In 1998, The Hill tells us: "The great Billy Crystal served as host of the show," but this year
There was no movie anyone was buzzing about. No household-name stars were nominated unless Anthony Hopkins – who won his last Oscar 30 years ago – counts. There wasn't even a host for the show, because the Academy thought it was a great idea to eliminate the position for reasons unclear when a raw, unfiltered talent such as Ricky Gervais would have been just the person to lift our spirits.
Oh, come on. If they'd picked anybody to host, that person would have been skewered for one thing or another. Billy Crystal is still alive, but I'll bet he wouldn't even want to be invited back. It's better for him to be remembered as the great Oscars host of his time than to be set up as a target. Not only would people say why him and not a person of color, he's vulnerable to cancellation for having boldly and repeatedly performed in blackface:
That wasn't at the Oscars, of course. Remember when Whoopi Goldberg hosted the Oscars in whiteface?
Those were simpler times. More racist times?
ADDED: I'm just kidding about "simpler times." I think those were more complex times. We're simpler now. And it's not a compliment.
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