Oscar roulette is usually played when it comes time to figure out the nominations. However, this year there seems to be a wheel of fortune spinning with the names of possible hosts for the show. Of course, the folks running the show have intimated that they might want to have a few stars sharing the duties. Historically, that hasn't worked out too well.The other day when Hugh Jackman removed his name from the running, I asked you for your ideas and told you that I like Kathy Griffin. Jimmy liked George Clooney and Justin Timberlake. Sancty suggested Neil Patrick Harris.
After successful hosting performances just this year on the Emmys and the Tonys, Neil certainly has the experience. But Las Vegas Oscar handicapper Johnny Avello only gives him an 8-1 shot at singing the opening Oscar medley. That's because Avello thinks the guy who made the medleys so famous, Billy Crystal, could come back. Avello says the odds are 5-2 that Billy's back. It would be his ninth go-round.
Avello's other likely candidates include: Jon Stewart (3 to 1), Ellen DeGeneres (4 to 1), Chris Rock (5 to 1), Tina Fey (18-to-1), Jerry Seinfeld (30 to 1), Stephen Colbert (35 to 1) and Steve Carell (40 to 1).
What, no Kathy Griffin? I guess we'll all just have to wait and see.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-03-2009 @ 12:07PM
Sancty said...
Hey... thanks for the shoutout!
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11-03-2009 @ 12:08PM
Prateek S. said...
Why is Conan's name not on the list? He's done a solid job with the Emmy's in the past. He just recently took over the Tonight Show in L.A. perfect opportunity to follow in Carson's footsteps. Stewart is great but he's done it twice already and his sensibility is similar to Conan's so I don't see there being a problem. Ellen was fine... Chris Rock was good and I think he's a great comedian but I don't think he gelled with the audience. It's not his crowd unfortunately. Colbert, can sing and dance works well with celebrities as evident by the christmas special so in addition to his regular awesomeness he would be great as well. But I'm pushing for conan as he's been a talk show host longer deserves his due!
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11-03-2009 @ 3:20PM
nytheatreguy said...
I agree with you that Conan deserves more respect than he receives (he seems destined to forever be the stepchild when it comes to these kinds of discussions); that said, I think the main reason he will not make the short list of potential Oscar hosts is due to the fact he's not a powerhouse ratings-getter in his own timeslot, so the Academy/ABC likely have little confidence that he'd be one as master of ceremonies for the Oscars. Personally, I think he'd do a fab job, but that's where I'd bet their reasoning lies.
11-03-2009 @ 4:59PM
Laughs said...
The main reason the Oscars suck are because it is produced like a movie.
It's not a movie. It's a TV show. Produced correctly, it would be two hours long and the Best Picture winner would be announced at 10:55 pm.
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