Jimmy Kimmel will host the Oscars, and he’ll be great. It was inevitable he’d host and he probably should have done it sooner.
But we are now in the generation of the networks using all the awards shows to promote their stars, particularly the talk show hosts. NBC’s Jimmy Fallon is hosting the Golden Globes, on NBC. CBS’s James Corden will host the Grammys, on CBS. Last year Corden hosted the Tony Awards on CBS, and he will likely again. Stephen Colbert, also on CBS, is hosting the Kennedy Center Honors on CBS. You get the picture.
It’s amazing when you think about it that Johnny Carson, who was an NBC star, used to host the Oscars. Or that David Letterman did it. But the biz has changed. Knowing ABC we’re not far from Michael Strahan as Oscars host. You say impossible? Donald Trump is…you know…
With Kimmel, expect lots of Matt Damon and the Afflecks. And that should work out nicely since Matt Damon is the nominal producer of “Manchester by the Sea” starring Casey Affleck.