02-08-2019, 10:00 AM
The Rock Says He Was First Choice To Host Oscars This Year
<p>On the same day that The Academy officially confirmed there will be no single host for the Oscars this year, actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has come forward to say he was initially the Academy's first choice to host the awards show. Writing on Twitter, The Rock said he wanted to make this year's Oscars broadcast the "most fun and entertaining Oscars ever."</p><p>However, The Rock's busy filming schedule prevented him from being able to be the host. Specifically, he's away filming the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle sequel. "Academy and I were super bummed but maybe one day down the road," The Rock said.</p><div data-embed-type="tweet" data-src="https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/1093293375447490561"><blockquote align="center" class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-mce-disable-toolbar="true"><p dir="ltr">Ah mahalo dude, I was their first choice to host this year, and my goal was to make it the most fun and entertaining Oscars ever. We all tried hard, but couldn’t make it work since I’m shooting Jumanji. Academy and I were super bummed but maybe one day down the road ? <a href="https://t.co/eiiMuBNOzb">https://t.co/eiiMuBNOzb</a></p> — Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/1093293375447490561?ref_src=twsrc^tfw">February 6, 2019</a></blockquote><text></text></div><p>In December, The Academy announced comedian/actor and The Rock's Jumanji co-star Kevin Hart would host the 91st Oscars. However, there was controversy around some of his old tweets, and this eventually <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/kevin-hart-steps-down-as-oscars-host-apologizes-to/1100-6463756/">culminated in Hart stepping down</a>.</p><p>Instead of a single host, the Oscars will feature <a href="https://oscar.go.com/news/oscar-news/first-round-of-oscars-2019-presenters-announced">numerous presenters</a>, including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jennifer Lopez, Whoopi Goldberg, and Brie Larson, among others.</p><p>The Oscars air on ABC, and the network's entertainment boss, Karey Burke, said at a Television Critics Association event this week that the show will start with a "very exciting opener." As relayed by <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/abc-boss-karey-burke-says-oscars-will-be-shorter-more-fun-host-1182904">The Hollywood Reporter</a>, she also confirmed that the goal is to keep the show to three hours, which is good news considering last year's event was almost as long as Gone With The Wind.</p><p>The 91st Oscars take place Sunday, February 24. Black Panther and Bohemian Rhapsody are among the Best Picture nominees; you can <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/2019-oscar-nominees-black-panther-bohemian-rhapsod/1100-6464523/">see all the categories and nominees here</a>.</p><p> </p>
<p>On the same day that The Academy officially confirmed there will be no single host for the Oscars this year, actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has come forward to say he was initially the Academy's first choice to host the awards show. Writing on Twitter, The Rock said he wanted to make this year's Oscars broadcast the "most fun and entertaining Oscars ever."</p><p>However, The Rock's busy filming schedule prevented him from being able to be the host. Specifically, he's away filming the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle sequel. "Academy and I were super bummed but maybe one day down the road," The Rock said.</p><div data-embed-type="tweet" data-src="https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/1093293375447490561"><blockquote align="center" class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-mce-disable-toolbar="true"><p dir="ltr">Ah mahalo dude, I was their first choice to host this year, and my goal was to make it the most fun and entertaining Oscars ever. We all tried hard, but couldn’t make it work since I’m shooting Jumanji. Academy and I were super bummed but maybe one day down the road ? <a href="https://t.co/eiiMuBNOzb">https://t.co/eiiMuBNOzb</a></p> — Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/1093293375447490561?ref_src=twsrc^tfw">February 6, 2019</a></blockquote><text></text></div><p>In December, The Academy announced comedian/actor and The Rock's Jumanji co-star Kevin Hart would host the 91st Oscars. However, there was controversy around some of his old tweets, and this eventually <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/kevin-hart-steps-down-as-oscars-host-apologizes-to/1100-6463756/">culminated in Hart stepping down</a>.</p><p>Instead of a single host, the Oscars will feature <a href="https://oscar.go.com/news/oscar-news/first-round-of-oscars-2019-presenters-announced">numerous presenters</a>, including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jennifer Lopez, Whoopi Goldberg, and Brie Larson, among others.</p><p>The Oscars air on ABC, and the network's entertainment boss, Karey Burke, said at a Television Critics Association event this week that the show will start with a "very exciting opener." As relayed by <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/abc-boss-karey-burke-says-oscars-will-be-shorter-more-fun-host-1182904">The Hollywood Reporter</a>, she also confirmed that the goal is to keep the show to three hours, which is good news considering last year's event was almost as long as Gone With The Wind.</p><p>The 91st Oscars take place Sunday, February 24. Black Panther and Bohemian Rhapsody are among the Best Picture nominees; you can <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/2019-oscar-nominees-black-panther-bohemian-rhapsod/1100-6464523/">see all the categories and nominees here</a>.</p><p> </p>