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Ellen DeGeneres was announced as the host of the 86th Academy Awards on Monday.
DeGeneres, 55, will be hosting the Oscars for the second time when she takes the stage on March 2, 2014, in Hollywood. The comedian previously hosted the 79th Academy Awards in February 2007.
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DeGeneres also hosted the 2001 Emmy Awards, which were pushed back to Nov. 4, 2001, due to the Sept. 11 attacks. It was not the only time she hosted a show after a tragic event — she also hosted the 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards three weeks after Hurricane Katrina.
DeGeneres also served as host of the Grammy Awards in 1996 and 1997.
Praised for her bubbly, positive personality and her affinity for dancing, DeGeneres is sure to bring that same up-beat energy to the stage at the Academy Awards. But before she takes to the stage for film’s biggest night, THR takes a look back at her hosting history.
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The Grammy Awards
DeGeneres hosted the Grammy Awards for two consecutive years in 1996 and 1997. In 1997, at the 29th Grammy Awards, DeGeneres, wearing a white suit, kicked things off with a performance of her own — “This Is Ellen’s Grammy Song.” She was backed by an all-female band that featured Bonnie Raitt, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Shawn Colvin, Chaka Khan and Shelia E.
The 53rd Primetime Emmy Awards
The 2001 Emmys were rescheduled twice because of concerns that such a lavish show would seem insensitive following 9/11. When the ceremony finally aired on Nov. 4 (on the same night as a World Series baseball game), DeGeneres was tasked with creating an appropriate tone for the show. It was a more somber affair, but DeGeneres was praised for her performance, and received several standing ovations and rounds of applause, including for her comment in her opening monologue: “Think about it — what would bug the Taliban more than seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews?”
Watch part of her opening monologue below:
The 57th Primetime Emmy Awards
DeGeneres hosted the Emmys again on Sept. 18, 2005, just three weeks after Hurricane Katrina. There was a mini-telethon for Habitat for Humanity and the host and members of the crew wore magnolias in remembrance of victims of the natural disaster.
“I guess I don’t have to point out that this is the second time that I’ve hosted the Emmys after a national tragedy, and I just want to say that I’m honored because it’s times like this that we really, really need laughter,” she said. “And be sure to look for me next month when I host the North Korean People’s Choice Awards.”
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The 79th Academy Awards
“This is a big night for me because this really has been a dream for me since I was a little girl — I’ve always wanted to host the Academy Awards, so this is a dream come true,” DeGeneres said in her opening monologue at the 79th Academy Awards.
During the 2006 telecast, she didn’t take jabs at many specific people, rather cracking jokes about nerves and giving the nominees some tips about their acceptance speeches.
DeGeneres spent some time roaming the audience during the show, chatting with Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese. She “happened” to have one of her screenplays to give The Departed director. “It’s a cross between Goodfellas and Big Momma’s House. It’s called Good Mommas.” With Eastwood, she asked for a photo for Myspace. She got Steven Spielberg to take the photo.
DeGeneres earned an Emmy nomination for her work hosting the Academy Awards.
Watch her opening monologue below.
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