Seth MacFarlane © by Gage Skidmore
Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, is to host the 2013 Oscars. MacFarlane was tipped for the job in the wake of last month’s Emmys; the the badly-received emcee of those awards, Jimmy Fallon, had already ruled himself out, but MacFarlane’s turn in front of the podium was hailed more warmly.
As well as his work on TV, MacFarlane directed, scripted and voiced the lead role in Ted, the summer’s surprise hit, about a foul-mouthed talking teddy bear. The film grossed record amounts for both an R-rated comedy and a film not based on existing material. It’s global total currently stands at m (m). MacFarlane’s script and his voice and motion-capture work had been tipped for recognition in the original screenplay and supporting actor categories.
MacFarlane has prior form hosting ceremonies; he has had stints on Saturday Night Live, and served as Roast Master on Comedy Central Roasts of the likes of Donald Trump, Charlie Sheen and David Hasselhoff. An accomplished swing singer who has performed with the BBC Proms and released an album of standards, MacFarlane looks like a choice who can satisfy the old-schoolers as well as adding some Ricky Gervais-esque edge. He also holds great pulling power with a young male demographic the Academy is eager to court but has previously had little success with.
“It’s truly an overwhelming privilege to be asked to host the Oscars,” said MacFarlane, whose appearance on the February 24 telecast will be his first. “My thoughts upon hearing the news were, one, I will do my utmost to live up to the high standards set forth by my predecessors; and two, I hope they don’t find out I hosted the Charlie Sheen Roast.”
“We are thrilled to have Seth MacFarlane host the Oscars. His performing skills blend perfectly with our ideas for making the show entertaining and fresh,” said Oscars telecast producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. “He will be the consummate host, and we are so happy to be working with him.”
MacFarlane also posted a blank video on his Twitter feed, half an hour after the news broke.
Actors, comics and standups have all had their turn in the hotseat over recent years, as the ceremony has witnessed steadily dwindling ratings. Billy Crystal‘s turn last year – his ninth in charge – helped attract an extra 1.4 million viewers compared to Anne Hathaway and James Franco’s inept stint the year before, but figures have nevertheless dropped more than 15m from 1998 when 55 million Americans watched Titanic win 11 awards.
This year’s awards take place on 24 February in Los Angeles at the Hollywood and Highland center, formerly known as the Kodak theater. The nominations have been moved forward in the schedule by a week, to 15 January, just two days after the likely date of the Golden Globes awards ceremony.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010
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Über Frank
Seit 1996 bin ich freier Mitarbeiter der Salzgitter-Zeitung, als Experte für das Geschehen im hiesigen Kreisfußball. Daneben sind meine Kolumnen seit 2005 fester Bestandteil im Lokalteil der Salzgitter-Zeitung. Zusammen mit Frau und Tochter sowie zwei gefräßigen wie faulen Stubentigern versuche ich das zu meistern, was das Leben, das Universum und der ganze Rest an Absurditäten für uns bereithalten.
