# The host for this year's Academy Awards is ... Chris Rock? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 14, 2004, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258 "2004-10-14T20:24:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ADSF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/46a35a/32.png) [@ADSF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ADSF)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/1 "2004-10-14T20:24:45Z")
[http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041014/ap\_on\_en\_mo/oscars\_chris\_rock\_9](http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041014/ap_on_en_mo/oscars_chris_rock_9) What, no one else was available? I’m not big on Chris Rock being the host of the Oscars. Isn’t this supposed to be a classy event? Gee whiz… ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/2 "2004-10-14T20:27:14Z")
I think it’s a great choice. Much better than that way-too-tired Billy Crystal shit. I was bummed they dumped Steve Martin after only one year. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/3 "2004-10-14T20:30:04Z")
Chris Rock seems a good choice to me. He is a credible actor. He is alive on stage. Why can he not be the host of a classy event? What qualities does a person have to have to qualify them to host classy events? ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/4 "2004-10-14T20:32:20Z")
How is Chris Rock any less classy than Whoopi Goldberg or David Letterman? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/5 "2004-10-14T20:43:26Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > I think it’s a great choice. Much better than that way-too-tired Billy Crystal shit. I was bummed they dumped Steve Martin after only one year. Martin did it twice: 2001 and 2003. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he did it again, though he’s made clear he doesn’t want to make a BC-habit out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/6 "2004-10-14T21:06:41Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > What qualities does a person have to have to qualify them to host classy events? An acting resume that doesn’t include **Head of State** , **Beverly Hills Ninja** , or **Pootie Tang**? Don’t get me wrong, I love Chris Rock’s standup, but his brand of humor isn’t typical Academy fare. Can’t wait to see if he mentions “Tossed Salad Man” during his monologue… ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/7 "2004-10-14T21:23:31Z")
> [@Max Torque](#): > > An acting resume that doesn’t include **Head of State** , **Beverly Hills Ninja** , or **Pootie Tang**? I’m just glad they got someone who doesn’t have [**My Giant**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120765/), [**Memories of Me**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095613/), and [**Throw Momma From the Train**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094142/) on his resume… ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/8 "2004-10-14T21:30:14Z")
Well, if there was ever a need for the 5 second delay to bleep out certain words…still, I think Chris Rock is an inspired choice. Letterman was truly horrible (“Uma - Oprah; Oprah - Uma”) and Billy Crystal’s schtick was funny the first 1,459 times he did it, but is starting to wear thin. And I have never understood what makes Steve Martin supposedly funny. I personally think Ellen Degeneres would have been a great choice. But Chris Rock at least won’t be afraid to thow a few barbs out there that should shake up the crowd. I think he will be great. ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/9 "2004-10-14T21:37:39Z")
Steve Martin was truly a great host. Anybody else think Jon Stewart would do a fantastic job with this gig? ---
**Author:** ![kka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/54ee81/32.png) [@kka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kka)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/10 "2004-10-14T21:39:04Z")
I think it is a great idea. The Oscars have become so predictable and he is just the guy to mix it up a bit. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/11 "2004-10-14T21:43:56Z")
> [@Chastain86](#): > > Steve Martin was truly a great host. > > Anybody else think Jon Stewart would do a fantastic job with this gig? No way. Stewart seems indifferent or overtly hostile to most movies (at least, when he’s doing his celeb interviews), and Stewart has nothing to do with the industry. A member of the club making fun of their own is one thing, but having an insider making jabs would be a lot like, well, Letterman (i.e. a disaster). ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/12 "2004-10-14T21:44:15Z")
I liked Steve Martin. Chris Rock is an interesting choice, and I’ll take almost anybody over Billy Crystal, so let’s see what happens. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/13 "2004-10-14T22:03:54Z")
Whoopi Goldberg did a great job… not that they’d bring her back. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/14 "2004-10-14T22:08:02Z")
In honor of this week’s release of **Aladdin,** I’d like to see Robin Williams do the gig. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/15 "2004-10-14T22:23:23Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > In honor of this week’s release of **Aladdin,** I’d like to see Robin Williams do the gig. Then the program would never end on account of all of his improving! Unless they give everybody in the audience lots and lots of coffee so that they can keep up with him. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/16 "2004-10-14T23:09:36Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > In honor of this week’s release of **Aladdin,** I’d like to see Robin Williams do the gig. Ugh! I think he manages to consistently be one of the unfunniest presenters around–a staple on awards shows who is always consciously going for big laughs but is never half as clever or hilarious as he imagines himself to be. Double Ugh on Whoopi, too. Never ever bring her back. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/17 "2004-10-14T23:45:31Z")
> [@chukhung](#): > > I’m just glad they got someone who doesn’t have [**My Giant**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120765/), [**Memories of Me**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095613/), and [**Throw Momma From the Train**](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094142/) on his resume… Hey, _Throw Momma from the Train_ was a good movie! Of course, that’s because it was a Danny DeVito film, and Danny DeVito’s immense talent trumps Billy Crystal’s general suckiness. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/18 "2004-10-15T00:33:01Z")
The night was sultry! ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/19 "2004-10-15T01:09:38Z")
If someone had asked me, before seeing this thread “Did Chris Rock host any of the Academy Awards ceremonies” I’d probably have answered “I think he probably did” (He seems so right for the part that I seem to have a false memory of him having already done it.) Crap movies aside, i think his personality is perfect for the job. ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-host-for-this-years-academy-awards-is-chris-rock/269258/20 "2004-10-15T01:26:53Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Hey, _Throw Momma from the Train_ was a good movie! Well, I’m not prepared to go quite that far, but of those three movies, **Throw Momma From the Train** was the only one on which Crystal didn’t have a writing credit. I think he’s worse when he writes his own material.