annual Academy Awards Presentation will be broadcast live from the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland by the ABC Television Network, beginning at 5:00 p.m. (PST) with a half-hour arrivals segment.
