Chris Rocks & the Oscars (the story unfolds.....)

[bingolong]

[Font size=6 face=i color=black]START[/font]
The Oscars Get Rock-ed
Chris Rock talks about his first Oscar hosting gig. Take cover, Academy! Your new emcee is ready to bring the pain by Josh Wolk



SCHOOL OF ROCK Chris on his first Oscar hosting gig

Oscar night has always been Hollywood's time to step back, take stock, and say, ''Aren't we flawless?'' So it will be quite the reality check when their ego-affirming evening is commandeered by this year's scathingly hilarious host, Chris Rock. After all, this is the man who insulted Suge Knight when emceeing 1996's MTV Video Music Awards; you think he's gonna worry about hurting Thomas Haden Church's feelings? Rock, who turns 40 Feb. 7, sat down with us the week before the nominations to discuss his Oscar game plan and his life as a movie fan, which — no-brainer spoiler alert — did not involve crying at Cold Mountain.

When did the Academy ask you to host?
They've probably been calling me since '97. I had turned it down — it seemed like an older guy's gig, with a tuxedo and all, and I really liked doing the MTV Awards. This year, MTV did their awards in Miami, and something just seemed really young about it. Normally, there's, like, one person I don't know. But there might have been four people that I had no clue about. ''Who the hell's that guy? Is he a rapper? A singer?'' All these kids were screaming, and I was watching, thinking ''Hmm, I think I'm too old for this show.'' At that moment I had a tux made.

Did you learn anything from watching past hosts?
I never watched the Oscars. Except the Halle [Berry>/Denzel [Washington> year. But even then, I went back and forth to other channels. Come on, it's a fashion show. No one performs; it's not like a music show. What straight black man sits there and watches the Oscars? Show me one. And they don't recognize comedy, and you don't see a lot of black people nominated, so why should I watch it? Where's my in?

So I'll assume you don't care what people are wearing.
Nothing against people who aren't straight, but what straight guy that you know cares? Who gives a f---? They're clothes. I'm wearing Sean John, by the way. Help out the black designer, fine. Like Armani needs me to wear a f---ing tux to help them out.

What's your hosting strategy?
It's just basic hosting. It's like sports: You get a big lead, then you run out the clock. No one's really gonna remember some comedy set piece that you do two hours into the show. If you've got a production piece, you'd better do it up top. Once the show gets started, no one wants to stop it for comedy.

Did the producers ask you to take it easy on stars?
No. I agree to not curse and then I stay out of people's way. I don't call anybody, then I show up with a show. I'm a fastball pitcher, so I'm gonna be throwing fastballs. No time to fool around with what works now. You ever watch boxing? Whenever you hear about a guy, ''Oh, he's changing trainers — he's got a new style!'' that guy always gets knocked out. It never fails. You gotta do what you do.

So I take it there will be no big production numbers.
No singing for me. I don't soft-shoe. I got Ben Vereen on standby just in case.

Do you worry about going to the parties afterward and bumping into people you've made fun of?
I never went to the MTV Awards parties. 'Cause there's always two or three people I've really pissed off.... I'm gonna gig after the show. Hey, what would Prince do? He'd gig. You have different idols. I have comedy idols and movie idols, but who's my performance idol? Prince. When the show's over, I'm probably gonna go to a club and get on stage. And rip! With all of this s---.

Are you rooting for anyone?
Awards for art are f---ing idiotic. Unless two people are doing the exact same thing, how can you really say somebody's better than the other? If Jamie Foxx is doing Ray and Clint Eastwood's doing Ray, then you can kind of judge the two. But I root for people in the sense that some awards will help people's careers more than others. I know if Jamie Foxx or Don Cheadle wins, it's gonna help out their careers. There will be an absolute change in their lives if they win. Whereas if Johnny Depp wins, it's like, Yeah? He's got an award, but he's always gonna make the same money; he's always gonna get the best offers and work with the best people. If Leo DiCaprio wins, who gives a f---? It's like, Oh, now he's gonna get 20 million and one dollars?

Will you see all the nominated movies?
Yeah. I did a trifecta the other day of Closer, Life Aquatic, and Alexander. Alexander was a waste of Oscar day. You walk out and go, ''I didn't need to see that for the Oscars.''... But the big choice is, Are you working the room or TV? I'm working the TV audience. So just because a movie hasn't been nominated [doesn't mean I won't talk about it>. Like any year, the best movies aren't nominated. What the f--- is better than The Bourne Supremacy and Spider-Man 2? Most Americans would say they were the best movies of the year. An overwhelming majority would take either of them over Finding Neverland.

Let's talk about your take on movies. Do you think they're better or worse than they used to be?
Definitely worse. Studios used to make visions. When a director has control, what you're seeing on the screen is a vision. Now what you see is a consensus. There's a big difference. Sideways is a vision. The Day After Tomorrow is a consensus. It's 30 people agreeing.

What was the first movie you saw more than once?
It might be Purple Rain. I probably saw Airplane! multiple times. I remember seeing Beverly Hills Cop three times in one day. Never leaving. Me and my friend Fred Barton sitting in the theater, Eddie Murphy addicts. Remember when Eddie Murphy's face would come up in a trailer for a movie, and the whole audience would lose their minds? Three straight shows. The plan was two. It kept me a third. [Laughs> And I ended up being in Cop II, so there you go.

Was he your acting idol?
Eddie Murphy was the coolest guy on the screen. I liked Belushi and those guys, Bill Murray. But Murphy was for me. He was, like, the first black guy that I can remember who was cool. I can't remember going to see a movie with black people in it before him. I barely remember my parents taking us to see Sounder and Let's Do It Again.

What about Richard Pryor's movies?
Richard was kind of scared in every movie: ''Oh, what'm I gon' do?'' Ed was just cool, man. He was like Shaft with jokes.

What was the dirtiest non-porn movie you saw as a kid?
Probably Foxy Brown or Superfly. Klute was the closest I got to porn. I remember my brother taking us to [Woody Allen's> Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask. We weren't having sex then, so it was actually confusing. It was like, ''Huh? He's kissing a sheep? What's going on here?''

What movie do you love that most other people hate?
Mars Attacks! Love it! Can't get enough of it. Every time I bump into Tim Burton, which is probably once every two years, I tell him I love Mars Attacks!, and he always looks at me kind of weird, like he thinks I'm making fun of him. But he doesn't realize I really love the movie! Jim Brown punching people in the face. The little aliens, just the way they walk. F---ing great, man.

And what movie do you hate that everyone else loves?
When I don't get something, I just say it wasn't meant for me. I don't think they have me in mind when they're making some of these movies. No one was thinking about me when they were making Cold Mountain.

What actor will you see in any movie that they're in?
I'll see Denzel Washington in anything. Probably Johnny Depp. And my new thing after seeing Alexander is that only Russell Crowe should be in period pieces. Even if the movie's about something that happened three weeks ago, they should hire Russell Crowe. He's just better than everybody.

Who's the funniest actor you've ever met?
Tom Hanks is one of the funniest guys I've ever seen. When he was [prepping to play a comedian in the 1988 film> Punchline, I was a young comic. I got to watch this guy start with no act. He wrote it with [comedian> Barry Sobel, and in three weeks, he was better than everybody. [Better than> Jerry [Seinfeld>, too. I feel sorry for Tom, in a sense. If he'd have grown up with less education, he'd be the greatest comedian who ever lived. The acting people got to him early. I can't get jealous of people who are better than me. Hey, bravo! If they did a movie right now, The Chris Rock Story, they should cast Tom Hanks — he's that good. You don't want me, you want Tom Hanks.

[bingolong]

[Font size=6 face=i color=black]...THE STORY UNFOLDS......[/font]

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX SUN FEB 13, 2005 21:06:25 ET XXXXX

HOST CHRIS ROCK SHOCK: ONLY GAYS WATCH OSCARS

ACADEMY MEMBERS ALARMED OVER CHOICE OF COMIC

**Exclusive**

Veteran members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have grown concerned over the choice of Chris Rock as host of this month's awards show, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

Concern deepened after Rock claimed only gays watch the Oscars!

"I never watched the Oscars. Come on, it's a fashion show," Rock recently declared.

"What straight black man sits there and watches the Oscars? Show me one!"

Rock added: "Awards for art are f---ing idiotic."

MORE

Academy members have privately called for Chris Rock to be removed as host, sources claim, fearing Rock may "tarnish" the reputation of the Academy.

"Simply put, this is a disgrace," one veteran Hollywood mogul, who asked not to be identified, said from Los Angeles.

"This guy is out there saying 'awards for art are f---ing idiotic' and he is hosting the show produced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences? I guess the joke is on us!"

One nominated actress questions whether producer Gil Cates was even aware that Rock has "never watched the Oscars."

Other unpublicized comments made by Rock threaten to throw the scheduled Feb. 27 broadcast into complete chaos.

During a recent hate-filled rant, Rock imitated a White House press briefing:

"Mr. President, what about gay marriage? 'F**k them faggots,'" Rock said of Bush.

What will Rock be wearing to the show?

"Nothing against people who aren't straight, but what straight guy that you know cares? Who gives a f---?" Rock explained.

Developing...

[bingolong]

[Font size=6 face=i color=black]...EVEN MORE DEVELOPMENTS......[/font]

Rock and Roil


Drudge vs. Rock: Entertainment Weekly senior writer Josh Wolk addresses the ''controversy'' his interview with the Oscar host created — and explains why it's all ludicrous



ROCK SOLID The Academy is standing behind the comedian as its Oscars host

As the person who did the infamous interview with Chris Rock that sparked the Drudge Report-fueled controversy over whether he should be hosting the Oscars, I'd like to share a little secret.

There is no controversy. Let me explain.

When I went to the Drudge Report website Sunday night (Feb. 13), I saw it was topped by the screaming headline, ''HOST CHRIS ROCK SHOCK: ONLY GAYS WATCH OSCARS,'' splashed in the blocky font Matt Drudge usually reserves for a lurid Michael Jackson revelation or political takedown. I instantly recognized this as my article as filtered through severe reading-comprehension issues. The upcoming Oscar host had joked to me that no straight black men watch the Academy Awards. Now Drudge was paraphrasing it as exposé, making it sound like Rock was impugning the sexuality of all male movie lovers. It was like translating Henny Youngman's ''Take my wife, please'' into ''YOUNGMAN: WIVES ARE MADE FOR SWAPPING.''

In Drudge's posting, he excerpted some of Rock's dismissive jokes about the Oscars — that he had never watched them except when black actors were nominated, and that awards for art were ''f---ing idiotic'' — and then sprung his ''exclusive'': that because of these comments, unnamed Academy members were demanding that he be replaced as host. My instinct was to dismiss the article. Of course some would grumble at Rock's disrespectful comments. Many in Hollywood consider the Oscars just shy of Communion as a holy event, and some stars don't like the idea of their night being mocked. (Remember the way Russell Crowe just glowered at host Steve Martin's barbs in 2001?) It wouldn't be hard for Drudge to uncover a couple of cranks eager to vent. Heck, at the Old Actors Home you probably can't throw a bust of Myrna Loy without hitting an Academy member who prays every night for the ghost of Bob Hope to show these insolent upstarts how comedy is done. But the Academy picked Rock for a reason: In light of the award-show ratings slides of recent years, he'll attract younger viewers who think the Oscars is something their parents watch when they want to see Billy Crystal think of a clever rhyme for ''Thalberg.''

It only took a simple Web search to remind me that there's an interesting antagonistic history between Drudge and Rock. In March 2003, around the beginning of the Iraq War, Drudge posted an unsourced scoop that DreamWorks had asked Rock to refrain from making anti-Bush jokes while promoting his new movie, Head of State. Rock released the statement, ''I never met Matt Drudge, but if I see Matt Drudge, I'm going to take my red-blooded American foot and put it up his un-American a-- for trying to disrupt the opening of my movie.''

But this history didn't seem to occur to the rest of the media. Such was the pickup of this article (the Associated Press, CNN, E!, yes, even EW.com, to name but a few) that Gil Cates, the Oscar ceremony's producer, released a statement denying that he'd heard any complaints from Academy members, and averring that Rock's comments were ''clearly jokes,'' and he still wanted Rock for the reason he first approached the comic: his daring sense of humor. As for the insinuated accusations of homophobia, GLAAD — the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation — said his remarks were clearly barbs toward the Oscars, not gays. So it seemed that no one was offended but Drudge.

It also bears noting that this wasn't the first time Drudge proved unable (or unwilling) to grasp Rock's humor. On Jan. 28, a wire story reported an Oscar press conference in which Cates was asked how he chose Rock to be host. After Cates began saying that Billy Crystal was on Broadway and Steve Martin was doing a movie, Rock interrupted, adding, ''Ellen DeGeneres has crabs. Jay Leno's got a gig. They got to the R's. Burt Reynolds said no.'' How did Drudge link to this story? With the ludicrous headline, ''OSCAR HOST CHRIS ROCK: 'Ellen DeGeneres has crabs'...'' Was this interpretation oblivious, humorless, or simply malicious?

When Drudge sensed that his ''exclusive'' based on my quotes was catching on, he pushed it further, heading to Hannity and Colmes on Feb. 14 to keep it alive. But his approach was more activist: He now warned against Rock as a horrible, ''lewd'' spokesman for Hollywood to the rest of the globe watching the awards. He cited routines from Rock's 2004 Emmy-nominated HBO special, Never Scared, pulled wildly out of context. In a bit about the freedoms in America, Rock says ''it's beautiful abortion is legal,'' which Drudge twisted to ''abortion, it's beautiful.'' Then Drudge disparagingly cited Rock's reference to ''weird white guys getting overly patriotic with their [f---ing] flag hats on,'' and snorted that Rock must find the flag waving on Fox News ''weird'' too. Rock's routine is actually about how patriotism after Sept. 11 slowly devolved from a pure, refreshing love of country into ''hatriotism,'' where some people used jingoism as a pretext to say they hated all foreigners. Which is not a far leap from wrapping yourself in the flag to silence a comedian you don't agree with.

Drudge went on to worry that Rock might drop ''f-words'' and ''spew hatred'' on the Oscars. But Rock is a pro. He never swore when he hosted the MTV Video Music Awards, and he's very savvy about TV's limits. He's a comedian, not a Tourette's patient. And who would Drudge find acceptable? ''They could have gone to Regis [to host],'' he told Hannity. Would Phyllis Diller be an acceptable backup?

Four days later, I'm still seeing this same story with Cates' same denials popping up in national and local papers. I feel partly responsible for this outcry, in that some of the offending comments came from my interview. But that's not what frustrates me. What frustrates me is that Drudge, with the overeager and unthinking cooperation of some of my peers in the media, has so widely perpetuated what is an absolute non-story. Because now Rock might watch what he says next time he's in an interview, and when an insightful, outspoken comic starts watching his words, welcome to the world of hatriotism.


[/i]What do you think about Drudge's coverage of Rock? And what's your feeling about Rock as host of the Oscar ceremony?[/i]

[amp-d]

bingolong,

Seems like Drudge has been drinking Haterade!

I figure Chris Rock will do fine. He will find the the line and dance on it. He knows this is a big deal. Hopefully he will remember what happened to Janet Jackson..

[bingolong]

amp-d,
Janet Jackson ....good point....

It is going to be interesting to see how this places out and at the least the negative publicity should boost the Oscars ratings ...

[JTF]

amp-d,

I do not need to see Chris' nipples ever again...

[bingolong]

JTF,
(drumset plays)[/i] tit tisss.......[/i]

[bingolong]

astonamous,
Yeah he did make some good points. I only watch to see who won or read the results on the internet....yes I watched when Halle and Denzel won that year but only to see them win and the only thing I remember about the next years wasAdrain Brody kissing Halle Berry and the next year he was going to kiss the winner of an award he was giving...other than that kind of uneventful....by the way I am a straight black man.....

I think they are counting on Rock to bring some edge (and viewers)!!

[bingolong]

astonamous,
I read somewhere it went from 1.5 last year to 1.7 or so million this year!!!!!

dumbass,
Exactly!!!Rock had a whole lot of truth in what he was saying.

[Noib]

Dat Phan should do it...