MUMBAI: In a bid to make the Academy Awards more fun and relevant to a younger demographic, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has announced that comedian Chris Rock will host the 77th edition.

The show will air live on Star Movies, early in the morning, on 28 February 2005. The awards will be broadcast from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Producer Gil Cates added, "I am a huge fan of Chris Rock. He always makes me laugh and he always has something interesting to say. Chris represents the best of the new generation of comics. Having him host the Oscars is terrific. I can't wait."

Rock made his screen debut in Beverly Hills Cop II and became a comic to watch when he spent three years on the cast of Saturday Night Live. His transformation into a comic cultural force, though, came with a series of HBO specials, including 1996's Bring the Pain.

Rock currently is shooting The Longest Yard with Adam Sandler and recently provided the voice of the zebra in the animated feature Madagascar. Both films will be released in May 2005. He has also starred in Head of State, Bad Company, Neil LaBute's black comedy Nurse Betty and Dogma.