By SANDY COHEN
The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Jon Stewart is getting a do-over as Oscar host.

America’s favorite faux newscaster, who drew mixed reviews for his first stint in 2006, has been picked for a return engagement in February, the film academy announced Wednesday.

“I’m thrilled to be asked to host the Academy Awards for the second time because, as they say, the third time’s a charm,” Stewart said Wednesday in a statement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

“He did a great job two years ago,” Oscar telecast producer Gil Cates told The Associated Press Wednesday. “You need a host who is not afraid of the unexpected, who can stand out and really work a room and deal with a live show. Jon, of course, does that on his show every night.”

Stewart, 44, is also “a very, very nice guy and very easy to work with,” Cates said.

The 2007 show, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, drew 40.1 million viewers, compared to the 38.9 million who watched when Stewart hosted the previous year. But bringing back Stewart is “not a bad choice,” said longtime TV critic David Bianculli of the New York Daily News.

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