14 DAY TRIAL // You often hear that the Oscars are too much of a snoozefest to be worth several hours of your time, or that they’re not relevant anymore because they take too little into account mainstream audiences. It looks like Ellen DeGeneres has managed to make them hip again.
The comedienne / talk show host returned as host of the gala for her second year and, in between roasting celebrities (that’s her opening monolog above, by the way), dressing up like Glinda the Witch and ordering pizza to sever to celebrities, she did an amazing job.
She also managed to break the Internet, putting Twitter temporarily out of order with the most epic multiple selfie ever, which got over 1 million retweets in just 30 minutes.
Initial ratings cited by Metro indicate that this year’s Academy Awards was the most watched in the last decade, which means it’s about to “become the most-viewed broadcast since the last ever episode of Friends on May 6, 2004 – which stands at 52.46 million.”
The Oscarcast aired live on ABC and “attracted 43 million viewers between 8.30pm and 11.41 pm, according to preliminary ratings,” the report continues.
Reviews for Ellen as host were mixed, with some viewers and industry people believing she cheapened the prestigious gala by doing some of the things mentioned above (particularly that part about ordering pizza to be delivered at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood). Others, though, found that it was just the kind of thing that would make them tune in again next year – if Ellen comes back too.
What did you think? How did Ellen fare as host of the biggest awards gala in the film industry? Let me know in the comments section below.