Mr. Gervais isn’t out of the running for the Oscars; he just doesn’t have it in the bag. We get this news of clarification from the Oscar lords themselves thanks to the thespian caves of Yahoo:
No doubt the Extras funnyman knows how to crack us up, but reports of him already being a leading contender for hosting duties have been greatly—well, hugely—exaggerated.
“We haven’t made one single phone call,” Larry Mark, who was announced yesterday as a coproducer of the 81st Annual Academy Awards show with writer-director Bill Condon (above, left with Jennifer Hudson and Mark), told me earlier today. “There has been no reaching out.” “We haven’t gotten that far yet,” said Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. “We’re just not there yet.”
I wouldn’t mind Gervais as an Oscars host. I think he’s certainly talented enough to pull it off; I’m just not sure he’s the correct choice this year. Following up a very poor ratings year, I think it may be time to tap Mr. Clooney for the job. He has widespread appeal and the necessary wit to be a successful host.
Eventually, I would like them to give Steve Martin another shot. I enjoyed his hosting and thought his jokes were the best oscar zingers of my lifetime.
International friends – would you like to see Gervais get the gig? If not him, then who?
