79th Academy Awards Show Host

Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres has been set to host the 79th Academy Awards telecast, producer Laura Ziskin announced. It will be DeGeneres’ first time as Oscar® host, as well as her first appearance on an Academy Awards telecast.

“Ellen DeGeneres was born to host the Academy Awards,” said Ziskin. “There is no more challenging hosting job in show business. It requires someone who can keep the show alive and fresh and moving, as well as someone who is a flat-out great entertainer. Ellen completely fits the bill. I can already tell she is going to set the bar very high for herself and therefore for all of us involved in putting on the show. Now all we need is a lot of great movies.”

DeGeneres is the host of the syndicated talk show “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” which this year won its third Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show and earned DeGeneres her second Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host.

Launched in September 2003, the show won four Daytime Emmys in its freshman year, including Outstanding Talk Show, after garnering a record twelve nominations. In its second season, the show won five Daytime Emmys, and this year earned a total of six Emmy Awards.

79th Academy Awards Show Producer

Laura Ziskin (Photo by E.J. Camp)

Producer Laura Ziskin will return to produce the 79th Annual Academy Awards telecast next February, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis announced.

It will be Ziskin's second involvement with the production of an Oscar® telecast. Her first was in 2002 for the telecast of the 74th Academy Awards, the first time the ceremonies were broadcast from the Kodak Theatre.

Her 2002 freshman outing garnered eight Emmy nominations for the telecast, including one for Ziskin as producer in the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special category. The telecast won an Emmy for choreography.

"This is a tough producing job," said Ganis, "but we've been blessed with terrific producers, including Laura — her 2002 show was one of the most colorful and fun shows in my memory. I can't tell you how pleased I am and how exciting it is to have her back, and for me to be, this time, in a position to participate with her in the creation of the show. This one is going to be great fun for all of us, viewers especially."

Academy Awards Telecast Director

Louis J. Horvitz

Director Louis J. Horvitz will return to direct the 79th Annual Academy Awards telecast.

This will be Horvitz’s 11th time directing the Academy Awards show. In August of this year, Horvitz added a fifth Emmy® Award to his mantel for his achievement in directing the 78th Annual Academy Awards. He has received a total of eight Emmy nominations and four Emmy Awards for his Oscar® telecast work.

Horvitz just directed the most recent Emmy Awards (his 12th time) and completed his 15th stint directing both “The Kennedy Center Honors” and “The American Film Institute Life Achievement Award.” This year, he completed his 11th year as executive producer-director of “An Evening of Stars” and directed “The 41st Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.”

In a career that has spanned three decades, Horvitz has helmed numerous other high-profile programs including the “Daytime Emmy Awards,” “The Kids Choice Awards,” “CBS at 75,” “Lifetime’s Achievement Awards: Women Changing the World,” VH-1’s “DIVAS,” “Macy’s July 4th Spectacular,” “The 2004 MTV Movie Awards,” “The Bad Boys of Comedy,” “The VH-1 Concert for New York City” benefiting survivors of 9/11, and “U2 Half Time at the Superbowl.”