Whenever a fantasy list of Oscar hosts is drawn up, Neil Patrick Harris’s name tends to appear somewhere near the top. Fantasy became reality today as producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron made him their choice for the 2015 award ceremony.
Harris is a man with a proven hosting record. He’s won plaudits for his work on the Tonys, and while his Emmy hosting gig wasn’t met with as much unalloyed positivity, he certainly didn’t do a bad job. He even appeared at the Oscars to do the opening number in 2010, when Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin hosted (that video is below). It doesn’t hurt that he’s got charm to spare, a talent for friendly, witty comedy and chops when it comes to singing and dancing. He’s probably closer to the Bob Hope or Billy Crystal model of host than some more recent efforts (looking at you, James Franco). If he suceeds, he could have a regular gig.
And though he’s worked more solidly on TV than in films – he recently capped nine years on How I Met Your Mother – he’s certainly known to the movie community, and is can currently be seen in Gone Girl alongside Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. Oh, and he celebrated the news with a typically silly video post.
The Oscars is one of the toughest hosting gigs, and has proved too much of a challenge for some who excel in other areas. Harris certainly seems like a wise choice, but he’ll still have to prove his mettle on February 22.