The Oscars finds an expert in celebrations in 2022

The Oscars will see an award ceremony for the first time since 2018, ABC, which broadcasts the main event of the American Film Awards season, announced Tuesday.

• Read also: Golden Globes: Denis Villeneuve Outcast

For the 94th edition held on March 27, the Academy Awards will return to Hollywood and the traditional Dolby Theater.

Last year, the coronavirus pandemic forced the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to hold an evening of celebration at the large train station in central Los Angeles, on a smaller scale according to sanitary rules. Television broadcasts, without the master of festivities, gathered about ten million spectators, a decrease of 56% compared to 2020, which already recorded a historically low audience.

“I can confirm that the Academy Awards will have a ruling host this year,” ABC Entertainment president Craig Irwich told a panel discussion hosted by the Television Critics Association.

Mr. Erwich didn’t want to go into more detail, refusing to specify whether comedian Jimmy Kimmel, master of the Oscars festivities in 2017 and 2018, would be repeated.

In 2019, comedian Kevin Hart relinquished control of the evening after old tweets deemed anti-gay emerged. It was not replaced and the party took place with a series of different presenters, without a lead host to coordinate everything.

This formula has been critically acclaimed and has been taken up by other awards, such as the Emmys, but the last two Academy Awards versions have been criticized for their lack of humor and rhythm.