Chris Rock has been booked as a presenter at the 84th Academy Awards, marking his return to the show where his 2005 hosting gig ended with Rock being scolded by Sean Penn for denigrating the talents of "one of our finest actors," Jude Law.
That year, Rock joked that producers who couldn't get Russell Crowe shouldn't settle for Colin Farrell, and ones who couldn't get Tom Cruise shouldn't settle for Law. "Who is Jude Law?" he asked. "Why was he in every movie I've seen for the last four years?"
The line, which prompted Penn's retort when the actor took the stage to present the Best Actress award late in the show, was part of a wide-ranging, biting and, if truth be told, pretty funny monologue in which the comic insisted that Hollywood only really had a handful of true movie stars. "The rest," he said, "are just popular people."
"Clint Eastwood is a star," he said. "Tobey Maguire's just a boy in tights."
Rock joins an Oscar show list of stars and popular people that in recent days has also come to include Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone and Penelope Cruz.
The full lineup of presenters announced so far: Rock, Cooper, Stone, Cruz, Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie, Milla Jovovich, Jennifer Lopez and "Bridesmaids" stars Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, Wendy McLendon-Covey, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig.
When the Oscars ended in 2005, by the way, Rock left the stage and immediately spotted Sean Penn, who was standing just outside the nearby green room. "Sean!" he shouted. "It was just a joke, man!" Penn laughed, and the two men embraced.
The 84th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, February 26 at the Kodak Theater.
(Photo by HO/AMPAS)
