The host with the most?
Seth MacFarlane as Oscars ringleader a risky move,
On Sunday, millions of people will tune in to the Oscars to see the biggest stars in Hollywood receive their just rewards. Some may even care who wins the golden statuettes.
This year’s Academy Awards dive into snark-infested waters with host Seth MacFarlane, a polarizing comedian your mother’s never heard of, your teenaged son wants to be and political correctness wants a word with. MacFarlane has implied the broadcast will be as much a roast as a tribute, with the only question being “how black the meat gets” (he tells USA Today the goal is “medium to medium-well”).
The show, however, hasn’t historically been kind to those who pushed the envelope instead of just opening it.
“The Oscars are in a unique situation,” said Chloe Tejada, entertainment editor for Yahoo! Canada. “If they change the tone too much, they could face a backlash for tramping on tradition. If they don’t change enough, they’ll eventually lose their audience.”
The Golden Globes struck TV gold this year with hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, who proved a perfect fit for the Champagne bubble of a show. The pair’s impressive draw — the broadcast saw its highest ratings in six years — put a pall over the notion that you need a Titanic-sized blockbuster to get audiences to tune in.
For the more austere Oscars, however, enlisting MacFarlane seems a bit like hiring Skrillex to DJ your grandparents’ golden anniversary. Steven Hyden, a writer for Grantland, probably put it best when observing that the Academy has “a
The Oscars
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reverent solemnity more appropriate for the recently resurrected or a puppy rigged with plastic explosives.”
Producers do occasionally experiment, enlisting pop icons in an attempt to boost relevance and attract a younger audience: James Franco, Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres, David Letterman and Jon Stewart have all tried their hand at the fearsome gig. For this reason, MacFarlane — who’s as recognizable to the college male as a sexual infection — seems an obvious choice.
Without fail, however, it’s the safer industry insiders (think Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Steve Martin) who get invited back. And given the show’s high stakes, it’s no wonder.
According to AdWeek, the average 30-second spot on Sunday’s telecast sold for $1.7 million, with live viewership typically ranking second only to the Super Bowl.
It’s not unreasonable, then, that some Oscar observers are dubious of the risks inherent to this year’s host. The Academy stands on ceremony; MacFarlane stands on poop jokes.
“His approach to entertainment is superficial, crude, cynical and, in the end, fairly hopeless,” said David Long, a professor of sociology at King’s University College in Edmonton. “That might increase the numbers of that demographic who watch the Oscars for the time being, but I’m not sure it will result in the kind of ‘ happy ending’ that’s been promoted since the dawn of Hollywood.”
The canary in the coal mine barely made it out alive: At January’s uncomfortable nominations announcement, MacFarlane condescended to honourees, took pot shots at co-host Emma Stone, and landed a Hitler joke whose thud was heard around the world.
The good news for Oscar is that MacFarlane has Teflon skin when it comes to industry criticism. Nothing seems to stick, nor deter his insatiable fans.
MacFarlane is a Grammy-nominated singer who’s spoken at Harvard. The success of his TV shows (Family Guy, American Dad and The Cleveland Show) has helped push his net worth past $100 million. And his directorial debut, Ted, was the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy ever.
“He’ll probably be edgy and pointed enough to deflate the pretensions of the crowd, but not downright malicious,” said Michael Musto, a culture columnist for The Village Voice. “There’s enough self-congratulation on these telecasts, so some gentle mockery is always in order. I think Seth will provide just that.”