Seven People Who Should Host the Oscars

By now, the presenters list for the 2010 Academy Awards has begun to take shape, with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin co-hosting and a fairly diverse mix of acting royalty and young Hollywood rounding out the individual presentation slots. Inevitably during the host-selection process, hopes get inflated, rumors circulate and worthy candidates get passed over. Here are seven unsung heroes who—while not the most obvious choice for the job—would probably make damn fine hosts.

1. Neil Patrick Harris
This one seems more a question of “when” than “if” — after lighting up the Emmys and Tonys, the actor / singer / lovable cad would be a guaranteed blast as an Oscars host.

2. Mumford & Sons
Since everyone can’t seem to shut up about them anyway.

3. Thomas Friedman
He’ll be long-winded, he’ll be prosaic, but we’re sure as a red-white-and-blue bullfrog in a holler that Friedman would bring his patented down-home flavor to the Oscars—the same charm that literally tens of people read in the Times every week!

4. Lil Wayne
Besides the intrinsic entertainment value, this would double as a real cost-saving measure for the Academy: Weezy only accepts gift baskets in the form of bottles of codeine.

5. Rahm Emanuel
Let’s put politics aside and bridge the partisan divide with this empirically true statement: The Academy Awards ceremony always runs too goddamn long. So who could be intemperate and foul-mouthed enough to rein in this passel of superheated egos? The choice seems obvious.

6. Liam Neeson
Seriously, we could listen to his brogue all day long.

7. Ricky Gervais
The 2008 Emmys. Nuff said: