Following the withdrawal of US comedian and actor Kevin Hart, originally scheduled as a presenter, the Oscar Academy has abandoned the search for replacement. The upcoming Oscar Gala on 24th February will be the test balloon for a new format.
A spokesperson for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed on Tuesday that „there will be no host“. According to the online portal TVline, it is now official that this year’s Oscar Gala will not only be „hard-less“, but simply „host-less“, ie hostless.
Hart had retired in December in a dispute over earlier homophobic Twitter posts. Although there was a brief withdrawal from the retreat in the room – at the beginning of January, the 39-year-old announced that he definitely did not want to host the Oscar ceremony. There is not enough time left to prepare for the show, Hart said in the US show „Good Morning America“.
For the past two years, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel hosted the award ceremony for the most important movie award in the world. An Oscar gala without a moderator or moderator was last given in 1989. According to insiders, a new format is to be tried out at the 91st presentation of the coveted film awards. According to Hollywood stars to introduce some sections of the show.
First „presenter“ known
Recently condensed the evidence that the Oscar gala this year without „host“ must get along. Accordingly, the Academy announced on Monday already the first star „presenter“ known. Among other things, Bond performer Daniel Craig and the Academy Award winner Whoopi Goldberg, Brie Larson and Charlize Theron to help hand over the trophies. Also colleagues like Awkwafina, Chris Evans, Jennifer Lopez, Amy Poehler and Constance Wu are in the „first round“ of the Star Announcements. Other prominent helpers are to be named according to the Academy Academy in the coming weeks.
Probelunch for Oscar candidate
For the approximately 170 Oscar contenders, there was a first meeting on Monday meanwhile. Three weeks before the trophy gala, the film academy invited to lunch the nominees in Beverly Hills. In addition to high-profile stars such as Lady Gaga, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Rami Malek and Viggo Mortensen, the meeting also included less-well-known filmmakers, including make-up artists, set designers and editors.
On February 24, the Dolby Theater in Hollywood gets serious, but the rehearsal in the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel was easy. The Oscar contenders had fun while posing for photos with lachs and having lunch. Quite deliberately, one would mix the nominees from different films and disciplines at the tables colorful, „so they get to know each other better,“ said the Academy on Twitter.
Besides cocktails and dessert there were also rules of manners for the big evening. The show producers want to limit the gala this time to three hours. They hired the future winners to keep their „Thank You“ short. When their name is called, they have 90 seconds to rush to the stage and give their acceptance speech. Then the music is raised until the speaker stops.
Producer Donna Gigliotti warned that one should make it „short, but from the heart“. Their showcase example: the one-minute speech by Steven Soderbergh, who won the directorial Oscar in 2001 for „Traffic – Macht des Kartells“. Instead of thanking so many people, he made the room laugh and made a passionate plea for creativity and art.
