Versatile entertainer Seth MacFarlane took his first shot at hosting the Academy Awards last night, and his performance is both being applauded and being deemed appalling. He follows last year’s host Billy Crystal in facing mixed reviews. Critics had called Crystal past his prime and took him to task for a series of racial slurs.
Piers Morgan enjoyed MacFarlane’s hosting job and tweeted “I doubt there will have ever been a more divisive #Oscars host than @SethMacFarlane – I’m loving him, others are hating it.”
One trend that has become common among the reviews is that many women did not appreciate what some have deemed inappropriate jokes. Some have called him out for making a joke about Rihanna’s abuse at the hands of her on again off again boyfriend Chris Brown. MacFarlane’s opening number “We Saw Your Boobs” also came off as sexist to some viewers.
Dana Stevens addressed the song for Slate saying, “I’ll limit my discussion of “We Saw Your Boobs” to noting how, um nakedly it put into relief a recurring theme in last night’s ceremony: A Defensive anxiety about the ascendant power of women.”
On his Monday show radio icon and podcast pioneer Steve Dahl felt that, “Seth MacFarlane was funny at the beginning," but Dahl also said he should choose to "either be edgy or don't."
Seth MacFarlane is a multifaceted performer and creator. His animated productions “Family Guy,” “the Cleveland Show” and “American Dad” continue to be hits for Fox. Seth also recorded a big band album "Music Is Better Than Words" that garnered positive reviews and two Grammy nominations. Last summer he took Hollywood by storm with his hit comedy “Ted,” which featured Mark Wahlberg acting opposite a foul-mouthed CGI teddy bear voiced by MacFarlane. A sequel is currently in the works.
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