After the disappointment of Eddie Murphy pulling out last year and his relatively last-minute replacement, Billy Crystal, not quite hitting his previous best, the pressure is definitely on the next person stepping into the Kodak Theater's limelight. Enter, then, Seth MacFarlane, who has been officially confirmed as 2013's Oscars host.
The Family Guy writer/director/voice artist/producer/one-man cartoon comedy machine has recently seen a huge success in the motion-picture business too, with Ted scoring big in the box office ($420 million plus worldwide) and a sequel already lined up.
Elsewhere, an album, 'Music Is Better Than Words', has flaunted his singing skills, and he's even appeared at the Albert Hall. Then there's his Saturday Night Live hosting recently, which looks like it served as a kind of dry run before Uncle Oscar gave his seal of approval.
It's a brave choice from the Academy this time around – Macfarlane isn't afraid of dropping a penny in the swear jar – but at least his epic pipes should be able to fill a room. Perhaps he'll even be able to rival Hugh Jackman's ditty from a few years' back with something like 2007's Stewie and Brain-filled Emmys-opening number.
What's important, however, is that Seth is clearly a choice that favours getting younger viewers watching, and that is very encouraging indeed.
But what are your thoughts? Will Seth's comedy stylings suit the Academy's big day, or will it go down like a lead balloon come February 24? Let us know in the comment box below.
P.S. Here's an example of Seth's previous attempts at Oscars humour from an old Family Guy episode...
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