Hollywood artists such as actors, directors and writers are considered America’s royalty, and Sunday night we got to celebrate their talents and artistry with the 85th Academy Awards.
The awards, also known as the Oscars, are a celebration of Hollywood moments in film from the previous year. Fans invest their time during this presentation of glitz and glam, yearning to see how their favorite stars dressed, and who took home the award in categories such as “woman in a leading role” or “best film.” The Oscars are also another form of pure entertainment, and the host of this show is as important as the awards themselves.
This year, “Family Guy” and “Ted” star Seth MacFarlane stepped in for his first Oscars hosting gig, and he didn’t disappoint.
Some people in Hollywood were a bit concerned that MacFarlane might go overboard and cross a line with distasteful or hurtful jokes. After all, “Ted” and “Family Guy” are known for their crass, brazen and politically incorrect humor. While MacFarlane did tip-toe the line at times ”“ such as with jokes about Daniel Day Lewis being so involved with his Abraham Lincoln role for the movie “Lincoln” that he might’ve asked what a cellphone was, or if he should free Don Cheadle ”“ the jokes were intelligent and funny.
Yes, MacFarlane made people cringe when he said that musicians Rihanna and Chris Brown ”“ reportedly dating again ”“ viewed the Quentin Tarantino ultra-violent film “Django Unchained” as a date movie, referring to Brown’s domestic violence assault charge against Rihanna in 2009 before the Grammy Awards, but that was as negative as MacFarlane got.
He treated the evening as a celebration of movies, current and past, as he led chorus-line inspired songs, dance routines in the style of Fred Astaire, and demonstrated a class reminiscent of old Hollywood, where stars of yesteryear could sing, dance, act and almost always demonstrated delicate decorum.
There is a place in our society for crude jokes and insults within the name of comedy, but the Academy Awards is not that place. Yes, many of the people in attendance are super wealthy, at times feel entitled and can lack humility, but they are people who work hard and sacrifice normal lives to entertain us. The Oscars have a sense of glamour and sophistication that needs to be respected with a host who can walk the fine line between comedy and insult without turning the evening into his or her own vendetta-filled event. Ricky Gervais, while funny and talented, could not do this while hosting the Golden Globes, a precursor to the Oscars, and was not asked back to host that awards show again because he vulgarly insulted the guests while drinking beer.
MacFarlane showed true class throughout the evening, spinning jokes and keeping the guests, and about a billion people watching worldwide, entertained.
It was also nice to see that Hollywood’s elite didn’t take themselves too seriously. One of MacFarlane’s song and dance routines was a prerecorded piece saluting some of the female actresses who had exposed their breasts in movie roles. It was nice to see stars such as Charlize Theron and Naomi Watts go along with the joke and record their reactions ”“ embarrassed and not amused at the song ”“ as part of the skit. That is the way this evening should be. Yes, the celebrities are earning prestigious awards for their art, but their art is also about entertainment. MacFarlane encapsulated that and more Sunday night.
Let’s hope he is allowed to do it again.
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Today’s editorial was written by Sports Editor Al Edwards on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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