Brian Wall

Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy, writer, director and star of Ted, and glorified czar of Fox Animated Sundays, has been tapped to host the 85^th Annual Academy Awards on February 24^th, 2013. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, producers of Chicago, and more recently, Smash on NBC, will produce the ceremony. And while MacFarlane is undeniably funny, is he the right choice to hose the 85^th Academy Awards?

While MacFarlane has an impressive repertoire of voices and impressions at his command, his track record when performing live has been spotty at best. Though performing admirably on Saturday Night Live a few weeks back, MacFarlane struggled while presenting at the Emmys, who missed his mark and stood awkwardly on stage before realizing his error. He has also served as the MC of the Roast of Charlie Sheen on Comedy Central.

Being a host at the Oscars is a notoriously thankless task. Very few have managed to complete the ceremony unscathed, Billy Crystal and Jon Stewart being a couple of only a handful of examples. MacFarlane’s comedy style tends to fall on the side of outrageous, which has proved unsuccessful in the past with Academy members. Comedians by the likes of Chris Rock and Dave Letterman have yet to be asked back after their sole outing as ringmaster of the ceremony, when they delivered performances as host that were felt to be un-Oscary.

That all being said, MacFarlane is a proven comedic talent. While a slam-dunk is far from assured, it’s doubtful that he will fall on his face as hard as Anne Hathaway & James Franco during their infamous turn as hosts in 2011. Expectations are low, and all MacFarlane has to do is keep the show moving and not be distractingly unfunny. And if all else fails, Stewie can pay a visit to the Dolby Theatre to salvage MacFarlane’s bungles. Everyone loves Stewie. Everyone.

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