Oscar Hosts Graded: A for Anne, F for Franco!
He may be successful as a Hollywood star, an Oscar nominee, a soap actor, an artist and a PhD student, but there's one title James Franco hasn't conquered: Oscar Host. Almost no one seems happy with the MC'ing at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, but most critics graded Anne Hathaway an A for Effort, while flunking Franco for appearing bored, reading monotonously from the teleprompter, staring off into the distance, and disappearing for most of the show.
From The Los Angeles Times:
As a couple, they were an interesting contrast. Hathaway appeared much more comfortable, maintaining eye contact with the camera in an aggressively Miss Congeniality manner while Franco often seemed distracted, his gaze occasionally doing that Hollywood over-your-shoulder-wander, which brought up the question: Who on earth was he looking for? Everyone was sitting right in front of him.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
"Despite an overall rewarding of brilliant performances and no truly shocking didn't-see-that-coming upsets, the 83rd Annual Academy Awards will likely be remembered as the night James Franco couldn't act like a host. Anne Hathaway at least tried to sing and dance and preen along to the goings on, but Franco seemed distant, uninterested and content to keep his Cheshire-cat-meets-smug smile on display throughout."
From The Washington Post:
"Hathaway worked her derriere off and Franco came off like that lacrosse boy you wish your daughter didn't hang out with so much, sort of heavy-lidded and smirky..."
But perhaps the best quote came from The New York Times:
"[Hathaway] gamely soldiered along while James Franco did, um, what exactly? Mr. Franco tweeted about doing the Oscars, made movies about doing the Oscars, gave many interviews about being a host, but when it came time to do the actual Oscars, he entered the witness protection program. Perhaps we should draw some satisfaction from the fact that this time around, it was the man who had the job of standing there and looking pretty. But his frozen smile, punched-out gaze, made you wonder while he was there in the first place."
That’s definitely an F grade for Franco who may have been worried about another grade altogether. Us Magazine reports that the Yale PhD candidate skipped his own Oscar party and headed back East to resume his scholarly duties. Too bad he didn't just stay in his dorm and let Hathaway host the Oscars alone. It would have been better for everyone.
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Comments
20 November 2007
5 weeks 6 days
I thought the same thing and was so sorry for Anne Hathaway!
Did you see what the Yale Daily news is saying about Franco. Let just say he is not impressing anyone with his co-host duty and his tweets! LOL
12 February 2010
5 weeks 6 days
I am a James Franco fan, but I admit to being disappointed with his behavior. Of course, as I said in an earlier post, I simply wasn't all that impressed with EITHER of them. That is not meant to be a pot shot at Anne Hathaway, mind you. I simply didn't enjoy the pre-packaged/cliched humor. I just yearned for a little bit more.......um, something. In the end, I was neither shaken nor stirred.
26 July 2010
1 year 7 weeks
You can only be as good as your material. These were both actors; they were only parroting what they were given. The opening sequence was funny because it was well-written. The rest was delivered in a crappy way because
it was crappily written.
To name an example, Franco's Six degrees of Kevin Bacon joke. That stopped being funny in or around 1997.
Why have him dress in drag and just stand there? They could have used that to build up a really good schtick.
I'm not excusing Franco, though after seeing him in those danskins there's a whole lot of "excusing" I could do to him
, but he was given terrible material to deliver.
15 June 2010
11 weeks 3 days
capwell, yes they were given terrible material but only ONE of them chose to look bored, show no enthusiasm, read monotonously from a teleprompter, and stare off into the distance. Hathaway at least made a go of it. Franco looked like he was napping.
23 August 2009
7 weeks 6 days
As actors I like them both. As hosts I thought they were both terrible. Anne was slightly better but not by much. Billy Crystal was still the bomb. How embarrassing for them to show the great Bob Hope as host. He truly was a class act.
1 July 2009
5 weeks 6 days
I really love both of them, but Anne by far made the best of what really was bad material. She looked more comfortable, looked great in all her outfits, can sing, and funny. James looked bored and uninterested and the constant GH references really annoyed me.
I understand that they were trying to reach younger viewers, but this is an award show where you have to have more experience people doing this.
I say keep it in rotation with: Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Steve Martin, and Alec Baldwin.
14 June 2009
9 weeks 5 days
I have a thought. I think that the Oscars needs a host with some experience. Maybe not a comedian either. I was thinking Ryan Seacrest. He ably hosts American Idol every year and has a lot of other projects going at all times. He is really becoming another Johnny Carson in my opinion and would think him able to pull of hosting the Oscars. I also think the Oscars needs to be a spectacle and not just depend upon the gowns the woman are wearing to be the entertainment. Why not do some Cirque Du Soleil or Broadway the Lion King or some amazing dance groups to entertain the millions of viewers. How about some major singers as well. The presenters could maybe entertaining actors that maybe could Learn their lines before they get on stage instead of reading the telepromtor. Plus the life time acheivement award is not uninteresting and doesn't need to be presented on a different night. I always learn alot about hollywood and specific actor or director or writer from the stories of the life award.
It is more interesting than listening to the average actor try to say thank you or an independent movie maker try to thank the entire city of cleveland.
15 June 2010
11 weeks 3 days
marknsprmo, TOTALLY with you on Seacrest hosting the Oscars!
8 May 2008
8 weeks 2 days
I think that the Oscars is a stuffy event, so I going to give them a pass, LOL. But they would both not Oscars host, imo. Anne was doing the best that she can, but James was like, wth I gotten myself into??? LOL. I think that the Academy needs to go back to comedians as host.
30 September 2007
8 weeks 1 day
The commercials were much better than the actual event. I like Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin better.
26 May 2010
12 weeks 4 days
First off, I'll start with the fact I rarely watch more than the first & last 1/2 hour of the oscars, so that's neither of their faults.
With that in consideration, I would whole heartedly agree with Franco being dull as dishwater & Hathaway at least making a go of it.
As far as ladies, (I doubt she'd do it, BUT) I'd love to see Sandra Bullock co-host with a comedian. She's has much better comedic timing than most actresses on live tv & is far more naturally endearing than any young actress I can think of off the top of my head. OOOO! OR how about Betty White? That'd be awesome if she were up to it. As for men, I'd go back in rotation with past comedian hosts like someone else mention. Steve Martin's probably my top choice atm. Robin Williams or Billy Crystal is good pick too.