Chris Rock has been unveiled as the host of next year’s Academy Awards ceremony, the second time that the star has fronted the live telecast of the biggest night in Hollywood.
The 50 year old comedian and actor, whose career was dramatized in a recent movie Top Five, confirmed the news himself on Wednesday morning (October 21st) by tweeting a picture of himself holding one of the golden statuettes.
“I’m so glad to be hosting the Oscars,” said Rock in a statement. “It’s great to be back.” Of course, he previously hosted the Oscars back in 2005, when Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby bagged the Best Picture. This makes him one of the select list of celebs who’ve hosted the big night twice in their careers in the recent past, alongside the likes of Jon Stewart, Ellen DeGeneres and Billy Crystal.
Chris Rock will be hosting the Oscars for a second time in his career in 2016
Producing the show will be one of Rock’s old colleagues Reginald Hudlin, who directed the pilot episode for his successful sitcom ‘Everybody Hates Chris’, which made its debut just a few months after Rock hosted the Oscars for the first time.
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“Chris Rock is truly the MVP of the entertainment industry,” said Hudlin in a joint statement with co-producer David Hill. “Comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, documentarian – he’s done it all. He’s going to be a phenomenal Oscar host!”
Rock’s no-holds-barred performance style is likely to cause a few ripples of controversy. He came under fire roughly a month before he hosted the Oscars the last time, saying: “Come on, it’s a fashion show. No one performs; it’s not like a music show. What straight black man sits there and watches the Oscars? Show me one.”
On the night itself, he took aim at actors such as Jude Law with his close-to-the-bone humour. Either way, it’s likely to be the opposite of Neil Patrick Harris’s effort last time out, which many criticised for being far too safe and bland.
The 88th annual Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on February 28th 2016.
More: ‘Top Five’ dramatizes Chris Rock’s stand-up career
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