Chris Not on Rocks After Oscar Digs

Chris Rock (search) may have made off-color remarks belittling the Oscars, but he's still good to go as host of the ceremony, producer Gil Cates said in a statement.

"Chris' comments over the past few weeks are meant to be humorous digs at a show that some people, obviously including Chris himself, think may be a bit too stuffy," producer Cates said in a statement released by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (search).

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the comedian and first-time Oscar host called the notion of giving awards for art "idiotic" and said he has never cared for the Academy Awards, which he likened to a "fashion show." He said the only time he watched was when black actors were nominated.

"What straight black man sits there and watches the Oscars? Show me one," Rock was quoted as saying in the magazine's Feb. 4 issue.

Cates, who is producing the Feb. 27 event, said he was not worried by those and other remarks.

His statement followed a story posted Sunday on the Drudge Report Web site, which cited unnamed sources and reported that "academy members have privately called for Chris Rock to be removed as host, fearing Rock may 'tarnish' the reputation of the academy."

Cates rejected that claim.

"The academy has heard no grumbling from its members and has no intention of even suggesting that Chris step aside," he said.

In an interview Monday night with FOX News' "Hannity & Colmes," Drudge said it's not just the comments in Entertainment Weekly that Chris Rock is running up against.

"He was quoted in one of his acts — and we're not sure if he was playing a character, if he's playing Chris Rock or what he's playing here — 'Abortion, it's beautiful. It's beautiful abortion is legal. I love going to abortion rallies to pick up women, because you know they are blanking.'"

Drudge said it's a mistake for the Oscars to pick someone as controversial as the F-word spewing Rock just to shore up ratings.

"This is supposedly the classiest night in Hollywood. It is our largest export to the world, the entertainment business still. Why in the world would they pick this gentleman to represent them?" he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.