Despite my assured proclamations to my brother that Seth MacFarlane would be “the worst host in Oscar history,” even The Dishmaster can eat crow. He was good. He was classy, capable, and enjoyable. He got out of the way, knowing exactly when to assert himself and when to exit. As for the show, there were some memorable performances, including a killer solo by Jennifer Hudson, and a did-she-age-backwards moment from Barbra Streisand. And who can forget Jennifer Lawrence’s fall on her way to the stage, which she eloquently dismissed, making her ever-the-more likable. As for Ben Affleck, he’s validated his talent ten times over, and he’s also got a date with his fellow producer, who hogged the stage in a self-aggrandizing rant, perhaps eaten by his own ego. When he finally got his humble moment, Affleck hilariously confessed that his marriage is work, “but the best kind of work,” which brought me nostalgically back to the day when he accepted his first Oscar, speaking exceptionally fast and off-the-cuff. There was a tasteless closing song that I’ll pretend I never heard, because . . . well . . . you can’t have everything.
Oscars 2013 — A Full Review
Despite my assured proclamations to my brother that Seth MacFarlane would be “the worst host in Oscar history,” even The Dishmaster can eat crow. He was good. He was classy, capable, and enjoyable. He got out of the way, knowing exactly when to assert himself and when to exit. As for the show, there were some memorable performances, including a killer solo by Jennifer Hudson, and a did-she-age-backwards moment from Barbra Streisand. And who can forget Jennifer Lawrence’s fall on her way to the stage, which she eloquently dismissed, making her ever-the-more likable. As for Ben Affleck, he’s validated his talent ten times over, and he’s also got a date with his fellow producer, who hogged the stage in a self-aggrandizing rant, perhaps eaten by his own ego. When he finally got his humble moment, Affleck hilariously confessed that his marriage is work, “but the best kind of work,” which brought me nostalgically back to the day when he accepted his first Oscar, speaking exceptionally fast and off-the-cuff. There was a tasteless closing song that I’ll pretend I never heard, because . . . well . . . you can’t have everything.