If you watched the 2013 Oscars, then you certainly had an opinion of its host, Seth MacFarlane. From the “We Saw Your Boobs” song and dance number to the off-color remarks made at the expense of the likes of Rihanna and Abraham Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln, for the love of god!), MacFarlane was seen as obnoxious and sexist to some, savagely funny to others. Whatever your thoughts on MacFarlane’s job, his hiring apparently worked: the numbers for the show were rather good; certainly better than his predecessor Billy Crystal‘s 2012 show.
So will the Academy ask him back? They might, but according to MacFarlane, he’s done.
The word comes directly from the funnyman’s Twitter account. When asked by a follower if he would host the Oscars again “if asked,” MacFarlane replied:
“No way. Lotta fun to have done it, though.”
MacFarlane didn’t elaborate on this any further, although his next tweet may give us some insight into his thinking: “The Oscars is basically the Kobayashi Maru test.” This, Trekkies know well, is a reference to the test in the STAR TREK universe that is basically unwinnable.
Additionally, MacFarlane tweeted this Huffington Post article about “the year in sideboob” with the caption, “Interesting article about the press’ anger over the Boobs song.” Passive-aggressive a little, Seth?
You can say MacFarlane prepared for a backlash: that entire opening bit with William Shatner about how he’d be deemed the worst Oscar host in history (which this writer found lame, but to each his own) was tantamount to punching himself before someone else could punch him. Still, it’s possible that the furor over what some saw as a tasteless show affected him more than he could have anticipated. That, or he truly did view it as a one-off.
What do you think: Would you be down for Seth MacFarlane‘s return to the Oscar stage next year, or helllllll no?