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    Kevin Hart says he’s considering Oscar hosting gig again

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments2135 Views
    In this Dec. 11, 2017 file photo, Kevin Hart arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

    By David Bauder, Media Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    Prodded by Ellen DeGeneres, comic Kevin Hart says he'll reconsider his decision to step down as host of the Academy Awards.

    Hart had backed away two days after being named host last month when some homophobic tweets he had made a decade ago resurfaced. But DeGeneres urged him to host the show during an interview that aired Friday on her talk show.

    The motion picture Academy has not named a replacement host for its Feb. 24 awards show.

    "You have grown," DeGeneres told him. "You have apologized. You're apologizing again right now. You've done it. Don't let these people win. Host the Oscars."

    She applied subtle pressure by saying after one commercial break, "We're back with this year's Oscars host, Kevin Hart."

    Hart told her that "you have put a lot of things on my mind" and that he would think about their conversation.

    If there's a campaign to get him back, it couldn't have started more slickly: on the hugely successful talk show run by one of Hollywood's most prominent gay celebrities, who hosted the Oscars herself in 2007.

    DeGeneres said she called the Academy this week to urge that Hart be brought back, and was told that officials would be "thrilled" if he did. An Academy representative did not immediately return a message for comment.

    Hart told her that when his old messages resurfaced, "what was once the brightest light ever just got real dark." He initially said he wouldn't apologize because he had addressed the issue several times. But given an ultimatum to apologize, he did so and stepped down.

    Hart said it was hard for him because he considered it an attack when his tweets resurfaced a day after he got the Oscars gig.

    "That's an attempt to end me," he said. "That's not an attack to just stop the Oscars … Somebody has to take a stand against the … trolls."

    DeGeneres received some resistance on social media, with some commenters saying that Hart's homophobic jokes were a legitimate issue for discussion, and it wasn't a case of people maliciously trying to hurt him.

    She responded on Twitter: "I believe in forgiveness. I believe in second chances."

    The Oscars are looking for something to juice Hollywood's biggest night, after the ceremony drew its smallest audience ever in 2018.

    Tags:Kevin HartOscars



    India’s legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal dies at age 90

    Tuesday, December 24, 2024
    Indian film directors Shyam Benegal, right, is seen during a discussion on Indian Cinema in Hyderabad, India, Monday, Feb. 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A, File)

    Shyam Benegal, a renowned Indian filmmaker known for pioneering a new wave cinema movement that tackled social issues in the 1970s, has died after suffering from chronic kidney disease. He was 90.

    His contribution to cinema was recognized as a director, editor and screenwriter. He was also credited with a new genre of filmmaking.

    Benegal passed away on Monday at Mumbai's Wockhardt Hospital, and his cremation will take place on Tuesday, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, citing his daughter Piya.

    "Benegal had been suffering from chronic kidney disease for several years but it had gotten very bad. That's the reason for his death," Piya said.

    Many paid tribute to the legendary filmmaker on social media platform X.

    Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt wrote that Benegal told stories without pretense. "They were raw and real, about the struggles of ordinary people. His films had craft and conviction."

    "Deeply saddened by the passing of Shyam Benegal, whose storytelling had a profound impact on Indian cinema. His works will continue to be admired by people from different walks of life," India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.

    He was a mentor to top Indian actors, including Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, and Om Puri who made their mark in Bollywood's popular cinema as well.

    "I have lost my foster father, a man to whom I owe more than I can say," posted Naseeruddin Shah.

    "Shyam Benegal was not just a legend; he was a visionary who redefined storytelling and inspired generations," said actor Manoj Bajpayee.

    Benegal came into the limelight in the 1970s, with a series of films that challenged mainstream Bollywood. His films Ankur (1974), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976), and Bhumika (1977)... Read More

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