The Oscars: Reacting to Seth MacFarlane — Laugh a Little, People
The Oscars were on Sunday, and leading up to the event I was excited because Seth MacFarlane was hosting (and there were so many great films this year). In the end, I really enjoyed the show, yet some critics would have you believe that it was horrible. Their reason: Seth MacFarlane.
Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy and its various clones, had an entertaining opening act, and what I thought was a pretty good show overall. Now, anyone that knows me knows that I love Family Guy and its irreverent, often times crude humor (which we try to avoid here on The Crispy Noodle #ShamelessPlug). Many people have criticized MacFarlane for his racy jokes. I, on the other hand, applaud him. I wanted Hollywood to get a much needed shot in the arm (not a drug joke, I swear…well, maybe a little). Boy did they get one and boy did they hate it.
I’m referring to the fact that Hollywood, for the most part, is too sheltered, too “phony.” I know it seems strange to say I want the land of plastic and materialism to be more “real.” I am also well aware that it is contradictory to say these movie stars, that find themselves embroiled in so many illegal and unsavory activities, are “sheltered.” But the fact remains that both complaints are valid.
Modern stars are sheltered from themselves. My problem is that there are swarms of people to stroke their egos, to eat out of the palm of their hands, to make them feel better than everyone else, and to help them maintain their image (at least of themselves). Unless a star unrelentingly works at destroying their own image, like Mel Gibson or Lindsay Lohan, they never have to worry about it. Between the other Hollywood elite, their entourages, other industry insiders and a media that fawns over them to get in their good graces, these pampered Hollywood types never have to fear their precious egos being bruised or face the unglamorous truths. But then a comedian like Ricky Gervais or Seth MacFarlane comes along, picks at their sensitivities and their insecurities, and the entire entertainment world is thrown into disarray.
Seth MacFarlane is garnering a bit of criticism, for example, because of his song about seeing stars’ breasts. Really? And why were the stars naked in those movies to begin with? Either they wanted to do it, it drove ticket sales, or because they legitimately thought it served the art. Notice how the option “forced to do it” wasn’t in that list. This reveals three universal truths: 1) they agreed to it, 2) everyone already knows it and 3) people like boobs. Plain and simple, MacFarlane was exaggerating these truths to elicit a laugh.
He wasn’t making it up…he was telling the truth. A truth that, for some reason, people are upset over, despite the fact that no one (and I mean NO ONE) complained when these stars appeared topless in their films. MacFarlane was playing up the taboo quality of the subject. He was making people feel uncomfortable by essentially saying, “We’re all chummy sitting together, but we’ve all seen you at your most intimate, and we liked it. In fact, most of us were probably thinking of that when we saw you.” It’s crass, it’s taboo, it’s funny and it’s true.
The fact that Hollywood can’t laugh at itself is an annoying problem. True, some Hollywood actors can. Jennifer Lawrence, who I think is an excellent example of how Hollywood types should act, said she “loved the boob song.” She also had a great on-screen reaction to it. Charlize Theron was also in on the act and pre-recorded her funny reaction. Those were two people that “got it” (the quote, reactions and a partial video can be found here). But most Hollywood types don’t, or can’t, laugh at themselves. Many are too stuffy, too concerned with their image.
Think of all the actors and actresses you hate right now. Odds are some of them were “phony,” pretentious or arrogant. Yep, those are the ones who probably can’t laugh at themselves either. The rest of us are meant to walk around using self-deprecating humor just to feel like we’re a part of something, to downplay those parts of us we’d rather go away (like bald guys cracking jokes about their hair). Meanwhile these actors, held up on high, can’t even face the truth about themselves. That’s why it’s a good thing that every once in a while a Seth MacFarlane type comes along to knock them down a peg or equalize the playing field. Ok, maybe it was crude, so what…it still wasn’t offensive. Remember, part of humor is being able to openly discuss these taboo subjects. So remember, laugh a little, people.
