"This is just like that time Seth MacFarlane was announced to host the Oscars" is an example of the sort of joke that will be made regarding today's announcement that Seth MacFarlane will host the Oscars, both as a reference to MacFarlane's Family Guy-style cutaway humor and the seeming unlikelihood of MacFarlane getting the gig. And yet, much like some of those cutaway gags, there's nothing funny about it: Although his entire history with the cinema is limited to this summer's Ted, the deciding factor was apparently that MacFarlane proved himself an affable host with his recent turn on Saturday Night Live (which Deadline refers to as his "tryout"), and recovered from his recent Emmys presenter gaffe with self-effacing humor that demonstrated he can roll with the punches—even if he doesn't see rehearsing as all that important, an attitude the Oscars has not exactly embraced lately. Also, he can sing in that old-fashioned crooner way that the Academy's main voting body enjoys while also doing funny voices, both of which should make for one of those big opening musical numbers that Oscar producers always insist on.
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