It's official, Oscars will take place without a host

LOS ANGELES - The upcoming Academy Awards, the biggest night in Hollywood, will take place this year without a host for the first time in three decades, organizers said Tuesday.

"We can confirm that there will be no host," a spokesperson from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences told AFP without elaborating.

The Academy was left hostless after actor and comedian Kevin Hart pulled out of the gig in December following a backlash on social media over homophobic tweets he made several years ago resurfaced.

Gala organizers who have been struggling to overcome a steady decline in viewership scrambled to find a replacement but finally settled for a ceremony with no emcee.

Industry insiders said the producers of the 91st Academy Awards on February 24 plan to try out a new format with a selection of Hollywood A-listers introducing various segments.

The last time the Oscars went without a host was in 1989, when actor Rob Lowe was raked over the coals for his musical duet with Snow White.

In recent years, several other hosts have also come under criticism.

Actor Neil Patrick Harris got rumbled over his 2015 effort and said he would never do it again. James Franco and Anne Hathaway were a dud in 2011.

The previous two Oscars have been hosted by late night funnyman Jimmy Kimmel. Comedian Chris Rock emceed in 2005 and 2016, and TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres hosted in 2007 and 2014.

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Kevin Hart quits 2019 Oscars host job over 'insensitive' tweets

Comedian Kevin Hart on Thursday stepped down from hosting the 2019 Oscar ceremony after "insensitive words" about the LGBTQ community he tweeted in the past appeared online.

The 39-year-old comedian and "Ride Along" actor had announced on Tuesday that he would host the Academy Awards, the film industry's highest honors.

"I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's ... this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists," Hart said in a tweet late on Thursday.

"I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past," he tweeted.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the Oscars, was not immediately available for comment.

Hart, who also starred in the 2017 film "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle", would have followed talk show host Jimmy Kimmel who hosted the Oscars in 2018 and 2017.

Hart, writing on his Instagram page this week, called the gig "the opportunity of a lifetime."

"I am so happy to say that the day has finally come for me to host the Oscars," he said.

The Academy responded on Twitter: "Welcome to the family."

Hosting the Oscars is one of the most prestigious and difficult jobs in show business, navigating the expectations of the A-list audience in the theater and millions of people watching on television, with a combination of topical and insider jokes.

Hart, who is African-American, would have been one of just a handful of black Oscar hosts over the past 90 years, including Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg and Sammy Davis Jr.

Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 22, with the 2019 televised ceremony taking place in Hollywood on Feb. 24. 

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Pharrell, Fergie, Kevin Hart among performers at NBA All-Star weekend

Pharrell Williams and his hip-hop group N.E.R.D. will perform at halftime of next month's NBA All-Star Game, the league announced Thursday, with actor-comedian Kevin Hart opening festivities and introducing teams.

The 67th annual clash of elite NBA talent will be staged February 18 in Los Angeles and also feature pre-game national anthems, the American sung by Fergie and the Canadian performed by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies.

Williams, an 11-time Grammy Award winner, was nominated for his second Academy Award last year as a co-producer of the Best Picture candidate Hidden Figures. The 44-year-old American was also nominated for Best Original Song for his hit "Happy" in 2014.

N.E.R.D. -- short for No-one Ever Really Dies -- released its fifth album last month and the first single, "Lemon" featuring Rihanna, became Williams' 19th song on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Hart, 38, is about to embark on a global comedy tour and stars in the current movie release "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle."

Fergie, 42, is an eight-time Grammy winner while the Barenaked Ladies celebrate their 30th anniversary this year with a tour.

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Facebook signs celebrities to boost live video

NEW YORK - Facebook said Tuesday it has signed a series of deals to pay celebrities and media companies to produce content for its new live video streaming service.

The test program calls for "a relatively small number partners that includes a broad range of content types from regions around the world" receiving "temporary financial support to encourage experimentation with this new format," Facebook said in a statement.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that the social network had signed at least 140 contracts worth a total of more than $50 million as part of the effort.

The report said Facebook was partnering with media firms including the New York Times, CNN, BuzzFeed and Huffington Post and with personalities including actor Kevin Hart, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and NFL quarterback Russell Wilson.

Facebook did not offer specifics, but a statement from Justin Osofsky, vice president of global operations and media partnerships, said the partners "were chosen based on a variety of different factors," including their ability to produce live content.

This includes "public figure partners who had already demonstrated an early interest in going live" and others "who would have relevant use-cases for live, such as breaking news," Osofsky said.

The Journal said 17 of the contracts were worth at least $1 million and were part of an effort to promote Facebook Live, the new service that allows anyone to stream live content.

It said Facebook has not yet determined how to monetize the new video service but wants to develop a steady stream of content to draw in more viewers.

BuzzFeed, which drew millions to live video of an experiment to explode a watermelon earlier this year, is slated to receive $3.05 million and the New York Times $3.05 million, according to contracts seen by the Wall Street Journal.

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'Star Wars' leads winners at MTV Movie Awards

LOS ANGELES -- A passionate kiss, Leonardo DiCaprio's "Revenant" bear encounter and a foul-mouthed hosting duo dominated Saturday's profanity-laden MTV Movie Awards, where "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" came away the top winner.

"The Force Awakens," the third-highest grossing film of all time, led with 11 nominations and beat out blockbusters such as "Jurassic World" and "Avengers: Age of Ultron" for movie of the year. Lead star Daisy Ridley won best breakthrough performance.

"It's especially amazing to be part of a film that represents all genders - two genders - and races and ages in such a positive and aspirational way," Ridley said.

It's all about the unpredictable and irreverent moments at Viacom Inc's fan-voted Movie Awards, which taped Saturday in Los Angeles and will air Sunday on the MTV network.

Hosts Kevin Hart and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson set the tone for the evening as they opened with curse words and insults, at one point dressing up as Batman and Superman to throw barbs at the A-list superhero actors in attendance.

They also rapped about Oscar-winner DiCaprio having sexual intercourse with a bear in "The Revenant."

"Pitch Perfect 2" stars Rebel Wilson and Adam Devine won best kiss and recreated their messy film smooch, passionately grabbing each other on stage.

Charlize Theron won best female performance for playing Imperator Furiosa in "Mad Max: Fury Road." She said the film was "in part a story of the power of women and the power to create our own destinies," dedicating her win to "all the Furoisas."

Halle Berry introduced actor-singer Will Smith as a "champion for diversity" when awarding him the MTV Generation Award. Smith joked the accolade was "the old ass dude award."

"I want to display love, play roles that have dignity and I just want to help in this world," the "Concussion" star said.

Other winners included hip hop biopic "Straight Outta Compton" for best true story, Ryan Reynolds for best comedic performance and best fight for "Deadpool," Amy Poehler for best virtual performance in "Inside Out" and Chris Pratt for best action performance for "Jurassic World."

Actress Melissa McCarthy crowd-surfed to the stage to accept the Comedic Genius award, saying "I'm the first woman to receive this award but I am certainly not the first one to deserve it."

"My mother taught me not to fear being the butt of the joke, not to worry about being likeable or perfect, and to lovingly go for the kill," she said.

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Fallon, Ferrell, Hart face off in epic lip-sync battle

Think Katy Perry's grand Super Bowl halftime performance was good? Wait until you see this epic lip-sync battle between American television host Jimmy Fallon, and "Get Hard" stars Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart.

The three comedians went head-to-head during a special Sunday episode of "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon," miming words to hits from Beyonce, John Legend, Katy Perry, Idina Menzel and Kelly Clarkson.

The faux-singing competition even featured a special appearance from actress Drew Barrymore, joining Fallon in a performance of the "Dirty Dancing" theme, "I've Had The Time of My Life."

As of writing, the more nearly 14-minute clip has more than 10 million views, making it one of the most popular videos to come out of Super Bowl Sunday.

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