Since there are still just under four months left until the 96th Oscar Gala and there are no nominees yet, the awards already have a presenter. It will once again be comedian Jimmy Kimmel, the Academy confirmed in a statement. When he completes his task on March 10, Kimmel, a 56-year-old New Yorker, will have been on stage to present the Oscars up to four times, and in twos: last March he hosted 2023 and also in the 2017 and 2018 ceremonies.
“I have always dreamed of presenting the Oscars exactly four times,” Kimmel joked in the statement sent out by the academy, which was signed by its president, producer Janet Yang, and its general director, Bill Kramer. They have also stated that Molly McNearney will appear as a producer again as in 2023 as well as 2017 and 2018. Kimmel and McNearney have been a professional couple for two decades, as she is a producer and co-writer of The Jimmy Kimmel Show, the comedian’s comedy show, which has aired since 2003. But they are also personal: you have been married for 10 years and have two children.
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McNearney also wanted to say a few words that make it clear where the fears of the Academy and the entire Hollywood film industry are heading: “I am especially honored to be part of this year’s Oscar team as we all look forward to getting together again. “and work again.” The producer was exactly right. The writers’ strike, which took place between early May and late September and lasted 148 days; and those of actors that ended with 118 days of strike between mid-July and November 9 left the sector reeling, with losses of 6,000 million dollars in California alone and an industry that did not know whether it would survive to the awards season. Now that this is proven to be the case, they are making every effort to make up for lost time and widely promote the films that will be nominated for the Oscars, including names like Oppenheimer, The Moon Killers, Barbie and Poor Things, Saltburn or Maestro. Spain has suggested The Snow Society as a possible candidate; Mexico has chosen Totem.
Kimmel and McNearney had good viewership in 2017 and 2018, which declined in 2019 and subsequent years during the pandemic; Therefore, the Academy has decided to organize it again for the last edition. And with success: they reached 18.8 million viewers, 13% more than last year, and with data twice as high as that of the Emmys or the Grammys. The presenter usually has a lot to do with these numbers. In the case of Kimmel – who won the Emmy Award twice and was nominated 20 times – he has a quick and non-aggressive humor that amazes audiences. He was the one who dealt with the wrong envelope fiasco for Best Picture in 2017, when Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty read that it was “La La Land” but the winner ended up being “Moonlight.” He learned from that. As he said shortly before the presentation of the 2018s: “The presenter has to stay aside, the audience is not there for you.” “When you hear your name this year, don’t stand up, just wait a little,” he joked Beginning of the second ceremony he led.
Thanks to this fourth commission, Kimmel catches up with Whoopi Goldberg and Jack Lemmon in terms of number of performances, although they are surpassed by Johnny Carson with five and especially by Billy Crystal with nine and Bob Hope with 11. From the Dolby Theater in Hollywood In Los Angeles, Kimmel and McNearney will be responsible in tandem for bringing the world’s premier film awards gala to more than 200 countries, as they did last year, in a ceremony that earned both an Emmy nomination. “We are delighted that Jimmy is returning as host and Molly as producer of the Oscars. “They share our love of cinema and our goal of producing a dynamic and entertaining show for a global audience,” said academy officials. “We are deeply grateful to Jimmy, Molly and their teams for their incredible creativity and partnership and for getting back on the bandwagon with us.”
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