Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host- Page 3
Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
#50Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 12:20pm
He was average. Some things were good, most of it passable. (The Birdman bit was done better on the Independent Spirit Awards the day prior.) No one ever goes into it expecting people to like what they did. I do think that without the distraction of the Broadway numbers and and theatre-y jokes, his skills as a host are much more naked to the eye.
If a slight defense the balls on the dress joke, he may have missed the suicide comment as the music was coming up in the house and he was coming out on stage. (If you watched the show earlier, the guy that won for Ida was getting laughter and applause for talking through the music while he was mentioning his dead wife.)
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
#51Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 12:28pm
Neil was right down there with Letterman and Franco as "worst Oscar host."
He was focused on himself and on goading individual stars in the audience. That doesn't work for the Oscars, and he should have done his homework. He seemed totally out of touch. They love "general" comments and even general slams, but not personal ones directed at one member of the audience.
His timing was off, he looked nervous and hesitant after a tepid opening number, and it was all downhill from there.
He landed one or two good laughs. In a 3-hour evening, that's kinda terrible.
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
Tom5
Broadway Star Joined: 9/23/11
#52Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 12:29pmNPH is a hard working, highly skilled professional but what he is not is a natural wit and that is what is most needed for the job. Give me Ellen or Steve Martin any day.
#53Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 12:30pm
I think everyone needs to remember how these things work. Neil did not write most/all of those jokes. I guarentee you that the Academy and ABC packed a room full of their writers for an unknown host (i.e. he's never done the Oscars). There was a team of (at least) a dozen people that came up with that stuff, and Neil did his best to deliver them.
He can be criticized for his lack of ability to improvise in situations, but he did a great opening number, and almost all of his jokes he presented well. He just presented badly written jokes.
In regards to the post suicide speech joke, I would be willing to bet he was getting ready for something else and walked on stage and gave his pre-written joke. Likely some stage manager or handler feels awful for not saying "he just told a story about suicide" before Neil walked on stage.
Billy Crystal and Ellen do great because they are great off the cuff - but if you go back and look at their first go at the Oscars verses their latest hosting, you'd see a stark difference.
philly03
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/20/07
#54Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 12:33pm
"In regards to the post suicide speech joke, I would be willing to bet he was getting ready for something else and walked on stage and gave his pre-written joke. Likely some stage manager or handler feels awful for not saying "he just told a story about suicide" before Neil walked on stage."
I'll be honest - if it had been a famous actress, I would've have taken it so personally, but it just seemed like an unwarranted attack for someone whose probably having the biggest night of their life.
#55Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 12:34pm
He's been overrated for a long while
His Hedwig wasn't as great as folks think: He didn't embody the character and I could easily see NPH behind the wig. It was an obviously played character. If you've seen JCM in the role, you simply can't imagine it getting any better.
His hosting duty last night was lazy at best, smug and tart otherwise. It was uncomfortable watching him.
#56Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 12:34pmI'm surprised he hasn't issued his "I couldn't hear anything from where I was standing" statement to justify that remark yet.
#57Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 12:37pm
While we always feel like that comment is a fabricated excuse, it's often true.
You see the feeds of backstage, it's full of people running around, and he's likely being run through "off the cuff" jokes being written during the show. Again, there should be people in charge of keeping him aware of those sort of situations, but you can't very well go out and say "it's that assistant stage manager's fault," now can you?
#58Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 12:42pmI thought the "ball" joke was funny. His job is to keep the show moving... keep it light... keep it entertaining. She had her moment, it was appreciated by the crowd with respect, then they left the stage and Neil did what the host is supposed to do. The joke was innocent and not mean, and it had the desired affect which was to bring the show back to it's intended tone which is "fun". I didn't think it was offensive at all. There were a lot of balls on that dress!! It was a good, innocent joke.
#59Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 12:43pmWell if the rest of his performance wasn't so awful we probably wouldn't be focused on the balls comment today.
finebydesign
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/17/07
#60Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 1:02pm
I must be in the minority, I thought the opening was pretty terrible (with the exception of Jack Black and the screen thing.) To me if anything it felt expected. It didn't feel "live" and by the time Jack Black go there I had already lost interest.
In NPH defense this is a HARD gig. I can't believe people on here are suggesting the Tony's is a better production (it isn't).
#61Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 1:31pmPhilly03, I noticed the strange intros as well! The one I got confused at was Octavia's, maybe they thought she was in Dreamgirls? I liked that Oprah's introduction was "Nobody Does It Better" from The Spy Who Loved Me.
#62Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 1:34pm
NPH may not have written his material but he absolutely has a say, and the final word, as to what comes out of his mouth. He's not a puppet. He either approved or handpicked the writers and helped shape the material.
"I was only following orders" doesn't cut it as an excuse for tanking.
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
rattleNwoolypenguin
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/11/11
#63Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 1:37pmNPH is charming. Bad writing is bad writing
DAME
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
#64Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 1:39pmHe was mediocre... and I am so over the NPH -Burtka PR machinery. They have both been irritating me now for a while. They are so 5 minutes ago. And I am sorry.. that spread in Architectural Digest was vomit inducing.
#65Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 1:42pm
He wasn't charming last night. Not for one minute.
He started out vapid and cocky and totally unaware of how to gauge that audience, and it went downhill from there.
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
wexy
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/19/05
#66Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 1:47pmHe was not look at all last night..
#67Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 1:48pm
I'm not a Neil-hater in general either. I think he is one of (if not) the best Tony Awards hosts ever.
He is also one of the worst Oscar hosts ever.
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#68Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 1:50pm
Fire
Totally disagree. Comparing shows the Oscars,are a old gas guzzler which should be junked and the Tonys are a brand new ferrari
#69Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 1:53pmViewing figures are starting to come out and it appears that the telecast was down by double digits.
DAME
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
#70Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 1:54pm
Bestie,
I am not a hater either. But with the finale of his TV show, Hedwig, and now the Oscars, I have been watching a lot of his PR Machinery and it is a bit of a turn off. And with him being so bad last night I hope he steps back and concentrates on his acting work and come back for the Tonys at some point..
#71Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 1:57pm
The idea that he has final say over anything is rather absurd. He was hired, but he absolutely has to answer to the Academy and to ABC, not to mention advertisers. (all of whom are pouring millions into the broadcast). Please correct me if I'm wrong, but he is NOT a listed producer, director, or any artistic position that I could find (unlike some of his Tony hostings). If he hosts again, sure he might be able to have a greater say. But I don't see any sort of scenario in which the Academy or ABC gives that much control to a first time host.
If ABC says cut it - you cut it.
I'm not asserting the NPH is without blame, but he wasn't set up for success with the material developed for him.
DAME
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
#72Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 1:59pm
MOUSTACHA; You asked to be corrected if you are wrong. Well here I go. I am correcting you. You are wrong. He had a lot to say. He even said so himself in tons of the PR for the show. I am just happy they reigned in the magic crap.
#73Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 2:03pm
Input does not equal creative power. His name is not mentioned at any time in these credits.
http://www.oscars.org/news/87th-oscarsr-production-team-announced
Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron today announced 13 key members of the production team for the 87th Academy Awards®, which will air live on Oscar® Sunday, February 22, 2015, on ABC.
Director Hamish Hamilton returns...
Production designer Derek McLane...
Choreographer Rob Ashford...
Writer, producer and director Greg Berlanti...
Zadan and Meron have brought in Michael Green, Seth Grahame-Smith and Andrew Kreisberg to complete the writing staff...
Music director Stephen Oremus makes his Oscar debut this year...
And these are just the named production members. I suspect these writing staffs to be bloated with at least 12-15 people. Neil maybe had one or two of his guys in the room, and they likely listened to any ideas he brought, but to think he had some sort of creative control is not correct.
Updated On: 2/23/15 at 02:03 PM
#74Neil Patrick Harris' first and last year as Oscar host
Posted: 2/23/15 at 2:14pm
DAME, I am so over the NPH-Burtka PR machinery too. It's like they stopped being real people and it seems to be affecting Harris' persona. He can be so charming and dynamic and fun. He just fell flat on his face last night. Couldn't agree more with Besty's comment that he was cocky and it didn't work. The writing is only part of it. Amy Poehler and Tina Fey can sell a bad joke like nobody's business at the Globes because you can genuinely tell they enjoy being with each other, and they know exactly how to work the audience in the room and at home. I think it's one of those that if you can tell the people in the room are not having fun, it's really hard for the audience at home to have fun.
There was something mean-sprited in his jokes. I hated the comments he made about people who didn't get in right before their categories were announced or, worse, right before they presented. The look on Jennifer Aniston's face after Harris' "And now two people who definitely deserve to be here" comment said it all. It was a disaster. Jack Black and Anna Kendrick should have kicked him out during their number, they got the right tone IMO.
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