Jamie Lee Curtis likens Seth MacFarlane’s Oscars to a ‘roast’
Jamie Lee Curtis is not happy, and Seth MacFarlane and the Oscars broadcast are to blame. MacFarlane, the Oscars and ... that song.
(You know the one. But more on that later.)
The “True Lies†and “Halloween†actress let her criticism fly in an opinion piece for the Huffington Post.
“I was offended last week,†she wrote Friday, referencing the Feb. 24 broadcast. “As an Academy member, as the child of former Academy members and as a woman, I expected more from the best that the movie business has to offer. The Oscars are about honoring art and artists. It is not supposed to be a cheesy vaudeville show.â€
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The “NCIS†actress, 54, said she knew what to expect from MacFarlane, of whom her teenage son is a fan. But that didn’t lessen her disgust.
“When did they turn into a ‘roast’? At least at a roast you know what’s in store. What if actors and actresses stopped attending the Oscars because it was deemed open session to ridicule and parody them? Would the Academy be so cavalier then?â€
She specifically referenced “We Saw Your Boobs,†or as she called it, “The ‘boob’ song,†(which incidentally did not specifically reference her as it ticked off the names of actresses who’d bared their breasts on film).
MacFarlane’s performance of that tune “may go down as the highest-rated Oscar number in history, but at what cost? I’m sure public executions would get big ratings too, but is that what the Oscars are truly about?â€
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Curtis acknowledged that she was “an actress who has bared her breasts in films to satisfy the requirement of the role I was asked to do -- lucky to do, for in my case, those films were significant in my career. I didn’t like doing it.â€
Her history, however, didn’t bear much on her present opinion, though she said she knew some would snicker.
“I am sorry that this is what we are talking about and not ‘Argo’s’ lovely win or Jennifer [Lawrence]’s amazing performance or Daniel [Day-Lewis]’s eloquence and humor and grace or the fallout from the sequester.
“What we will be talking about is Seth’s lack of class and a 14-year-old boy’s derogatory word for one of the most beautiful, motherly and literally nurturing parts of the female form.â€
Coincidentally, MacFarlane on the day after the Oscars tweeted a link to another HuffPo piece: One celebrating “the side of a woman’s breast that is purposely peeking out of a loose fitting shirt or dress.†It was the same day he likened the Oscars to the “Kobayashi Maru test†from “Star Trek,†a no-win situation that can be beaten only by changing the rules.
Did MacFarlane and the Oscars go too far this year? Or is Curtis off base? Let us know in comments.
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