# Who would be a good Academy Awards host? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2005, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530 "2005-03-02T01:42:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/21 "2005-03-02T04:08:37Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > A celebrity that talks too much about their politics? Never! I didn’t say that because it was rare, just that that trait would make him a bad host. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/22 "2005-03-02T04:29:26Z")
> [@Roland Orzabal](#): > > Alex Trebek. Nah, all the award winners would have to be announced in the form of a question. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/23 "2005-03-02T04:37:29Z")
I’d love to see Lily Tomlin hosting the Academy Awards. It’ll never happen, but I’d love it. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/24 "2005-03-02T06:18:28Z")
Jon Lovitz? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/25 "2005-03-02T06:23:29Z")
After this year, **Edna Mode.** Okay, okay, Jon Stewart. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/26 "2005-03-02T06:39:14Z")
I second Ellen Degeneres…she assisted in an awards show a few years back (Emmy’s?) and was great. I was looking forward to Chris Rock, but I thought he sucked. Totally out of his element and it just didn’t work. I still like him, but hope he never does the show again (although I think that is a given by now). Also, I think Bette Midler would be a kick to watch hosting the show. Or Bruce Villanch (who has written for the show many years) but is never seen. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/27 "2005-03-02T09:02:36Z")
> [@Keapon Laffin](#): > > I haven’t been keeping track of the Oscars. Was there a reason Billy Crystal didn’t do it this year? Filming a movie, I think. I don’t like him at the Oscars, yet I’m not happy to hear he’s still getting work. 😛 > [@KarlGauss](#): > > How about Jerry Seinfeld? Or even Ben Stiller? I think it’d be better if they got a comedian. ---
**Author:** ![bclouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@bclouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bclouse)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/28 "2005-03-02T09:18:05Z")
I agree with John Steward and Ellen Degeneres. Ellen would be perfect actually. What about Dave Chappelle? ---
**Author:** ![bclouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@bclouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bclouse)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/29 "2005-03-02T09:20:45Z")
Meant John **Stewart** :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/30 "2005-03-02T09:21:18Z")
I like Chapelle’s Show a lot, but I don’t think that would work at all. I like the ideas of Jon Stewart, Ellen, and Conan (he’s hosted a few things in the past). ---
**Author:** ![bclouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@bclouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bclouse)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/31 "2005-03-02T09:24:28Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I like Chapelle’s Show a lot, but I don’t think that would work at all. I like the ideas of Jon Stewart, Ellen, and Conan (he’s hosted a few things in the past). It is kinda an odd choice but I think he’s very funny and maybe he could learn from Chris Rock’s mistakes. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/32 "2005-03-02T10:07:22Z")
> [@bclouse](#): > > It is kinda an odd choice but I think he’s very funny and maybe he could learn from Chris Rock’s mistakes. What did Rock do that Chapelle would be able to fix, though? He’s a very good standup, I’ve seen him. But there’s a reason he has a show on cable and not network TV. His humor is as racial as Rock’s and sometimes it’s a lot dirtier. ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/33 "2005-03-02T10:13:54Z")
Billy Crystal. I think he’d do a good jorb. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/34 "2005-03-02T10:25:42Z")
Lewis Black ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/35 "2005-03-02T14:47:00Z")
Uh… bear in mind, folks, that YOUR favorite comedian may crack YOU up, but there are supposed to be tens of millions of people watching. Ticking THEM off for your amusement would be a great way to get the show cancelled. Jon Stewart would suck, in my opinion, but then I’m prejudiced (I think he’s an annoying jerk on his OWN show- why would he be better at the Oscars?). But more fundamentally, the Oscars have the same problem that ALL variety shows do. There’s a REASON you don’t see anything like the old Ed Sullivan show on TV any more: because there’s almost nothing that huge audiences agree on! Ed Sullivan might have the Beatles, a Borscht Belt comic, an opera singer and a tap dancer on the same show, and people would sit through it. Today, NOBODY would sit through 45 minutes of crud he/she didn’t care about to see the one act he/she DOES like. Similarly, even if you adored the Oscar host, that would guarantee only that you’d like the opening monologue. After that monologue, you’d still have to sit through a 3 hour variety show filled with dull speeches, lame jokes and mostly lame musical numbers. Most people would endure that ONLY if there were a movie or two that they were enthusiastic about, and that they were really rooting for. And how often does that happen? Certainly not THIS year! ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/36 "2005-03-02T15:23:14Z")
did people really see none of the nominees? I saw 4 out of the 5 for best picture, along with most of the movies nominated in other categories. Plus I saw Chris Rock perform in December which was primarily a warm-up for his oscar gig, so I had two reasons to tune in. I was disappointed that he cut down the “white people have movies about stories - MDB etc, blacks have movies about subjects - Barbershop etc” jokes, since he went on a pretty long rant on it when I saw him, including about how the rappers in the music industry keep stealing acting gigs from established black actors, but how in a white movie you’d never see Justin Timberlake playing Oscar Schindler ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/37 "2005-03-02T15:42:04Z")
So far I think the 3 best candidates are: Bill Murray Ellen Degeneres Jim Carrey I would also like to see Steve Martin get another shot, but PLEASE no more retreads of Billy Crystal or Whoopi!! ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/38 "2005-03-02T15:46:49Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > did people really see none of the nominees? I saw 4 out of the 5 for best picture, along with most of the movies nominated in other categories. I saw about three, none of which were up for big awards, and I lived at the theatre there for about two months this summer and fall. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/39 "2005-03-02T16:20:25Z")
One thing’s for sure, whoever does it, people will complain and complain the next day over every little thing. The hosting gig for the Oscars is a no-win situation. Either you’re too political, or not political enough, too afraid to make any jokes about people, or make too tough of jokes about people. I thought Chris Rock was one of the most entertaining hosts they’ve had in years. He certainly beats Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg. His comedy might offend some, but at least it’s _comedy_. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530/40 "2005-03-02T16:46:04Z")
Bette Midler!!! Perfect choice. She could hold her own in any crowd at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-a-good-academy-awards-host/292530.md?page=3)