Click here to visit the new home of AOLTV!

Hot on HuffPost TV:

See More Stories
EDITION: U.S.
CA Canada US United States UK United Kingdom
Powered by i.TV
February 11, 2012
 
CONNECT    

Is Justin Timberlake the right star to host the Oscars?

by Allison Waldman, posted Aug 3rd 2008 3:05PM

Justin GlobesHe's no Johnny Carson or Bob Hope or Billy Crystal, but pop star and former boy band fave Justin Timberlake could be the next star to host the Academy Awards. The Oscars are still months away, but the Academy is already contemplating a way to make the show more Nielsen worthy.

Last February's show, hosted by The Daily Show's Jon Stewart (he also hosted in 2006), celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Oscars but was a ratings dud. It was the worst Oscars ever, in terms of Nielsen ratings, even though it had a 21.9 rating and 33 share.

Many people blame those dismal numbers on a disinterest among viewers in the films that were in contention last year, including heavy dramas No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Michael Clayton, which seemed to have little appeal to mass audiences.

Timberlake has experience hosting, having recently handled the ESPY Awards, and he is a top concert draw for his tours. The only lapse in his resume is film success; he was in The Love Guru with Mike Myers, perhaps the biggest bomb on the summer. He wouldn't be the first person with only a few film credits on his resume: Alan King, Paul Hogan and Chevy Chase have also hosted (or co-hosted) Oscar broadcasts.

Still, Timberlake might be a change of pace for this century's Oscars, someone who's not a comic. The guy does have a sense of humor -- he shared an Emmy with the Saturday Night Live guys for the song "Dick in a Box" -- and he can sing and dance. If it were up to me, I would pair Timberlake with somebody else. And one name that has been rumored is 30 Rock/Baby Mama Tina Fey. As long as there are no wardrobe malfunctions (and no Janet Jackson), Timberlake and Fey could be the perfect Oscar duo.

Link Squad

Add a Comment

Sign in »
*0 / 3000 Character Maximum

18 Comments

Filter by:
dermotjh

I thought that Jon Stewart did a great job last year and should be given another go

August 05 2008 at 10:21 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jim

I was never a Justin Timberlake fan, but I must say he has grown on me over the years, from his SNL hosting gigs to his U.S Open Challenge round of golf to the ESPYs. He is a "new school" Hollywood guy, and I think he is a great choice to host the Oscars.

Hell, he couldn't be any worse than Whoopi.

August 04 2008 at 10:08 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
colby

no

August 04 2008 at 9:20 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
rick cokely

The problem with the Oscars is the same as every year. Too long, and watching people self-appreciate isn't exactly good TV. Sure back in the day of non-24 hour news cycle and no internet blogs dedicated to your favorite celebs and television shows it was the best source to get the goods on your favorite celebrities, but that time has come and gone. To make the Oscars watchable again is an impossible task. Just go back to honoring yourselves in a hotel ballroom like everyone else does, Hollywood.

August 04 2008 at 8:59 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Almanac

According to The Omniverse Almanac,Justin Timberlakeis one of the few good guys inhabiting this planet, along with Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, The Dalai Lama,...

Check out The Omniverse Almanac on Google search.

August 04 2008 at 8:40 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Almanac

According to The Omniverse Almanac,Justin Timberlake is one of the few good guys inhabiting this planet, along with Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, The Dalai Lama,...

Check out The Omniverse Almanac on Google search.

August 04 2008 at 8:39 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Brent McKee

People don't wathc for the Oscar host, they watch because they have an interest in the movies nominated - because they've seen them, they like/love them. And yeah, they watch because they want to see what the women are wearing, the good, the bad and the outrageous. The fact is that the last Oscars largely featured films and actors that not that many people went to see. Great films, better than virtually all of the big budget crap that the big studios put out to pander to the teens and young adults, but movies that didn't have huge audiences and therefore a deserved "buzz." And you can't blame John Stewart for that and you can't expect a Justin Timberlake to turn it around if this year delivers the same sort of crop of films.

August 04 2008 at 1:53 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
dwacon_com

People still won't care enough to watch.

--
dwacon(com)

August 03 2008 at 7:49 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Georgia

I thought he was great for the ESPYs. He made it very entertaining. He needs the same writers for the Oscars as he had for the ESPYs.

August 03 2008 at 6:52 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Shri

He did a great job during the ESPY's. He's got a great sense of humor and would bring some more appeal to the show.

I'd tune in if he hosted.

August 03 2008 at 4:58 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

Follow Us

TV Squad Hot Topics

From Our Partners