Obviously, it’s no secret that there’s been a lot of news in the past few days about the Oscar ceremony, when normally we’re just talking about the Oscar race.  Brett Ratner put his foot in his mouth (real shocking) and no longer is co-producing the show, replaced by Brian Grazer.  This led to Eddie Murphy leaving as host, throwing the show into more flux.  Of course, many people have called for Billy Crystal to return as host, and he’s definitely a good pick, but it got me thinking about alternative choices who would be just as good as Billy.  Here are 10 other people who would get my vote for hosting duties if I had a say in the matter:

1. Tom Hanks: One of the most likable people in Hollywood, he would certainly have the audience feeling warm and fuzzy inside, but when it comes to some of the parts of hosting that favor a more stand-up approach, how will he fare?  Just remember ‘Punchline’…but at the same token, he burst on the scene as a great comedic actor, so he’d be at the top of my list.  Plus, he’s worked with Grazer on some of Ron Howard’s films, so the connection is already there.

2. Robert Downey, Jr.: RDJ would easily be one of the more interesting choices, as he’s probably one of the more modern definitions of cool out there.  He’s got wit to spare, and would easily be the quickest host in years.  He seems almost perfect, but he reportedly turned down co-hosting with Ben Stiller once before, so maybe he’s not interested?

3. The Muppets: This was the one I immediately thought of, but it seems they’re sort of a popular grassroots choice.  I wonder if their movie opens big, will this become even more likely?  An Oscar version of ‘The Muppet Show’?  Count me in even more than usual if that’s the case.  Kermit and Miss Piggy welcoming you to the show…I’m smiling just thinking about that.

4. Kevin Smith: This one’s just for me, but he’s an Academy member and a real showman these days.  His live shows are immensely entertaining, and hell, it’d be an interesting counter-culture pick.  He’s also well liked by actors in the industry, which is always worth noting to a degree.  A long shot, but hey…you never know.

5. Betty White: She’s bizarrely popular these days, and I’m sure she’d manage to do a fine job if picked.  I actually think she’s one of the dark horses possibly being discussed.  I don’t think she’ll end up as the host, but I’m pretty sure her name’s been brought up.  I’d have no problem with her getting the gig if it came to pass.

6. Louis C.K.: This one would please me to no end, and would fit the comedian type, but he’s far too intelligent and dirty for what Oscar tends to love in their host.  His biting humor would poke great fun at the Academy, but they’re never going to go for it.  Alas…

7. Zooey Deschanel: She’d be the perkiest Oscar host in history, and she’s been winning over hearts and minds on television lately with ‘New Girl’.  Plus, she knows how to sing, and might be a nominee herself for a ‘Winnie the Pooh’ song.  Coincidence?  We’d think not if she got picked.  Maybe her ‘(500) Days of Summer’ co-star can come help out…maybe even co-host.  There’s possibilities here people.

8. Ryan Gosling: Because he’s been everywhere this year already, and it’d assure that even more women than usual would tune in.  Ratings would be through the roof if he took his tuxedo off at some point.  Imagine if he hosted and took home Best Actor?  That’d be something else, and an historical Oscar moment…

9. James Franco and Anne Hathaway: Because that worked out so well last year, right?  Right?  Oh, guess not.  Well then, on to my final pick!

10. Me:  Yes, Academy Awards host Joey Magidson has a certain ring to it, no?  And hey, wouldn’t it just be the most intimate coverage of the show for The Awards Circuit?  I could live blog the show while being in the show!  I kid, but I will confess that my phone is on in case Grazer decides to call…

-There you have it.  Those are just some of the choices facing the brain trust for the Oscars.  Of course, there are obvious choices that I excluded for one reason or another, but I put it to all of you to complete the list.  Let me know your picks!

-Who would you choose as the host?  Discuss it on the Forum!

About Joey Magidson

When he’s not obsessing over new Oscar predictions on a weekly basis, Joey is seeing between 200 and 300 movies a year. He views the best in order to properly analyze the awards race/season each year, but he also watches the worst for reasons he mostly sums up as "so you all don't have to". In his spare time, you can usually find him complaining about the Jets or the Mets. Still, he lives and dies by film. Joey's a voting member of the Internet Film Critics Association as well. Today the IFCA, tomorrow the world!

• View all posts by Joey Magidson →
• Blog
• Twitter
• Facebook

Related Stories:

12 Comments

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI