Seth MacFarlane has been officially selected to host the 85th Annual Academy Awards. The funnyman behind Family Guy and Ted will take to the Oscar stage for the first time in his career early next year.
MacFarlane was quick to dish out praise to his predecessors and hopes of living up to their standards. In what’s likely a tease of the type of comedy MacFarlane will deliver on the big Hollywood night, he added, “I hope they don’t find out I hosted the Charlie Sheen Roast.”
Academy Award Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron backed up their selection by calling MacFarlane the “consummate host” and adding, “…his performing skills blend perfectly with our ideas for making the show entertaining and fresh.” In other words, the Academy Awards are still aiming to pull in a younger demographic and are banking on the idea that MacFarlane will put memories of James Franco out to pasture.
Shortly after the news broke earlier today, a video popped up on YouTube’s Oscars channel of MacFarlane breaking the news to his less enthusiastic father. MacFarlane is over the moon about his new gig and gushes about it to pops while chatting on a couch.
MacFarlane’s Dad, meanwhile, isn’t about reciprocating the jubilation. Instead he offers his son old bathing suits which is apparently a bigger deal than the Oscars. Dad closes the conversation by requesting the suits back and telling his son that they are going to Billy Crystal instead.
2012 has proven to be a huge year for Seth MacFarlane. In addition to nabbing the Oscars hosting gig, his raunchy teddy bear film Ted that he wrote, directed and co-starred in earned over $434 million at the worldwide box office and was arguably one of the biggest sleeper hits of the year.
Can Seth MacFarlane help boost Academy Award ratings and begin a long stint of annual hosting duties? He has as good a shot as anyone, especially if he breaks out the Stewie Griffin voice a couple times.
