The 10 Worst Oscars Hosts of All Time
By April Jones
James Franco and Anne Hathaway
In 2011, Anne Hathaway was Hollywood’s “it” girl and James Franco seemed to be hitting the peak of his career. In what turned out to be a blatant but clueless attempt to bring in a younger crowd, the powers that be at the Academy invited the pair to host the Oscars that year. Hathaway possessed the type of glamour associated with Hollywood’s big event, and she was delightfully enthusiastic. She just wasn’t funny. Sure, she tried and she certainly had a lot of energy but that was about it. It didn’t help that her co-host’s appearance was completely lackluster to the point where most people were wondering if he was stoned. (It’s James Franco. Of course he was.)
The problem with having Franco host is that there’s never really any well to tell if he’s involved in some sort of performance art, a la Joaquin Phoenix or Shia LaBeouf, or if he’s just…weird. Either way, his odd sense of humor isn’t a good fit for an event like the Oscars. And poor Anne Hathaway, she did as many women do when they’re dealing with man who puts half as much effort into doing the same job: she worked even harder. It ended up being painfully awkward. Not only did Anne Hathaway deserve better, but the Oscar crowd did too.