Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts & Entertainment

Seth Rogen Says the Academy Hung James Franco Out to Dry

seth_rogen.jpg
Seth Rogen Photo via Shutterstock

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.

Many of us who watched the 2011 Academy Awards found the hosts to be somewhat...underwhelming. James Franco appeared stoned and practically asleep next to hyper, overzealous Anne Hathaway.

Since then, the two have been getting panned right and left for their odd and ultimately not very compelling performance, but one man is speaking truth to power about the whole incident: Seth Rogen told Shortlist magazine that the Academy screwed Franco over (no mention of Hathaway) by hiring him to appeal to a younger demographic, then giving him crappy material.

"Why hire James Franco and then give him Billy Crystal’s monologue? It was like, 'Oh, we’ll hire these young hosts and then we’ll just do the same sh*t we do every f*cking year'," he said. "I think they just approached it wrong. They didn’t think it through, and they were way underprepared. I think they hung him out to dry."

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today