Neil Patrick Harris, seen here hosting the 65th annual Tony Awards, has been tapped to emcee the Academy Awards ceremony in February 2015. Harris says it's a dream come true. Let's see how he stacks up against hosts of Oscars past ... 
Ellen DeGeneres hosted the Academy Awards for the second time in 2014; her first shot at the gig was in 2007. She posed for a selfie mid-show with several famous faces during her second time out and kept the tone congenial. Some critics panned her jokes as mean-spirited, but viewers gave her a big thumbs up in a CNN poll. 
We are not making this up. In 1958, an animated (and bare-bottomed) Donald Duck co-hosted the show with Bob Hope, Jack Lemmon, Rosalind Russell and James Stewart. 
In 1987, "Crocodile Dundee" star Paul Hogan co-hosted the show along with Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn. Even Hogan has said the experience felt like "a surreal moment." 
Hugh Jackman was high-energy, classy and charming when he hosted the Oscars in 2009. Who could have imagined it from Wolverine? 
After hosting the Academy Awards nine times from 1990 to 2012 (he also opened the 2006 Oscars), it's no secret that Billy Crystal knows how to put on a good show. One of the veteran host's most notable skits took place in 1992. Crystal took the stage wearing a Hannibal Lecter mask because "The Silence of the Lambs" was nominated for seven awards. (The thriller won best picture.) 
Johnny Carson, the king of late night, hosted the Academy Awards five times between 1979 and 1984. Carson never failed to make the audience laugh. 
In 2010, three-time host Steve Martin teamed up with his "It's Complicated" co-star Alec Baldwin. The pair earned laughs with their repartee and told some hilarious, lighthearted jokes at the expense of those present. 
The fact that Bob Hope hosted the Academy Awards 14 times is enough to earn him a spot on this list. Whether Hope was hosting or co-hosting, he seemed to receive praise from critics. The Academy honored him with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1960. 
Four-time host Whoopi Goldberg has found plenty of creative ways to open the Oscars, from dressing as the "African Queen" in 1999 to entering from the ceiling in 2002. But it was the 1996 Academy Awards that earned Goldberg, the first African-American woman to host the show, a spot on this list. "So. Didja miss me?" the comedian said as she took the stage. The quip referenced David Letterman's failed attempt at hosting the year before. 
Two-time host Jon Stewart was entertaining as ever when he took the stage in 2008 after the Hollywood writers' strike had come to an end. With best picture nominees such as "There Will Be Blood" and "No Country for Old Men" (which won), Stewart joked, "Does this town need a hug?" Referencing another contender, "Juno," Stewart added, "All I can say is thank God for teen pregnancy." 
Critics blasted David Letterman for his hosting abilities after he told -- and retold -- the same joke over and over again at the 1995 Oscars. The "Late Show" host just didn't know when to quit with his "Oprah, Uma. Uma, Oprah," gag. 
Chris Rock learned a valuable lesson from hosting the 2005 Academy Awards: Don't diss Jude Law. While Rock was praised by some critics for being himself, he was also chastised by those who simply couldn't take the joke(s). 
People had high hopes for Chevy Chase in 1988 after Chase co-hosted the ceremony the year before with Goldie Hawn and Paul Hogan. However, the comedian sealed his fate the moment he delivered his opening line, "Good evening, Hollywood phonies." 
Three-time host Jerry Lewis had to resort to improvisation when he hosted the 1959 Academy Awards alongside Bob Hope, David Niven, Sir Laurence Olivier, Tony Randall and Mort Sahl. The show ended early, leaving Lewis to fill 20 minutes of airtime by bringing stars on stage and making them dance. 
Anne Hathaway and James Franco are two of the most awkward hosts in the history of the Academy Awards. Hathaway got flak for trying too hard, while Franco was criticized for having his head in the clouds. "The worst Oscarcast I've seen, and I go back awhile," Roger Ebert tweeted. "Some great winners, a nice distribution of awards, but the show? Dead. In. The. Water." 
The reviews were mixed for Seth MacFarlane when he hosted the show in 2013. While the ratings were high, there was controversy with some of the jokes and tone. The national director of the Anti-Defamation League, speaking about one skit to the New York Times, said: "It wasn't funny. It was ugly."
- Neil Patrick Harris hosted the Tonys four times and Emmys twice to critical acclaim
- His charm, sense of humor and ability to dance and sing should help on the Oscars stage
- The bucket list includes "Have children" and "Get married"
- Harris is the father of twins and husband of David Burtka
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Neil Patrick Harris revealed he will host the Academy Awards next February by tweeting a video of him checking "Host the Oscars" from his "bucket list."
"I'm in," Harris said in his revelation video. "Nice!"
The camera then panned down to a yellow legal pad which displayed "NPH's Bucket List." The first 19 of 20 items were checked, from "Jump out of a plane" to "Write a book."
One item not on the list -- but which the Oscar job puts him one step away from achieving -- is to become the first "EGOT" host.
Neil Patrick Harris on hosting the Oscars Harris hosted the Tonys four times and Emmys twice. If he can also land the Grammys gig, then he would be the first person to host all four top showbiz award ceremonies.
The charm, sense of humor and ability to dance and sing a great opening number that earned him critical praise at the Tonys and Emmys should serve him well on the Oscar stage, where several recent hosts have been panned for a lack of entertainment skills.
NPH passes on hosting "The Late Show"
Other accomplishments on his bucket list included "Have children," which he checked off with the birth of twins by a surrogate mother in 2010, and "Get married," which happened when he wedded David Burtka last month.
The 'NPH bucket list'
Jump out of a plane
Move to NYC
Saw a lady in half
Win a Tony Award
Perform with the Muppets
Star in a TV show
Bungee jump
Rap with Snoop Dog(g)
Juggle flaming torches
Star in Broadway show
White water rafting
Become an imagineer
Fly in hot-air balloon
Birthday treasure hunt
Meet the President
Have children
Sleep in Cinderella's Castle
Get married
Write a book
Host the Oscars
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