The compere for next year’s Academy Awards will be actress, writer and stand-up comedienne Ellen DeGeneres. It will be DeGeneres’ first attempt at what must be the world’s most formidable comedy gig — the broadcast generally attracts between 40 million and 50 million viewers, not to mention a building full of Earth’s most famous celebrities. Although actresses have often co-presented since the 1950s, DeGeneres is only the second female (after Whoopi Goldberg) to hold the entire show together herself.
The show’s producer, Laura Ziskin, announced the appointment. “Ellen DeGeneres was born to host the Academy Awards,” she said. “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.”
DeGeneres has had only limited success in the movies, but has recently had a career renaissance on TV with her Emmy-winning talk show. Her acclaimed voice work as an exuberant fish in Finding Nemo also pushed her back into the zeitgeist. After the edgy humour of the last two Oscar hosts, Chris Rock and Jon Stewart, it might be that Academy chiefs picked her for her warm-hearted style — although, being a high-profile lesbian, DeGeneres is no stranger to controversy herself.