Archive for category Random thoughts

Oscar hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway. Photo courtesy of A.M.P.A.S.

As if Anne Hathaway did not remind us frequently enough, last night’s telecast of the the 83rd Annual Academy Awards was intended to appeal to a younger demographic. In concept.

In reality, Hathaway and her Oscar co-host James Franco did an “Inception”-style leap off the path to young demo heaven, and descended down, down, down into limbo…limbo being a state of pure boredom. Sadly for the millions of viewers at home, there was no kick to bring us out until three hours and 12 minutes had passed.

The initial ratings demographics won’t be crunched until Monday, but suffice it to say, this will not be the prototype for the Oscars of Tomorrow.

You might have gotten a clue that any hopes for an Oscar night with more youthful appeal had vanished when Franco lamely joked, “I am six degrees of Kevin Bacon away from these next two presenters…” while introducing Scarlett Johansson and Matthew McConaughey.

The air noticeably absent of peals of laughter at a punchline that would have been stale in 2006, Franco then added, “Look it up. On the Internet.”

A more youthful Oscars. Mission so not accomplished.

Mind you, we’re sure producers tried their best to rake in the Justin Bieber crowd, or barring that, the Justin Timberlake faithful. Or perhaps we should say, it was the best that a bunch of guys representing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences could do, given the circumstances.

This is Oscar night after all, and that demands a sense of decorum…an idea that goes against the very idea of appealing to a younger demographic. Who were they going to get, Russell Brand? With all of his addiction jokes and those too-tight pants? Lord no. Daniel Tosh? Aziz Ansari? Put yourself in the mindset of an awards show producer. Now that you’ve done that, ask yourself if you even know who those other two guys are.

(And if you know who Tosh is, are you going to risk him slipping in a few old NSFW pictures of Demi Moore ?)

Ultimately, the 83rd Annual Academy Awards telecast is more likely to be remembered as the night “The King’s Speech” won significant victories, when Natalie Portman, Melissa Leo, Colin Firth and Christian Bale won their first Oscars…and, in some trivia contests, when the “In Memoriam” montage omitted Corey Haim and Betty Garrett.

Oscar being Oscar, even the disastrous hosting choice didn’t mar some truly deserving victories. “The King’s Speech” sailed past favored contenders “Inception” and “The Social Network” to win Best Picture, and with the individual achievements for Best Actor Firth, Best Director Tom Hooper and David Seidler, who won for Original Screenplay, took home four awards Sunday night.

“Inception” also snagged four Oscars for sound editing, sound mixing, visual effects and cinematography, while “The Social Network” walked away with three pieces of hardware for editing, score, and Aaron Sorkin‘s adapted screenplay.

Along with Firth’s winning moment, the evening seemed destined to belong to Natalie Portman, who not only showed up in a beautiful empire-waisted plum Rodarte gown, but made her very-much expected Best Actress win into a moving, humbling moment.

Portman matured into a highly talented actress years ago, but when she thanked her parents for teaching her the importance of being a good person by their own example, she showed the kind of rare human warmth all too lacking in most entertainment industry congratulation-fests.

The same was true of Melissa Leo, an actress whose hard-earned success and stunning performance in “The Fighter” made her a favorite. Knowing that, she was still genuinely speechless, stunned to babbling (and dropping the night’s biggest F-bomb) when she took the stage to accept the award for Best Supporting Actress.

In contrast, her co-star and Supporting Actor winner Christian Bale knew exactly what to say, even going so far as to plug the website for Dicky Eklund, the man who inspired his role. (Reportedly the site crashed soon after that.)

The night’s finest moments belonged to the nominees and winners, and if there was anything to be salvaged from the dullness of it all, it was the good-humor of a number of the presenters as well. Kirk Douglas‘s speech may be slowed and slurred by the effects of a stroke and other health problems, but his puckish sense of humor pierced through like a searing light as he flirted with Hathaway and Melissa Leo while presenting the Oscar for Best Actress.

Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem, great friends who co-starred in “No Country for Old Men,” put their bromance on display for all the world by taking the stage and presenting in matching white tuxedos. And one-time tabloid bad boys Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law also paired up to present, with Law ribbing Downey Jr. about one of the sorrier moments from his past involving a hotel room, a hooker and a Wonder Woman costume.

One would think after reading the aforementioned paragraphs that Sunday night’s telecast was, if not par for the course, at least typical of other Oscar telecasts.

Miserably, the hosts were not typical. Hathaway and Franco were intended to represent young Hollywood — Hathaway, the sought-after leading lady coming off of the acclaimed romance “Love and Other Drugs,” Franco doing all kinds of acting gigs on a lark, including a stint on “General Hospital.” They are, indeed, stellar examples of the outstanding talent ascending the ranks.

But as Sunday proved, they are not Oscar host material. Yes, Hathaway did her best to smile and sparkle for the cameras, keeping things interesting with multiple gown changes…some more successful than others. Franco, in contrast, didn’t just play it straight – he played it medicated.

After about a third of the way through the evening, he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in front of an audience of millions watching around the world.

There is a reason that the majority of Oscar hosts have been comedians or comic actors, or barring that, stage performers. Bob Hope. Whoopi Goldberg. Steve Martin.  Chevy Chase.  In better years, Billy Crystal hosted; in ones that weren’t so hot, people debated whether Chris Rock or Jon Stewart were really that bad after all.

We still haven’t forgotten David Letterman and “Oprah, Uma, Uma, Oprah”…and that was from way back in 1995.

The famous Letterman gaffe demonstrates why comedians and well-rounded showmen like Hugh Jackman are the usual suspects in these awards telecasts: If a presenter flubs a line, if a winner is a bit too full of himself or herself, such a host knows how to step into the gaping void, fill it with a little soft-shoe and keep the evening rolling along.

Even if they mess up, they’re not boring. It’s better to make an awards show’s audience wince than put people to sleep. Ricky Gervais knows that all too well.

Previous Oscar hosts were all industry royalty, and yet in a class by themselves. In contrast, for all their success both Franco and Hathaway are not so far removed from sitting among the earnest hopefuls in the seats that they can feel comfortable poking fun at them. They also lack the seasoning required to maintain their composure when one of their cohorts raises the hackles of the censors. When Hathaway and Franco took the stage after Leo let loose at the podium, poor Franco looked like a buck about to get intimate with the grille of an oncoming eighteen-wheeler.

Oscar and the producers that put the burnish on its respectability have many years to get it right, and with a growing pool of talented young actors who are quick on their feet to choose from, they’ll eventually find a host with the right combination of youth, skill, humor and younger-skewing appeal.

There may even come a day that Hathaway and Franco will be ready, and we mean genuinely ready, to give it another shot.  In the land of second chances, it could happen.

Just not next year. Please, for the love of entertainment…not…next…year.
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