Multitalented Seth MacFarlane hosts

Seth who? Exactly. Until this past year, unless you were a super fan of MacFarlane’s hit television program “Family Guy,” odds are you have never heard of the TV funny-man. A former Cartoon Network animator, MacFarlane became television’s youngest producer when “Family Guy” went on the air in 1999. Following the success of the show, MacFarlane went on to become TV’s highest paid television writer helming “Family Guy,” “American Dad” and “The Cleveland Show.”
2012 was a big year for 39-year-old MacFarlane. His traditional pop album “Music is Better than Words” was nominated for two Grammy awards.

However, MacFarlane made his biggest splash in 2012 when he made his motion picture directorial debut with “Ted,” a film that MacFarlane also co-starred in along with Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis (who also provides the voice of Meg Griffin on Family Guy). The story of a man and his best friend, a foul-mouthed teddy bear, the film was a runaway success, making over half a billion dollars worldwide, going on to become the highest grossing original R rated comedy in history.

The Academy Awards has been in a bit of a slump as of late. Following Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin’s brilliant co-hosting effort at the 2010 ceremony, Hollywood’s biggest awards show has fallen flat two years in a row. In an attempt to attract a younger viewing audience, 2011 gave us the abysmal showing of James Franco and Anne Hathaway, which was widely panned and considered one of the worst hosting efforts in history (yes, even worse than David Letterman’s 1995 gig). In an attempt to bring back the laughs, longtime host Billy Crystal was called upon to host the 2012 ceremony. Crystal bombed in what was undeniably the weakest of his Oscar hosting gigs. The effort would have been criticized even more had it not been for 2011’s even more flailing performance.

And so, Seth MacFarlane, mostly a behind-the-scenes man, will get his shot at the spotlight during this Sunday’s ceremony.

What to expect?
If his hilarious Oscar promo ads are any indication, expect things to get offensive. Probably not at the level of Ricky Gervais’s 2011 Golden Globes, but still a bit edgy. Don’t forget, next to “South Park,” “Family Guy” arguably features some of the most offensive humor on TV.

This year’s Oscars will pay tribute to recent musicals such as “Dreamgirls,” “Chicago” and “Les Miserables.” A noted singer and fan of musicals (MacFarlane’s favorite film is “The Sound of Music”), expect a vocal performance from the funny man to close out the show as well.

MacFarlane is also expected to voice “Ted” who will present an award with Mark Wahlberg.

For better or worse, MacFarlane’s effort is shaping up to be a must see event.