The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has tagged Chris Rock to host the 77th Academy Awards telecast–and all hell is about to break loose.
By the time Rock made his first appearance on Saturday Night Live, a comedic genius was born. He headlined his own feature films including Down to Earth, Pootie Tang and Head of State and rocked HBO with his hilariously brilliant specials, including HBO Comedy Half-Hour: Chris Rock–Big Ass Jokes and Chris Rock: Bring the Pain, which earned him two Emmy Awards. He continued to shine with his popular HBO comedy/chat series The Chris Rock Show.
The 39-year-old comedian has made a name for himself as being outspoken on just about everything from drugs (“I don’t get high, but sometimes I wish I did. That way, when I messed up in life I would have an excuse.”) to black people in the movies (“I got no problem with [Woody Allen] not having black people in his movies. If you got one black guy in your movie and he’s a crack head, then I got a problem!”)
Now, he’s taking on Hollywood’s elite–and given his over-the-top nature, with the ability to turn any event into a side-splitting laugh-a-thon, the glitz and glamour of the Oscars is just the stage he’s been waiting for.
Here are five reasons why we think he’s perfect for the job:
#1: Chris isn’t afraid to voice his opinion on the ostentatious event.
It will be refreshing to see how his brutal honesty and intelligent spin on things will effect the tuxedoed affair. Ruffling Hollywood’s feathers recently, Rock told Entertainment Weekly ”Come on, it’s a fashion show. No one performs; it’s not like a music show. Awards for art are f***ing idiotic. Unless two people are doing the same exact thing, how can you really say that somebody’s better than the other?” Then he added, “Nothing against people who aren’t straight, but what straight guy that you know cares [about the Oscars]?”
#2: Producer Gil Cates supports him just the same.
Rock’s candor is precisely why Cates wants him to host. The longtime Oscar producer told the Chicago Sun Times that the comedian’s off-the-cuff remarks “were humorous digs at a show that some people–including Chris Rock–think may be a bit too stuffy. We can’t wait to watch him perform. We have no intention, none whatsoever, of asking Chris to step aside.”
#3: The Oscar telecast’s time-delay might be a welcomed thing.
The 39-year-old told 60 Minutes, “I’ve been on TV and been funny not cursing. As far as content is concerned, I will talk about the movies. I’m not really worried about it. I’m sure ABC is more worried about it than me. (A time delay is) a safety net. You know, you’re a trapeze artist… you welcome the net.”
#4: Chris looks at the hosting gig as just another opportunity to tell jokes.
“It’s just basic hosting. It’s like sports: you get a big lead, then you run out the clock. No ones really gonna remember some comedy set piece that you do two hours into the show,” Rock told EW. He also told Hollywood.com, “I don’t even know if I’m funny today. I’m just successful; it doesn’t mean I’m funny. I know I like doing comedy, I’ve always loved it. Even if I was a limo driver, I would still tell jokes on the weekend I’d find a place to get onstage.”
#5: Chris thinks the Best Picture nominees should be…
Although Rock has been doing his homework by watching all of the nominated movies, he doesn’t believe the best movies have been nominated. “Like any year; the best movies aren’t nominated. What the f*** is better than The Bourne Supremacyand Spiderman 2? Most Americans would say that they were the best movies of the year. An overwhelming majority would take either of them over Finding Neverland.”