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Jimmy Kimmel Rumored Frontrunner to Host 2014 Oscars
Host Jimmy Kimmel onstage during the 64th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on September 23, 2012 (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
We're still in our post-Oscars fugue state here, but already it's time to get over the blunders of the past and soldier on towards a shiny tomorrow. And so the talk of who should host the 86th Annual Academy Awards in 2014 has begun. Though there were cries-aplenty during Sunday's broadcast for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to take over the honors, right now it seems ABC's resident nighttime funnyman Jimmy Kimmel is the frontrunner.
The NY Post reports they've got a source who's let them know “Jimmy is favored to host the Oscars next year; ABC has been pushing him for the role.”
Honestly, this rumor seems like a bit of a no-brainer at this point, since the Oscars air on ABC, and Kimmel's "Live!" show is secure there until 2020. Additionally, Kimmel recently honed his hosting skills as the man of the night last fall for the 64th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Kimmel also has recently enjoyed a bump into the more prominent and competitive 11:35 p.m. time slot, where he faces his counterparts Jay Leno and David Letterman at NBC and CBS, respectively.
Of course, this is all just talk, and all it can be for a while. An Oscars host is a total cart after the horse kind of deal that's made. First, the Academy has to pick their president. Then that president is tasked with picking a show producer. Then that show producer picks a host or hosts. Mind you, all that goes back to square one if your producer is Brett Ratner and his host is Eddie Murphy and they bail in succession, to be replaced by the familiar face of veteran nine-time Oscars emcee Billy Crystal.
It's also far too soon to seriously consider Fey and Poehler, or whoever else's name is being bandied about as a potential host. One thing we do know: It's sure as hell not gonna be Seth MacFarlane.
See all of our coverage of the 2013 Oscars, aka the 85th Annual Academy Awards, here.
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