"The Oscars is basically the Kobayashi Maru test."

Seth MacFarlane, the guy who directed Ted and somehow got involved in hosting the Oscars last time round, tweeted back in February, "The Oscars is basically the Kobayashi Maru test." For the non-Trekkies of this world, the Kobayashi Maru test is used as part of the Starfleet training exercise in the Star Trek universe. MacFarlane compares the Oscars (or rather 'hosting the Oscars') with this test since the Kobayashi Maru test is considered to generate only a no-win scenario, something that MacFarlane has brutally learnt after his stint as the Oscars host. That may seem a harsh judgement to make on the job of hosting one of the biggest movie events of the year, but for MacFarlane it does hold true. He has lately tweeted that he would not be hosting next year's Oscars due to his tight schedule and his desire to sleep too. And the critics who would have lined up to have a go again, will be now waiting to bite into fresh meat that would host the show next. Was the criticism on Seth MacFarlane as the Oscars host justified? 

I would love to loudly shout out a NO here. MacFarlane did his job fairly well; he did not dazzle and amaze everyone with jokes that would make you laugh for many minutes at a stretch, but brought his own style of wit and threw them around with a youthfulness that lightened the mood. He kept the show buoyant and spirited, but not with slapstick loud comedy, rather with a bit of subtleness. More importantly, he did not run the show, he did not own the show, he simply hosted it, and let the Oscars be what it is meant to be -- which is about rewarding quality work in the field of cinema. 

At the end of it all, I did not recollect much of MacFarlane's jokes, but then was I supposed to? I was not sitting in a stand-up comedy show after all. I did remember Daniel Day-Lewis becoming the first to receive three Oscars in Best Actor category and that amazing speech he bestowed upon us. I can easily recollect Christoph Waltz humbly collecting his reward for a truly amazing performance, Quentin Tarantino saying 'Peace Out' to end his winning speech, Jennifer Lawrence becoming the youngest recipient of the Best Actress award, and the elation of team Argo after collecting the final award of the night. Those are the memories of the Oscar night I wish to take. Along with a nicely suited up Seth MacFarlane, looking relaxed, enjoying hosting this mammoth show and never appearing to make a grab for the spotlight. MacFarlane did a good job, period! If only there weren't people paying people to evaluate each and everything that moved on this planet, we could have lived with more freedom and less cynicism. There is still a lot of time before the next host for the Oscars is declared, and I hope he or she too is willing to live in the shadows on that day, without worrying about those who spare no thoughts before judging. Peace out!