Theory on why James Franco and Anne Hathaway were terrible Oscar hosts

[markbot]

I usually avoid the telecast, but this year I decided to catch the opening number and jokes. It's always good for chuckle. WOW, James Franco totally bombed as a host. They didn't write anything funny for either of them to say either. Was this because of the Golden Globes?

So, my BIG theory on why James and Anne had terrible chemistry and appeared to repel each other is that during the preparation for the show they were knocking boots...but had a big falling out when the relationship went south.

[kindlekitten]

I think it's because neither are stage performers, let alone comedians, have no sense of timing and can't improvise


and I didn't even watch it!

[altworld]

Bad writing, as the Oscars were trying to be too nice after Ricky Grevis tore up establishment at the Golden Globes. From what I read, the only highlight was Kirk Douglas being a throw back to old Hollywood and going off script to hit on Anne Hathaway.

These shows need to be hosted by experienced hosts, not actors who can forget there cues. Kind of makes you miss Billy Crystal.
Arigato,
Nick Davis

[poohbear_nc]

These two were totally flat - as was the writing. No jokes, no banter with audience members - except when they recognized their mothers in the audience. Franco apparently has no personality, and Hathaway needed better lines.

[GlenBarrington]

Then went to Showtime to see a new episode of "Shameless". Fantastic show overall, even though Sunday's episode was a bit weak and had a surprising turn towards predictability, I thought.

After "Shameless", I went back to the Oscars and watched for another 30 minutes or so. I then gave up.

I think that it just proves that Franco is essentially a boring person. I mean, he dressed up like a woman and was still boring. Even Benny Hill was funny dressed like a woman. A guy in a dress is like a monkey smoking a cigar, it's really hard not to laugh. Just because you know how to act, it doesn't mean you have anything to contribute.

Anne Hathaway was somewhat less boring, I got the impression she at least understood she was bombing and tried to enfuse the show with some energy. And in the beginning, in the now mandatory skit where they insert the hosts into famous films, I thought she showed some charm in the "True Grit" segment.

[BenG]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Franco apparently has no personality, and Hathaway needed better lines.

Franco comes off quite well when being interviewed. Maybe he's not cut out for hosting and I do wish he had looked at Anne Hathaway at least once.

[dsvick]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

I think that it just proves that Franco is essentially a boring person. ... Just because you know how to act, it doesn't mean you have anything to contribute.

Maybe he should have approached it as a role in which he played a witty, energetic, engaging host.

Originally Posted by BenG

Franco comes off quite well when being interviewed. Maybe he not cut out for hosting and I do wish he had looked at Anne Hathaway at least once.

I certainly looked at her more than once .... umm, I mean, well, she was there and I was watching so I had to .... you know ..... nevermind ....

[spellbanisher]

I didn't watch the Oscars, but from the clips I've seen I suspect that Anne's unbridled enthusiasm and Franco's stoner apathy just don't mix well. Anne's energy would have been funnier juxtaposed to someone uptight or serious, someone who might have been embarrassed by Anne's exuberance, and Franco's apathetic persona would have been better juxtaposed to someone who believes that the Oscars is a serious and sacred event, someone who would get visibly upset at Franco's "whatever" mentality. You could have also gone over-the-top with Anne, partnering her with another effervescent personality.

I've also read that Franco might have been a little abstracted because of his course load at school. He is someone with an incredible work-ethic, and is currently a PHD student in English at Yale University while acting full-time. At one point he was acting full-time while attending three different Grad schools (Brooklyn college for fiction writing, New York University for filmmaking, and Warren Wilson College for poetry). And according to his Wikipedia entry, from 2006-2008 he was taking as many as 62 course credits a quarter at UCLA (the normal is 19) while acting full-time.

[captkjaneway]

Or they are both just crap?

Please USA keep Gervais, he is so far up his own arse that it makes me gag, I cannot stand the fella.

[markbot]

Originally Posted by BenG

Franco comes off quite well when being interviewed. Maybe he not cut out for hosting and I do wish he had looked at Anne Hathaway at least once.

I noticed that for the few mins I saw them today. I just saw a few here and there. they never looked at each!