I hope none of you out there were crossing your fingers that this would be your year to get some experience hosting a music industry award show under your belt, because it's just been announced that LL Cool J will host the 2016 Grammys. And when I say "announced," what I really mean is "CBS confirmed," because this is the fifth year in a row that LL Cool J has done it and it's starting to become an expected thing. (So I guess for your own hosting-experience needs, maybe hold out for the American Music Awards? I don't know what to tell you.) Other people have snuck in there for brief little hosting stints like Ellen DeGeneres in 1996 and 1997, Jon Stewart in 2001 and 2002, Queen Latifah in 2005, but since 2006, we've either had LL Cool J or no host at all, so it's safe to say he's getting comfortable at the helm of music's biggest night.
Maybe it would be nice to mix things up a bit and get some fresh blood in there at some point (Drake, anyone?), but for the most part, it's great to see a familiar face who knows what he's doing up there. Previous hosts are a mix of comedians and industry titans like Andy Williams, John Denver, and Paul Simon, and LL Cool J seems to fall right in the sweet spot in the middle. He's a relaxed professional, able to smoothly interacting with the artists on their level and as keep the audience engaged and at ease in the moments when the broadcast lags. A good host is hard to find, so it makes sense to hang on to the one you've got, and who's already done you proud in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.
Just... can you blame me for secretly holding out hope that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler would somehow end up booking this gig? I think the duo's two-year run hosting the Golden Globes has ruined me for other hosts forever.
