Filmsane

You’ve probably heard the news. Comedian and actor Kevin Hart dropped out from hosting the 2019 Academy Awards ceremony after series of LGBT offensive tweets resurfaced on line.

He has since apologized, but he withdrew for the Oscar hosting duties and Hollywood is in pursuit of a brand new host. Every single media outlet had their list of potential hosts, and the celebrities didn’t hold back on Social media. Constance Wu backed Randall Park, Chrissy Tiegen backed Ellen DeGeneres and The Rock in a hosting duo pack, Joss Whedon suggested Billy Eichner, while Lena Waithe backed Donald Glover.

Everybody has got an opinion on who should be the next Oscar host, but have you noticed that lately it’s a thankless job? You just can’t win in pleasing people no matter how hard you try.

First of all, the ratings will not be on your side. They have been dropping in the past few years, and things are not likely to improve in 2019. I don’t think that things will change for the better, even if someone like Meryl Streep agrees to host the awards. Secondly, after they were burned by Kevin Hart, The Academy is probably looking at some squeaky clean, benign host that will not make a huge mess and will get the flow of the night going.

Thirdly, the humor and the jokes. In most cases, the host will not be writing his jokes, and there people are paid by The Academy for that also (Bruce Vilanch being the most notable name in Hollywood). But the Oscar hosts get a lot of slack for the jokes too. They’re the one delivering them, and most of the audience confuses them with standup comedians.

But that’s the thing. History has shown us that yes, professional hosts are sometimes picked for this job. Jon Steward, Johnny Carson, Jimmy Kimmel and David Letterman were all late night hosts prior to being Oscar hosts. Showmen like Bob Hope are an extinct breed in Hollywood, so sometimes professional actors can do the job in a pinch. Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Chris Rock did solid jobs, but right now The Academy is looking for a way to please everyone.

It would have to be a well-known and well liked person. It would have to be a person with impeccable image, and a person that has had a success on the box office/award circuit prior this gig. Preferably young and versatile in his/ hers talents. That’s a whole lot of pressure and a heavy set of requirements for a job that lasts … oh about 3 hours.

So. You get why its thankless and stupid job? You can’t win and please everyone, but damn a lot of focus is being put on the hosts each and every year. This particular year, the Trump jokes will be likely to be more toned down, but the ceremony will be political nevertheless.

But, why is so hard to pick a god Oscar host? Well, because it’s a thankless job, and you’ll get a lot of smack afterwards. It all boils down to that.