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Ellen DeGeneres & Oscar Host

March 2, 2014 by · Comments Off on Ellen DeGeneres & Oscar Host 

Ellen DeGeneres & Oscar Host, It would be surprising if Ellen DeGeneres hasn’t been feeling shivers of apprehension about stepping on stage as the host of the 2014 Academy Awards tonight. It’s not that she’s a nervous novice – she hosted the Oscars in 2007 – but there’s pressure on her to deliver, and do better than just OK.

You’d think, given the immense power of the Academy and the stellar names in its membership, that it wouldn’t be difficult to come up with people who could strike the right tone and host the Oscars with style, wit and assurance. But the fact is, Oscar hosts have had a torrid time for the past three years; the Baftas (with ever-present Stephen Fry) and even the long-derided Golden Globes have outshone them in the hosting department.

In advance, DeGeneres seems like a safe pair of hands – she can be genuinely funny, and can aim a barb while remaining essentially likable. That’s crucial – likability is an real virtue when hosting a televised awards show that can run over three hours.

The trouble started in 2011, when the Academy decided on a youngish odd couple to host the Oscars – Anne Hathaway and James Franco. There seemed to be zero chemistry between them. Hathaway seemed over-intense and nervous; her default expression all evening was “deer-caught-in-headlights.” Franco was even worse, looking bored for long stretches and seemingly wishing he was anywhere else. In short, they fell flat.

On this night, the audience at the ceremony showed its feelings indirectly, by giving Billy Crystal a standing ovation when he appeared to present an award. At last, the room seemed to be saying, a proper host on stage. Crystal had hosted the Oscars eight times previously between 1990 and 2004, with great distinction.

Ellen DeGeneres & Oscar Host

Ellen Degeneres

November 9, 2011 by · Comments Off on Ellen Degeneres 

Ellen Degeneres, Ellen DeGeneres has been named a special AIDS envoy for the Obama administration.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced on Tuesday that DeGeneres has been chosen to promote a new HIV/AIDS awareness campaign around the world.

Clinton praised DeGeneres for her charitable work, saying: “By lending us your energy, compassion and star power to serve as our Special Envoy for Global AIDS Awareness, your words will encourage Americans in joining you to make their voices heard in our campaign to achieve an AIDS-free generation.”

DeGeneres said she will use her new post to encourage her fans to help HIV/AIDS sufferers in any way they can.

“I’m honoured to have been chosen. The fight against AIDS is something that has always been close to my heart… Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go look up what ‘envoy’ means,” DeGeneres quipped in a statement.

The comic also supports several other charitable causes, including the Human Rights Campaign and the Adopt-A-Turkey Project.

DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi recently announced plans to open a vegan restaurant in the San Fernando Valley, CA.

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