Steve Martin is a ludicrously gifted human being. He is a superb humorist, a high quality actor, a talented magician, a masterful humorist (meaning he is humorous when he writes), an artwork collector of large discernment and, above all, an murderer with the banjo. He is gone from being an leisure phenomenon finest identified for singing about King Tut to an leisure phenomenon finest identified for making mirth with Martin Brief. In between, he wrote and starred in basic comedy movies like “The Jerk,” “Lifeless Males Do not Put on Plaid,” “The Man with Two Brains,” “Roxanne,” “L.A. Story” and “Bowfinger,” and simply plain outdated acted in “Three Amigos,” “Planes, Trains and Vehicles” “Soiled Rotten Scoundrels,” and “Parenthood.”
Steve Martin is a nationwide treasure (simply watch his “STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 items” documentary on Apple+ if you happen to do not imagine me). He deserves the easiest in life. So why, oh why, has he been pressured to host the Oscars 3 times?
You would possibly suppose it is an honor to be requested to host the Oscars. It isn’t. It is an honor to be nominated, however to stroll out in entrance of an viewers stuffed with gussied up people both nervous about profitable an award or wishing they might be wherever however a kind of narrow-ass Dolby Theatre seats, and attempt to make them chuckle? The listing of comedy titans who’ve bombed whereas internet hosting the Oscars is brief however distinguished: David Letterman, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart have gone down in flames. When Billy Crystal is your gold customary (and Bob Hope earlier than him), hiring Martin to host the Oscars is like renting a Lamborghini to haul lumber.
However why ought to I communicate for Steve Martin when he is been fairly eloquent about why he’ll by no means host the Oscars once more in his personal phrases?
Steve Martin is so very over the Oscars
In a 2024 interview with the Los Angeles Instances, Martin revealed that he was “very nervous” the primary two instances he emceed the Oscars as a result of he did it solo. When he hosted with Alec Baldwin at his aspect, he was rather more snug. “Wanting again, I spotted, ‘Oh, I had another person on the market with me.'”
If that is the case, why not simply get his new live-comedy companion Martin Brief to tag-team the Oscars with him? And, hell, why not throw their “Solely Murders within the Constructing” co-star Selena Gomez into the combination (as provided a number of years in the past)? Based on Martin:
“That represents a lot work for us. And we love our summers. Once I hosted earlier than, I began working months forward of time. And now I’ve a totally totally different life. I am not as free. It is a variety of work and we’re working.”
One other concern for Martin is that the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences are low-cost. However, actually, it is concerning the work. Nonetheless, Martin has a joke for the Oscars that he by no means received to make use of. Maybe Conan O’Brien, the comedic genius and late evening god who will do his darndest this March to succeed the place his friends have stumbled, can use it. Per Martin, “I will come out and say, ‘I do know what you are considering. You are considering, ‘Steve, how did you get to host the Oscars?’ It was simple. I simply known as my agent and I mentioned, ‘Get me one thing thankless.'”
Good luck, Conan.
