Ellen DeGeneres to host Oscars for 2nd time

NEW YORK - The Associated Press

Television personality Ellen DeGeneres poses on her just unveiled Star along Hollywood Boulevard during a ceremony in this September 4, 2012 photo in Hollywood, California. AFP PHOTO / Frederic J. BROWN

Comic and daytime television host Ellen DeGeneres will host the Academy Awards for the second time.

Show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced DeGeneres' selection Friday. The movie awards show will air on March 2.

"There are few stars today who have Ellen's gift for comedy, with her great warmth and humanity," the producers said in a statement. "She is beloved everywhere."
 
DeGeneres joked, "I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time. You know what they say - the third time's the charm."
 
Last year's host, "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, drew mixed reviews for an edgy performance that included a song-and-dance number, "We Saw Your Boobs," about actresses who had gone topless on screen.
 
Academy Awards organizers had hoped to attract a younger audience with MacFarlane, and the ratings showed they succeeded.
 
With DeGeneres, they went for a star that Hollywood and television viewers were familiar and comfortable with.
 
DeGeneres was nominated for an Emmy Award for her last time hosting. Her daytime talk show has won 45 Daytime Emmys during a decade on the air.
 
The Oscars, with 40.3 million viewers this year, is often the year's most-watched television event in the U.S. after the Super Bowl football championship.