As Hollywood wrestles with what to do about the upcoming Oscars telecast following the Kevin Hart controversy, one writer thinks he knows the perfect host: veteran actor James Woods.
In a Saturday op-ed piece for the New York Post, media writer Jon Levine argues that Woods, 71, could draw millions of new and old viewers to the annual Hollywood gala during an era when award shows of all kinds are facing declining ratings and accusations of anti-conservative bias.
Woods, a Trump-loving conservative, has gained a following in recent years by bashing critics of the president and liberals in general on Twitter. He currently has 1.9 million followers.
“Yes, there would be ‘outrage,'” Levine writes. “Hollywood’s Jacobins of propriety would express their horror. Screenshots of trollish old tweets (and there have been many) would make the rounds. Words like ‘racist’ and ‘sexist’ would fly a mile a minute. But those costs would be a pittance compared to the millions of new viewers he’d bring in (along with the old viewers who’d be excited to see something different for a change).”
Levine cites the current climate of political correctness, noting that comic legends like Joan Rivers, Don Rickles and even Jerry Seinfeld would not “escape today’s censors.”
“So, in that spirit, why not go full bore with James Woods? Embracing the offensive and learning to laugh at ourselves should be things that bring us together,” he writes.- READ MORE