The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 25, 2005, Page 6, Image 6
THEY SAID IT
“No matter what, no matter when, no matter who, any
man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet.
Page 6 He neec*s broom.”
Friday, February 25, 2005 ALEXh,™enhs
Oscar fans look for Rock's edgy sense of humor
to push envelope of recent squeaky-clean hosts
By MANUEL MENDOZA
KRT CAMPUS
You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist
to think that Chris Rock and the motion
picture Academy are doing everything
they can — including fueling a trumped-up
controversy — to boost ratings for Sunday’s
Oscars.
“You won’t believe the halftime show,” the 40
year-old comedian said with a gleam in his eye on a
commercial for the show.
In other words, tune in or risk missing the
equivalent of a wardrobe malfunction.
The promotional spot is supposed to be funny and
provocative in the hopes of luring viewers back to the
telecast, which has grown stagnant under the
Whoopi-Billy-Steve rotation. The trio has taken
turns hosting since 1996, the year after the Academy
took its last big risk with David Letterman, who
bombed because he refused to suck up to movie stars.
The come-on is that Chris Rock is just as
dangerous. He won’t perform any soft shoe, and he
won’t genuflect to Jack Nicholson.
tiagy is tne wora tnat Keeps coming up, Academy
executive director Bruce Davis told The New York
Times. “I like to hear that people are nervous, because
that means you’re more likely to watch.”
Chris Rock’s ability and willingness to make
some people nervous is, ironically, what makes so
many other people like him. He is arguably the most
popular comedian of our time, yet his stage persona
might be more than the Academy Awards can
handle. And that’s why he was selected.
Rock has been feeding this hall of mirrors,
particularly in an interview with Entertainment
Weekly in which he dissed the Oscars, hip-hop
style. He never watches, he said, asking what
straight black man does? He also called all awards
shows idiotic. Telling the truth is no defense.
Last week, Matt Drudge bit. The conservative
Internet nerd found himself defending Hollywood
against the comedian’s comments, apparently not
realizing Rock was trying to do his job and be
funny. (Literalist headline: “Host Chris Rock
Shock: Only Gays Watch Oscars.”) That’s exactly
the kind of reaction that sucks in people who
normally don’t bother.
At the same time, Rock and the Academy have
been promising he won t go too tar. He has
repeatedly said he doesn’t have to curse to' be
funny. But he made his reputation on HBO, where
his now-defunct show and groundbreaking
standup specials are laced with profanity and taboo
subjects.
Recently, he’s been trying out Oscar-night jokes
at comedy clubs, including one about Lindsay
Lohan’s breasts that won’t make the air — at least
not the way he told it. But there also were clean
jokes in the routines.
The Academy and ABC, which is broadcasting
the Oscars, have gone out of their way to
accommodate Rock’s style without turning his
performance into a riff on prison sex.
For a slightly built man, he takes up a lot of space,
relentlessly pacing back and forth, so the stage at the
Kodak Theatre will be extended into the crowd to
make room for his movements and make it possible
for him to interact with the celebrity audience.
And while it’s changing things up, the producers
have decided that some awards will be handed out
to the winner in his or her seat and some nominees
will be gathered onstage before the winner is
announced. It’s all intended to revive interest, which
has been up and down for years.
There’s never been a worse outing than 2003,
when Steve Martin hosted, “Chicago” won best
picture and only 33 million viewers tuned in. Last
year’s “Lord of the Rings” fest climbed to 43.5
million but failed to rival the 55 million who
watched in 1998 for “Titanic.”
Rock has hosted other awards shows, namely the
MTV Video Music Awards in 1997, 1998 and
2003 without untoward incident. He has studied
what past Oscar hosts have done.
It’s just basic hosting,” he told Entertainment
Weekly. “It’s like sports. You get a big lead, then
you run out the clock. No one’s really going to
remember some comedy set piece that you do two
hours into the show.”
Just in case, though, there’ll be a time delay. After
all, anything can happen. At least that’s what the
Academy hopes you think.
YOUR HOSTS FOR THE EVENINGS
When the Academy hires an Oscar host, it
usually knows what to expect. Billy is going to be
Billy; Whoopi, Whoopi. Here’s a look at
how the last 10 years have gone:
Billy Crystal (1997, 1998,
2000, 2004) — The gentle
insider also hosted from 1990
to 1993. But it was in 1997
that he introduced brilliant
movie spoofs to the top of
the show. Eventually, he
ran the shtick into the
ground. The same thing
happened to his song
parody medley
mentioning best-picture
nominees. His style has
been to kid Hollywood
without getting mean
about it.
Steve Martin (2001,
2003) — His 2001 stint
walked the line between
making fun of and mocking.
In the wake of his affair with
Meg Ryan, Russell Crowe
stayed stone-faced when the
host joked that the actor
had hit on Ellen Burstyn.
He also got off a good line
about worldwide viewers
thinking everyone in
Hollywood is gay. In 2003,
Martin was overshadowed
by the start of the Iraq war
and Michael Moore’s rant
about it. _
Whoopi Goldberg (1996,
1999, 2002) — She has been an
envelope pusher, willing to work blue
to make her presence felt. Her 2002
lowering from the ceiling in full
Victorian garb in an allusion to
nominee Elizabeth remains a classic
Oscar moment. Also hosted in 1994.
David Letterman (1995) —
The talk show host still beats
himself up over his poorly received
performance, which was funnier
than the celebrity audience took it.
“Uma, Oprah,” was inspired, even if
mounting a stupid pet trick was a
mistake. But as an outsider Dave
brought the same kind of edge the
Academy is after this year with Chris
Rock.
MINDY schauer/krt campus
Steve Martin hosted the 75th Annual Academy Awards on March 23, 2003.
THE GAMECOCK PICKS ITS OSCAR WINNERS 63
BEST PICTURE
“THE AVIATOR”
BEST ACTOR
JAMIE FOXX, “RAY”
BEST ACTRESS
KATE WINSLET,
“ETERNAL
SUNSHINE”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“SHREK 2”
BEST DIRECTOR
MARTIN SCORSESE,
“THE AVIATOR”
PHOTO COURTESY OF
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS