Seth MacFarlane at the Oscars - Is He Ready?

Banner Well€ that just happened. The Oscar nominations have been announced and Seth MacFarlane has shown off a sample of what will probably be his hosting shtick for the evening in question. As past hosts will tell you, this isn€™t an easy gig. You have to work with your writers to make sure you fill a 3+ hour show with fresh gags, quick pacing, and middle of the road humor. Since these are all areas Mr. MacFarlane has had problems landing consistent success in, perhaps now€™s a good time to evaluate whether he€™ll end up on the Billy Crystal (Legendary) or David Letterman (NEVER AGAIN!) side of the Oscar Hosting Spectrum. (Patent Pending.) That said, Mr. MacFarlane prepare yourself for a compliment sandwich...Oscar Style.

5. He€™s Quick With A Joke€But His Jokes Sometimes Come Off Flat

seth-macfarlane-snl600 From the beginnings of Family Guy, all the way out to his recent success with Ted, Seth MacFarlane has always been fast on his feet. You can tell that he rules the writer's room on his various shows, or at the very least he has a very influential role in said rooms. The pacing on his shows has always been fast with jokes going off left and right, and the quantity of the jokes usually overrides the quality. (This is also common in Chuck Lorre sitcoms, the advantage being MacFarlane's because of his slightly higher brow.) Whether you like it or not, you'll end up laughing a couple times during the night. MacFarlane's command of the room will help inject his unique voice into the proceedings. However, this is The Oscars, where the length is at least six times that of a sitcom. So unless MacFarlane is planning on writing a couple episode's worth of material with a complete through-line, he's going to have to learn how to play the host. He's done SNL and a Friar's Club Roast, which are both good practice runs, but he needs some more experience with working "on a leash". Jon Stewart has done a few awards shows, and he knows how to work on a leash. Chris Rock did a decent job when he hosted on Oscar's leash as well. James Franco...the less said about him and/or Bruce Villanch, the better. The point remains, MacFarlane has a narrow line to toe with this gig: he can be edgy like he is on Family Guy, but he has to realize that this both the medium and the industry he chiefly likes to make fun of. He can poke fun at them, but he needs to dial it down for the older folks.
Contributor
Contributor

Mike Reyes may or may not be a Time Lord, but he's definitely the Doctor Who editor here at What Culture. In addition to his work at What Culture, Mr. Reyes writes for Cocktails and Movies, as well as his own personal blogs Mr. Controversy and The Bookish Kind. On top of that, he's also got a couple Short Stories and Novels in various states of completion, like any good writer worth their salt. He resides in New Jersey, and compiles his work from all publications on his Facebook page.