The most memorable Oscar hosts over the years

Family Guy creator, Seth MacFarlane, received some mixed reviews for his performance at the 2013 edition of the Oscars. The Ted star was criticised for his jokes, which some said were sexist and homophobic. Unfortunately, his old-school song-and-dance routines didn’t win over the crowd either, though everybody certainly had a lot to talk about after the show.

Although these two have major A-list cred, Anne Hathaway and James Franco’s hosting abilities didn’t live up to expectations. Hathaway’s slew of outfit changes — a total of eight different looks during the show — was the only thing keeping our attention. 

Wolverine star Hugh Jackman showed off his skills during the 2009 Oscars. He charmed his way into the audience’s hearts with his musical tributes to the year’s nominated films and clever stage banter. Some critics weren’t convinced, but we feel the X-Men star was a great change from the usual Oscar line-up of comedic hosts we’re used to seeing. 

And let’s not forget Ellen DeGeneres, who hosted the Academy Awards for the second time in 2014. DeGeneres’ mid-show selfie with a group of A-Listers (some of who could not be seen; shout-out to Liza Minnelli!) that included Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep and Bradley Cooper, went viral within seconds of it being posted. The talk show host captioned the shot: “If only Bradley’s arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars”.

Photograph: Twitter.com/TheEllenShow   

In honour of Neil Patrick Harris’ announcement about hosting the 2015 Academy Awards, we’re looking back at the most unforgettable Oscar hosts. Some of these might have made less than a favourable impression, but they were memorable nevertheless. Harris announced that he got the gig on Twitter, by posting a video of himself scratching ‘being an Oscar host’ off of his impressive bucket list (which also includes rapping with Snoop Dogg). The How I Met Your Mother actor has proven that he knows a thing or two about hosting an awards show as he has previously with his two Emmy and four Tony forays! 

Click through to see who made the cut before him.

Photograph: Instagram.com/instagranph

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