Sunday night marked the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s ceremony to commemorate outstanding work in both television and cinema. This year’s ceremony was in good hands with second-time hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.
The comedians, of NBC fame, joked about George Clooney’s taste in younger women, Leonardo DiCaprio’s pattern of dating supermodels and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ move from the television to the cinema section of the ballroom, and kept the audience in hysterics the entire night.
It was a solid bet for the Hollywood Foreign Press to invite Poehler and Fey back again. They scored 20.9 million views for the night – 6 percent more viewers than last year. But recycling hosts is not uncommon in the award-ceremony industry. Before Poehler and Fey, comedian Ricky Gervais hosted the Golden Globes three years in a row. Neil Patrick Harris has hosted the Tony Awards three times in a row (with a forth hosting gig in 2009). Even this year’s Oscar host, Ellen DeGeneres, has hosted before.
It makes sense why these ceremonies would continue to ask the same hosts to return. With television, it’s all about the ratings, and these returning hosts can be safe bets. Reliable comedians like Steve Martin and Bob Hope can be relied upon for hearty and consistent laughs throughout a show, which is what viewers tune in for. However, that is not always the case. For example, Billy Crystal’s 2011 gig at the Oscars was a dud compared to his eight previous turns as host.
Not to mention that audiences have seen what can happen to good award shows when they go out on a limb with their host choices. Most notably, James Franco and Anne Hathaway were supposed to appeal to younger demographics when they hosted the Oscars in 2011, but ultimately flopped when Franco was flat on stage. For organizations that want as many eyeballs as possible on their telecast, chances like that aren’t worth it.
I understand where these people are coming from. Poehler and Fey were rock solid throughout the night, knowing when to keep the gags rolling and when to pick up the pace. They shined even brighter than their first go at the hosting gig. Having hosts that are not only dependable but enjoyable to audiences is a dream. But the thing to remember is that trends come and go, and they need to be ready for the day when the audiences crave a new kind of host.
For now, and for the near future, we will continue to see the same faces on our screen. Hopefully, Ellen DeGeneres can follow in the wake of Poehler and Fey’s Golden Globe success and give us a spectacular Oscars ceremony.
Do you agree or disagree? Let us know what you think about repeat hosts below.