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Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes to host Oscars: 'Surprises in store'

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6 months ago

February 15, 2022

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It’s official: Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes will host the 94th Oscars on March 27.

The announcement was made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Good Morning America Tuesday morning, though reports leaked Monday with the news.

This awards broadcast will be produced by “Girls Trip” producer Will Packer.

“This year’s show is all about uniting movie lovers. It’s apropos that we’ve lined up three of the most dynamic, hilarious women with very different comedic styles,” Packer said in a statement. “I know the fun Regina, Amy and Wanda will be having will translate to our audience as well. Many surprises in store! Expect the unexpected!”

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Variety broke the news Monday, saying the women were “finalizing details” to host. Each woman will lead the telecast for one of the show’s hours, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Oscars have not had a host for the last three years.

Hall, 51, has starred in several of Packer’s movies, including “Think Like a Man” and “Little,” and hosted the 2019 BET Awards. On Sunday, “Trainwreck” star Schumer, 40, posted an Instagram slideshow featuring career highlights – which included hosting the 2015 MTV Movie Awards – with the telling caption “Big fun news comin.’ ”

More:Regina Hall makes a splash at the Sundance Film Festival with ‘Honk for Jesus,’ ‘Master’

Sykes, 57, has hosted ceremonies including the 2018 GLAAD Media Awards and had her own talk show, “The Wanda Sykes Show,” from 2009 to 2010.

Representatives for each actress did not respond to requests for comment.

“We’re invigorated by Will’s vision for this year’s Oscars: celebrating movie lovers alongside moviemakers and spotlighting fan favorites that prove how cinema can unite us all,” said Academy president David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “Hosting this star-studded party are three powerful, funny women inviting us to laugh and cheer for the year’s best and brightest in film.”

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“Mad Men” star Jon Hamm had been in discussions with Packer as a possible fourth host, until talks fell through this weekend, Variety and The New York Times reported.

The show is hoping to rebound from the dismal viewership of last year’s broadcast, which was both an all-time low and the norm for pandemic-era awards shows. In addition to bringing back starry hosts and bumping the best picture nominees to a full field of 10, the Academy is also hoping to spike interest through social media voting for a “fan favorite” movie that will be announced during the show, as well as a chance to win a trip to Los Angeles for the ceremony.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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Related Topics:039Surprises Amy Hall host Oscars Regina Schumer store039 Sykes Wanda

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Nation

I'm among the rideshare drivers living in fear, demanding safer work conditions

Published

5 months ago

March 26, 2022

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Uber, Lyft safety: I’m mom of three. I need to know I’ll make it home.

Uber, Lyft made safety improvements, but many of those protect riders more than drivers. But drivers are also in danger.

Naomi Ogutu

Opinion contributor

I’ve been a rideshare driver in New York City for six years, and I take pride in my job and helping my passengers get where they need to go safely. But my safety is not a guarantee. I’m a mom of three. I need to know that I’ll make it home to my kids at the end of each night.

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Business

'A bad déjà vu': Under the crush of Western sanctions, Russians fear a return to dark economic days

Published

5 months ago

March 26, 2022

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Russians fear toll of sanctions triggered by Putin’s Ukraine invasion

Harsh sanctions from Western nations on Russia have reminded citizens of the country’s 1998 debt crisis.

By Anna Nemtsova

USA TODAY

McDonalds and other American businesses have closed in Russia amid its invasion into Ukraine.
One expert estimates more than 200,000 Russians have left the country since the start of the war.
To counter economic turmoil, Putin has demand “unfriendly” countries pay for natural gas exports in rubles.

The once bustling corner of Moscow’s central Tverskaya Street looked deserted on Wednesday, as Russia’s first-ever McDonald’s franchise – opened in 1990 in a move that symbolized the Soviet Union’s opening to the West – shut its doors.

A large mural depicting a giant, Soviet-era medal – the Order of Victory, the highest military decoration awarded in World War II — loomed over over the empty sidewalk.

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Saint Peter's embodies wackiness and uncertainty of this NCAA Tournament | Opinion

Published

5 months ago

March 26, 2022

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The lone No. 1 seed still alive heading into the Elite Eight, Kansas needs only a win against No. 10 Miami (Fla.) to book a spot in the Final Four.

No. 2 Duke and coach Mike Krzyzewski can make one last Final Four and chase one final national championship by beating No. 4 Arkansas.

No. 2 Villanova can reach the national semifinals for the third time in six tournaments by winning what should be a defense-dominated brawl against No. 5 Houston.

And after beating No. 4 UCLA in the Sweet 16, No. 8 North Carolina is one win from reaching the Final Four under first-year coach Hubert Davis.

If everything goes according to plan, this year’s Final Four will consist of some of the biggest names in the history of the sport.

But the last week has taught us that this year’s NCAA Tournament will inevitably deviate from the script.

So look for the Jayhawks to be shocked in the Elite Eight, as the Bill Self collection of tournament collapses adds another painful chapter. Based on how things have gone through three rounds, Arkansas is a lock to send Krzyzewski into retirement one game shy of the Final Four. Villanova may be a two-time champion under Jay Wright, but the Wildcats will be smothered by Houston.

And, of course, the Tar Heels will lose to the team that embodies the wackiness and uncertainty of this entire tournament.

Saint Peter’s stands at the precipice of another outlandish achievement: being the first No. 15 seed — the first seed lower than No. 11, in fact — to reach the Final Four.

The Peacocks will be the underdog once again come Sunday, when they’ll match against a deeper and more talented opponent with decades of history to more than overshadow the Peacocks’ three-game run.

But beating another college basketball giant will simply take what we already know the Peacocks can bring to the table: Saint Peter’s reached the Elite Eight with energy, aggressiveness and composure, following the model set by unflappable coach Shaheen Holloway, and that same combination will give the Peacocks a chance at etching themselves into an even more permanent place in NCAA Tournament history.

“We’re happy but don’t mistake, we’re not satisfied, we’re not satisfied at all,” said guard Doug Edert. “The job is not finished. We feel like we belong and the more games we win the more confidence we build.”

That sounds like bad news for the Tar Heels, who might’ve righted the ship after a poor start to ACC play but could be the latest blueblood to the Peacocks’ formula.

At some point, the magic has to run out — for Saint Peter’s, which somehow keeps stacking upsets of higher-ranked opponents, and for the tournament at large, which has been wackier than ever but could suddenly snap back to the status quo.

But this March has not gone according to plan. Several big names lost early. Others failed to get out of the second round. The story of this year’s tournament has been upsets, shockers, letdowns, unpredictable officiating and unpredictability, period — why should the next two days be any different?

Follow colleges reporter Paul Myerberg on Twitter @PaulMyerberg