What, Whoopi Isn’t Available?
Ricky Gervais (pictured) was such a hit at last month’s Emmys that the producers of February’s Oscar broadcast inquired about his possibly hosting that ratings-slipping extravaganza. He turned them down, reasoning that “no one’s there to hear jokes, they’re there to see if they won an Oscar.” Boy, is he wrong! It’s the Bruce Vilanch-scripted one-liners and the (now rare) musical production numbers that get us through the long stretches of short-film award announcements. At this point, even God Herself hosting the awards might not up its appeal. The only solution is the obvious one: like “American Idol,” let the viewers vote. That way, Zac Efron and Britney Spears would win the statuettes they so richly deserve. I have a suggestion that would juice the broadcast even more: have re-votes on past awards. Do we really think, say, Mira Sorvino or Don Ameche would win if that stunt were tried?
