Academy Awards 2011: James Franco and Anne Hathaway

Oh boy!

So remember how I was quite excited for this year’s Oscars – and a fan of hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway?

Well unfortunately the smile froze on my face about ten minutes into the ceremony when it became blatantly clear that the movie star duo just didn’t have the comedy chops or stage presence to anchor a 3 hour show.

James and Anne’s opening montage was fun enough – though the writing could have been a LOT sharper – but when the duo took to the stage itself, the clearly nervous duo just bombed. The timing was flabby, the one liners flopped, it was just so uncomfortable. And as the evening wore on it just got worse and worse… (for me the lowlight was a rambling and almost dribbling Kirk Douglas)

The problem – the film stars have limited experience in front of a live audience and hosting a couple of Saturday Night Lives just isn’t the same thing. To really host an awards show you either need a stand up comedian or a veteran Broadway star – someone who knows how to speak to a live audience and get them on side. James and Anne never felt at ease up there on stage – and boy could you tell.

Of course it wasn’t all their fault. The ceremony as a whole just felt so old school – dull montages, lame scripted introductions, middle of the road gags – and above all the show once again was far too long. Plus there was just no magic…

Here’s an idea – next year pack the whole show into a 2 hour ceremony. Make it zip by. Add some edge, some spark, some pathos. And really put on a show. ‘Cause at the moment the Oscars are as lame and lazy as all the movies currently on our movie screens…