Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Jimmy Kimmel.
Ricky Gervais.
Will Seth MacFarlane be returning to host the Academy Awards?
"No way. Lotta fun to have done it though" he said via his @SethMacFarlane account on Twitter on Tuesday.
Later he added on Twitter: "The Oscars is basically the Kobayashi Maru test." Any "Star Trek" fan knows this to be a reference to the Starfleet Academy's "no-win scenario" training exam.
That's good news for those of us who don't care for crude, obnoxious jerks hosting the Oscars, when hosts like Bob Hope, Johnny Carson and Billy Crystal have proven that class works best in this role.
These guys all had stand-up comedy backgrounds. They knew how to "work the room," as they say, lightly jabbing a studio head here and slyly poking a few big stars there.
"I see a lot of new faces tonight," Carson said from the Oscar stage years ago. "I see a lot of new faces on a lot of the old faces tonight." Buh-dump-bump.
MacFarlane trying stand-up was agony, but the whole show was a mess outside of the music and Charlize Theron dancing and a few awards surprises.
So who should be the next Oscar host?
* Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
They were very good at the Golden Globes, a show far superior to this year's Oscars. They kept the show moving. They tried gags, and the gags worked.
They showed class. I hate to think what MacFarlane's so-called comedy would have been following Jodie Foster's speech. This would be a solid pick and probably more than a one-year solution.
* Jimmy Kimmel
This selection would be a natural. His late-night talk show is a success in its new time slot, and he's hosted the post-Oscar show to good results the last two years.
Why has he hosted the after-party? Because he's on ABC, the network that broadcasts the Oscars and will for years to come. David Letterman as host blundered so badly that we haven't had a late-night host since 1995. Is Kimmel the answer?
* Ricky Gervais
This is a longshot. But the man is funny. And he's fearless when jabbing at stars' insecurities, and we won't get any "boobs" songs. There are stars who would not be happy if Gervais were selected, but that's part of the appeal: People would tune in just to hear what he says.
Ratings are important....just ask the Golden Globes officials. After swearing Gervais would never host again, they begged him back -- for the ratings.
