Outspoken comedian Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy, will host the Oscars ceremony in February in a choice seen aimed at attracting younger viewers to the movie industry’s biggest night.
His performing skills blend perfectly with our ideas for making the show entertaining and fresh
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which produces the Oscars, announced the selection of first-time host MacFarlane, known for his no-holds-barred humour and cultural satire on Family Guy.
Oscars telecast producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said they picked MacFarlane, 38, because “his performing skills blend perfectly with our ideas for making the show entertaining and fresh”, calling him the “consummate host”.
“My thoughts upon hearing the news were, one, I will do my utmost to live up to the high standards set forth by my predecessors; and two, I hope they don’t find out I hosted the Charlie Sheen Roast,” MacFarlane said in a statement, alluding to a televised send-up of Sheen on the Comedy Central channel.
The Academy Awards, which will next take place on February 24, are the highest honours in the movie business and the hosting job is a coveted spot, held in the past by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Johnny Carson and Steve Martin.
The Academy has struggled in recent years to appeal to a younger audience.
Rookie hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco were drafted in for the 2011 ceremony but the show became one of the least-watched Academy Awards in the past decade, drawing 37.6 million Americans, and critics slammed the young hosts.
More than 39 million Americans tuned in to watch Oscars veteran Billy Crystal take the helm this year but some critics called the show old-fashioned.
Comedian MacFarlane rose to fame and gained a cult following as the creator of Fox’s edgy comedy series Family Guy, which follows the outrageous antics of Peter Griffin and his dysfunctional family. He has often come under fire from US watchdog groups who regularly feature Family Guy on their “worst prime-time shows for family viewing” on grounds it include “gratuitous sex” or “obscene language”.
MacFarlane made his directorial debut on the big screen this year with Ted, an R-rated comedy film starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, about a pot-smoking, foul-mouthed teddy bear.
The success of Family Guy led MacFarlane to create two animated spin-off series, The Cleveland Show and American Dad.
He also voices the characters of Peter, Brian and Stewie on Family Guy, has often embraced song and dance numbers on the animated show and has hosted Rat Pack-themed nights at his LA home.
The comedian has also performed to sold-out audiences at London’s Royal Albert Hall and New York’s Carnegie Hall, and earned two Grammy nominations for his debut 2011 album, Music is Better Than Words.