He sang, danced, made some insults and managed to be self-deprecating in his 15-minute-plus intro at the 85th Academy Awards. Seth MacFarlane was arguably a “risky” choice as host for the sometimes stiff Academy. “What would he do?” many thought before going into the 2013 Oscars.
I wondered if MacFarlane would be too crass for the Oscars, but I think he did a classy job. He looked fantastic in a classic tuxedo. I’ve always found MacFarlane to be clean-cut and handsome. The Oscars even poked fun at whether or not MacFarlane would be a good host when a video screen emerged onstage, featuring actor William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk of “Star Trek,” who proceeded to “look into the future” to forecast that MacFarlane would be dubbed the “worst Oscars host ever.”
“Your jokes are tasteless and inappropriate, and everyone ends up hating you,” said Shatner, noting, “I’m here to stop you from doing what you’re about to do.”
That prompted MacFarlane to show off his song and dance skills, performing “The Way You Look Tonight,” with Charlize Theron and “Magic Mike” star Channing Tatum. Daniel Radcliffe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt then joined MacFarlane for a version of “High Hopes.”
MacFarlane kept the jokes going throughout the night, at one point joking that the Oscars ceremony, which is held on Sunday, is like church, “but only with with more people praying.”
With that being said, I wanted to point out how much of a LGBT ally MacFarlane is. MacFarlane came to support gay rights and gay marriage after a family member wondered aloud whether his gay cousin’s homosexuality could be “cured“. The incident angered MacFarlane, who said in a 2008 interview in The Advocate, that such a statement “was fucking horrifying to hear from somebody that you love”. He credits his parents for raising him to be a logical person.
MacFarlane is passionate about his support for gay rights. He said it is “infuriating and idiotic” that two gay partners “have to go through this fucking dog and pony act when they stop at a hotel and the guy behind the counter says, ‘You want one room or two?'”. He went on to say, “I’m incredibly passionate about my support for the gay community and what they’re dealing with at this current point in time”. MacFarlane continued, “Why is it that Johnny Spaghetti Stain in fucking Georgia can knock a woman up, legally be married to her, and then beat the shit out of her, but these two intelligent, sophisticated writers who have been together for 20 years can’t get married?”
MacFarlane, in recognition of “his active, passionate commitment to Humanist values, and his fearless support of equal marriage rights and other social justice issues”, was named the Harvard Humanist of the Year in 2011.
So did you watch the Oscars? How do you think MacFarlane did as host?
Joe
The Closet Professor 
February 25th, 2013 at 8:32 am
While I support MacFarlane's support of gay rights and equality, I did not like his Oscar hosting. He lost me with the Lincoln assassination "joke." Yes, it was too soon. MacFarlane was a distraction and an uncomfortable one at that.
February 25th, 2013 at 11:52 am
I thought he did a great job. He is Seth McFarlane after all. I doubt he was picked because they wanted someone safe. He dialed it back from his "default" setting, but still threw in some comments that made us squirm. He kept the show moving, looked handsome and was charming. I liked having a host younger than 50 and I'm older than 50 btw.
February 25th, 2013 at 1:23 pm
Mostly positive as he's multi-talented and can think on his feet. There were blemishes: some references to women that were inappropriate, and I think the boobs number was a mistake, although he may not have been involved in its creation.I still think Billy Crystal was the best Oscar host ever, particularly the night of the Jack Palance inspired lunacy.
February 25th, 2013 at 1:51 pm
I thought he was hilarious and appreciate the stand he has taken on gay and civil rights issues. He's also kind of hot.
February 25th, 2013 at 4:06 pm
He was great…maybe not the best ever, but better than most. Realistically, the host does not control the whole show, but he is critical to it's success. I think his part of the show was entertaining, funny, and I would welcome more of the same. And, yes, Loki…he is hot. I'd love to see him with nothing on but that trademark smile.
February 25th, 2013 at 6:49 pm
Honestly, he bored me the second that William Shatner thing came on, so I went to bed. Peace <3Jay
February 25th, 2013 at 9:09 pm
I think he did what he needed to do; the Academy knows his work and irreverent but classy nature, standing always sharp and clean.
February 26th, 2013 at 12:35 am
I thought he did a terrible job, found none of his jokes funny, and was just boring every time he was interspersed with the more interesting material. Don't think the Academy will have him back.