The Oscars have been often been dubbed as “The Girl’s Super Bowl.” The evening is full of glamour, from the array of couture dresses to gracious acceptance speeches. The Oscars are typically an evening full of class, elegance, and Hollywood beauty. This year, the Academy selected Seth Macfarlane to host the Oscars, someone who is not normally associated with typical Hollywood class. The “Family Guy” and Ted creator is notorious for his crude sense of humor and witty one-liners. So, why would he be the one to host the Oscars?
Macfarlane’s controversial moments at the Oscars caused many to feel uncomfortable or offended. However, what did the audience expect when the creator of “Family Guy” was selected to host the Oscars? Of course he’s going to make jokes that aren’t “classy” or “Oscar-appropriate.” While Seth Macfarlane was handed his fair share of negative reviews, here are five reasons why he was a great choice as an Oscar host:
- He was relevant to our generation. Let’s face it. The Oscars can get pretty boring really quickly with jokes that half of us don’t understand. I’m guilty of laughing along with my mom so I don’t feel awkward for not understanding the jokes. This year, it was the reverse. The majority of Macfarlane’s jokes were geared toward Generation Y.
- Take a look at the ratings. There was an 11% increase in viewers ages 18-49 (aka the most important demographic for advertisers). There were 2% more viewers compared to last year’s Oscars when Billy Crystal hosted. The Oscars were clearly successful in attracting the younger demographic by choosing Seth Macfarlane as the host.
- Seth Macfarlane is actually very talented. Aside from his obvious comedic talent and wit, the Oscars allowed Macfarlane to reveal his singing and dancing side. Much to my surprise, Seth Macfarlane can really sing and dance. While more were focused on the content of his songs than his actual singing voice, he sang them quite well and smoothly danced across the stage.
- His humor reflects today’s humor. Humor today isn’t as squeaky clean as it was 50 years ago. Crude, sexual, and offensive humor is often what people today find funny. This humor especially applies to the younger demographic. While some of Macfarlane’s jokes may have taken things a bit too far, such as his joke about Lincoln’s assassination (he said John Wilkes Booth was the one who “really got in Lincoln’s head”), the majority of his jokes were in line with what people today find funny.
- His songs, “We Saw Your Boobs” and “Here’s to the Losers” were absolutely hilarious. These songs may not have been the most appropriate songs, but I found them to be quite entertaining.
While we can expect Seth Macfarlane will not be returning as the host of the 2014 Academy Awards due to his controversial show, I think he made the 2013 Oscars a memorable awards show.