How I Met Your Oscar? Neil Patrick Harris to host Academy Awards

A surprise Oscar bid

86th Academy Awards

Harris helped break the announcement on Twitter with a video post showing him cheekily running down a "bucket list" of accomplishments before circling "Host the Oscars."

Show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will run the live ceremony for the third consecutive time in 2015. The Broadway producers are known for delivering lively musical and dance numbers, which Harris has also done in his other hosting gigs.

"To work with him on the Oscars is the perfect storm, all of his resources and talent coming together on a global stage," Zadan and Meron said in a statement.

In recent years, the Oscars organizers have sought to draw a younger audience to the prestigious black tie gala show, to mixed results.

In 2011, young, attractive actors Anne Hathaway and James Franco were panned for their co-hosting efforts and lack of chemistry, drawing one of the least-watched Oscars in a decade, while "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane in 2013 delivered a bigger audience but was criticized for his raunchy humor.

The Oscars have also faced pressure from January's Golden Globe Awards, which has seen a viewership surge after it turned hosting duties over to popular comics Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

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