“Welcome to the 77th and last Academy Awards.” That’s how Chris Rock introduced the Oscars ceremony the first time he hosted the show, and for eleven years it seemed oddly appropriate. For although the Academy Awards continued, Chris Rock didn’t host them again, after a show that rubbed many industry professionals the wrong way. In particular, Rock had a bit about why studios should stop casting Jude Law, which led Sean Penn to take the stage to defend the actor.
But times have changed and taking the piss out of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) no longer seems out of the question. So for the first time in over a decade, Chris Rock will be back hosting the Academy Awards for the 88th annual presentation, which airs on February 28, 2015. Variety confirmed the news this morning.
Related: Spike Lee to Receive Honorary Oscar
Hosting the Academy Awards is, to be perfectly honest, such a thankless task that it’s hard to imagine why anyone with a healthy career would even consider it. The gig involves performing a short piece of standup comedy about art house movies that most audiences haven’t seen, to a crowd of millionaires, and then occasionally commenting on who is about to give away the next award. Attempts to shake up the proceedings with unusual sketches tend to be met with groans from fans who want the Oscars to be more entertaining and, simultaneously, to just get on with the presentations.
The majority of Oscar hosts spend months preparing for a single live telecast, only to receive terrible reviews afterwards. There is no Rotten Tomatoes score for the Oscars, but hardly any telecast in the last few decades would receive a “fresh” rating if the think pieces published the morning after are any indication.
But of course we wish Chris Rock the best. He’s an excellent comedian who has been on an impressive role lately, writing, directing and starring in the critically acclaimed comedy Top Five (which the Oscars snubbed last year) and recently appearing in a memorable guest performance on the hit series Empire. Rock also directed Amy Schumer’s recent HBO comedy special, Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo.
Good luck, Chris Rock. You’re going to need it. Now let’s take a look back at how you handled the Oscar hosting gig way back in 2005.
Photo: Getty Images North America
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
