Television icon Ellen DeGeneres will return to host the Oscars for a second time, producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The 86th Annual Academy Awards will be broadcast live on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, on the ABC Television Network.

Here's what producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron had to say in a statement.

"We are thrilled to have Ellen DeGeneres host the Oscars. As a longtime friend, we had always hoped to find a project for us to do together and nothing could be more exciting than teaming up to do the Oscars. There are few stars today who have Ellen's gift for comedy, with her great warmth and humanity. She is beloved everywhere and we expect that the audience at the Dolby Theatre, and in homes around the globe, will be as excited by this news as we are."

Ellen DeGeneres also released her own statement

"I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time. You know what they say - the third time's the charm."

Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs had this to say in her statement.

"I agreed with Craig and Neil immediately that Ellen is the ideal host for this year's show. We're looking forward to an entertaining, engaging and fun show."

Academy CEO Dawn Hudson also released her own statement.

"Ellen is talented, wonderfully spontaneous, and knows how to entertain a worldwide audience. She's a big fan of the Oscars; we're huge fans of hers. It's a perfect match."

ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee had this to say in his statement.

"It is an honor to welcome back Ellen DeGeneres as the host of the biggest entertainment celebration of the year. She is the consummate entertainer, equally beloved by her peers in the industry, movie fans and television viewers. We very much look forward to having her back on ABC for Oscar Sunday."

DeGeneres hosted the 79th Annual Academy Awards in 2007, for which she received a Primetime Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program."

DeGeneres has made a home for herself in daytime with her hit syndicated talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show which has earned a total of 45 Daytime Emmys during its 10 seasons.

DeGeneres began her career as an emcee at a local comedy club in her hometown of New Orleans. Her acting career in television included roles in several successful sitcoms before being offered a part on These Friends of Mine by ABC. After the first season, the show was renamed Ellen. Running from 1994 to 1998, the show garnered record ratings, with DeGeneres receiving Emmy nominations each season in the Best Actress category. In 1997, DeGeneres was the recipient of the coveted Peabody Award as well as earning an Emmy for writing the critically acclaimed Puppy Episode when her character came out as a gay woman to a record 46 million viewers.

DeGeneres has also been successful in her feature film work. DeGeneres scored unprecedented popular and critical response to her character, Dory, the fish with extreme short-term memory, in the blockbuster Pixar animated feature Finding Nemo. DeGeneres recently announced the highly anticipated sequel to Finding Nemo, Disney-Pixar's Finding Dory, currently scheduled to be released in November 2015.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.