Sorry I missed your question earlier, Ashley. I really enjoyed Ellen, especially her opening monologue. Some of the later stuff didn't work as well. As the Times said, she set the tone for the show, so was responsible for the more relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere. I can't compare hosts that well because I've been mostly avoiding the show the last few years.
By the way, another plus was the dearth of horrendously awkward scripted banter between presenters before they get down to business. It kind of defeats the whole purpose of the Oscars to so clearly illustrate the acting limitations of those poor presenters, though Duse herself probably couldn't have made that stuff sound good. I think that's what has driven me away from awards shows more than anything else.
Updated On: 2/26/07 at 03:14 PM