The Greatest Showman - Opening Highlights (#1229)

"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening, and welcome to the eighty-fifth Academy Awards! The journey of amusing Tommy Lee Jones is now about to set sail." Seth MacFarlane's opening line brought a chuckle from the audience.

Reflecting on the past, the 70th Golden Globe Awards in January had seen two talented comedians from Saturday Night Live, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, co-host the event. Their witty jokes, smooth control of the stage, and perfect timing earned them widespread acclaim, with many hailing it as the best performance of the past decade.

In the aftermath, media coverage was overwhelmingly positive, even overshadowing the awards ceremony itself. However, one media outlet, Entertainment Weekly, remained a rare dissenting voice, still riding high from the controversy surrounding "Hypegate" the previous year. Despite recovering from their fallout, they continued their trend of sensational reporting.

Meanwhile, during the Golden Globe Awards, Tommy Lee Jones, nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Lincoln, remained completely stoic throughout the event. His stern expression caught the attention of the cameras, quickly becoming a meme sensation on social media. This moment was what Seth referenced as his first humorous jab.

The camera caught Tommy Lee Jones' expression, and the audience erupted in applause and jeers, lightening the mood. Seth smoothly transitioned, "I can't believe it. I'm standing here, in front of billions of viewers. This is crazy. I'm here hosting the Oscars. So many people—I'm really honored to be the one who gets to take this on." The crowd responded with laughter. "From Whoopi Goldberg to Ron Jeremy, and now, here I am," Seth quipped.

Hosting the Oscars is often seen as a thankless task. Rumors had circulated that Amy Poehler and Tina Fey were also in the running, but they declined in favor of hosting the Golden Globes. In this high-pressure role, Seth's self-deprecating humor struck the right note with the audience.

"For the first time, the Oscars has a theme tonight: a tribute to film and music, with plenty of surprises in store. But first, let's talk about some of the outstanding films this year, starting with Escape from Tehran. Who's seen it?" Seth dove into discussing the film, which had controversially missed a Best Director nomination.

The whole of Hollywood seemed to back Ben Affleck's directorial work, yet he was snubbed. Seth couldn't resist poking fun, "When we said the Academy didn't even know who directed the film, we weren't kidding!" The audience laughed heartily, and the camera panned to Ben Affleck, who smiled modestly in response.

Seth continued, "They know they made a mistake, Ben. It's not your fault," though the joke didn't quite land with the crowd of fellow filmmakers in the room.

As Seth moved on, he mentioned the record-breaking $10.8 billion domestic box office for Hollywood in 2018, noting that even financial experts had to work overtime to prove that some films weren't failures. This earned light laughter from the audience.

"You know, for some of you here, tonight might be a big day, because we all know that winning an Oscar is often a ticket to long-term success in this business," Seth said, prompting supportive laughter from the crowd. He added, "And speaking of which, look at Renly Hall, who made history last year by becoming the youngest Best Actor winner in Oscar history."

The room erupted into applause, and Renly looked around, surprised by the outpouring of admiration. The camera zoomed in on his confused expression before switching back to Seth, who continued, "Then Renly won the box office, secured his third consecutive Oscar nomination, and oh, did I mention he's the sexiest man in the world? God, I want to be Renly Hall."

Laughter followed, and Renly caught the teasing glint in Hugh Jackman's eye, who winked at him, prompting a genuine laugh from Renly.

Seth then turned to discuss international films, mentioning Love, which was nominated for Best Picture, and making a playful jab at Emmanuelle Riva, who was in attendance. "I call it 'This is ninety years old,'" he quipped, causing the audience to chuckle.

He segued into another moment of levity: "Tonight, we have some Hollywood royalty among us, like Roman Coppola, nominated for Best Original Screenplay for The Kingdom of the Moon." Cheers followed, and Seth couldn't resist more humor. "It must be great growing up in a family like that. 'Mom, I got an A in Spanish!'"

The audience roared with laughter.

Seth added, "And, of course, we also have a real British aristocrat with us tonight—Lord Renly Hall. Tell me, Renly, how does it feel to be both an Oscar winner and a member of the royal family?"

Amid the spotlight, Renly smiled faintly. His calm and unflappable demeanor didn't betray the slightest hint of discomfort. He responded simply, "It's good."

The crowd chuckled, as Seth caught the exchange and replied, "Okay! Of course, of course, it must be wonderful. After all, I don't have it, so it must be amazing." His mock loneliness created an eruption of laughter, as he subtly alluded to the dreams of fame and fortune that most in Hollywood chase—dreams that Renly had already realized.

Later, Seth couldn't resist another playful jab at Daniel Day-Lewis, another Englishman present that night. "Your process is fascinating, Daniel. I read that you stayed in character as Lincoln 24/7, even ignoring your phone. But if you saw a call from the parking lot, would you be like, 'What's that?'" The audience laughed, and Seth pressed on, "And if you ran into Don Chandler in the lot, would you try to rescue him?"

Laughter ensued, with Daniel Day-Lewis even covering his face in amusement.

Seth wrapped up the segment with a joke about Django Unchained. "The movie's about a man fighting to win back his woman. But Chris Brown and Rihanna call it a 'date movie'." Laughter mixed with boos.

"Oh, no! That was the worst joke ever," Seth added, trying to salvage the moment, "But, hey, does it make you feel better?"

And with that, the audience's laughter carried on through the night.