Jimmy Kimmel and Messi.Photo:Jimmy Kimmel / Instagram

Jimmy Kimmel Rehearses Oscars 2024 Jokes with Dog from Anatomy of a Fall.

Jimmy Kimmel / Instagram

Jimmy Kimmelisn’t having a “ruff” time rehearsing for theOscars 2024!

The clip came amidrumors that the dog would not be in attendanceon Hollywood’s biggest night.

“What do you think of this?” Kimmel 56, asked his companion, before trying out a gag. “Casting is a huge part of any film. Without casting directors, how on Earth wouldBradley Cooperhave thought to cast Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein inMaestro?”

When Messi didn’t react, Kimmel tried again. “Okay, let me try another one: Casting is a delicate art. When you get it right, actors disappear into their roles. When you get it wrong, your audience asks questions like, ‘Why doall the teenagers inGreaselook likethey’ve got kids and a reverse mortgage?’ "

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That one didn’t land with Messi either. The camera captured the pooch as he turned his head slowly and looked straight into the camera, clearly nonplussed.

Continued Kimmel, “Okay, maybe this one you’ll like: If you think the show feels overly drawn out to you, imagine how Messi feels right now. In dog years, this show is five and a half months long!”

This time, the canine let out a bark of approval. “Oh good, okay, we got a winner,” Kimmel concluded.

He captioned the fun footage, “Running jokes before the#Oscars…,” adding the show’s airtime.

Messi in the audience during the 96th Annual Academy Awards

Kevin Winter/Getty

During Kimmel’s opening monologue, he even got a shout-out, with Kimmel praising his performance inKillers of a Flower Moon.

Meanwhile, despite his last-minute rehearsals, Kimmel does have his pregame drill down.

He has spent months spitballing jokes and will spin timely material into comedy gold right up until the ceremony begins. The host also has seenall 53 of this year’s nominees— and, perhaps most taxing, has upped his gym game to get in tux-ready shape.

Jimmy Kimmel hosting the Oscars in Hollywood, California, on March 12, 2023.Kevin Winter/Getty

Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California.

“I need to start working on my ‘explosiveness,’ " Kimmel, who ishosting the Oscars for the fourth timethis year, recently told PEOPLE, before allowing that he has been living on “sad salads and a lot of pathetic boxed meals that are delivered to my home” as of late.

And the gig never gets old for him. “I feel like the Kansas City Chiefs going into this Oscars,” Kimmel teased. “Like you’ve been there before, but it doesn’t make a difference. It’s still exciting and you still have to do well.”

source: people.com