Oscars PTSD: Anne Hathaway and James Franco’s Hosting Stint

I remember being characteristically excited when it was announced that Anne Hathaway and James Franco would be hosting the 2011 Oscars telecast. This was, after all, before the baffling Hathaway Hate Train flew off the tracks. It was also prior to Franco going from silly stoner to disgraced actor after years of abuse allegations came out against him.

The Oscars switching up the conventional comic host for a pair of younger, charismatic ingenues was a reason for celebration. Well, at least for my 16-year-old self, who was still blind to the inherent corniness of awards shows. I had spent my teenage years on a steady diet of Tumblr scrolling and NBC single-cam sitcoms. In my feeble mind, Hathaway and Franco were gonna be the modern Abbott and Costello, bringing down the house. I even publicly posted my delusion to Facebook. “James Franco and Anne Hathaway are hosting the Oscars this year, I rejoice,” I bravely said to the world. The post received a whopping three likes.

A few weeks later, I sat in front of the television mortified. I had trusted these two, and here they were, not just letting me down but kicking my already lifeless body repeatedly with each canned bit and wretched punchline. I staked my reputation on this! How was I to show my face the next morning and be asked by someone in my Journalism 101 class what I thought about the ceremony? Anne Hath-a-will, but Anne did not Hath-a-way.

Read more at The Daily Beast.