Host choice highlights Academy awards, Globes divide

Regardless of the mixed responses to his biting humor only at that years Golden Globes, Ough Gervais is going to be to host Januarys kudocast. The VoteIf yesteryear week of honours-related turmoil has outlined anything, it's the Academy of movement Picture Arts & Sciences and also the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. have two completely different teams of focal points if this involves their kudocasts.Wednesday's confirmation of Ough Gervais because the host from the Golden Globes highlights the variations much more clearly. Both organizations say they are thinking about producing bigger rankings, but one of these simple orgs isn't such as the other.As the Academy greatly really wants to keep ABC happy about its hefty license fee by bringing in a more youthful demo, it's equally wanting to uphold tradition and keep the intense -- but frequently staid -- luster that is Oscar's phone card.Display A: recruiting Brett Ratner as producer for that 2012 ceremony, then being shocked (shocked!) when his well-recorded rough edges grew to become headline news. AMPAS prexy Tom Sherak wanted attention when he hired Ratner, and that he may still have accomplished by using some damage control following the director's gay slur grew to become a flashpoint.Rather, the Academy moved rapidly to distance itself in the whole, wishing the simple-listening stylings of John Grazer and Billy Very would wipe the incident in the town's awareness. It's as though the Academy walked outdoors, saw it was pouring down rain, and made the decision not to go out again.Incidentally, it's challenging more youthful audiences thinking about watching a 3-hour ceremony that honors films they haven't seen while celebs thank people they have never heard about, no matter the host and producer handling the telecast.The HFPA, however, is benefiting on its status to be the greater fun counterpoint towards the Academy awards (although it has worked for respectability recently) by welcoming back Ough Gervais for round three as host.For that HFPA, rankings factors clearly trumped any residual bad feelings its people might have had over Gervais' Globes emcee stint this past year. Even though NBC's standards and practices overseers might blunt his edge, Gervais likely signed up with the caveat that no superstar or subject material could be exempt from his ridicule. It isn't like he needs the job.Indeed, it is important for that Academy awards to stay Hollywood's greatest recognition, which provides the Globes a bit more leeway. But it is essential for that Academy to determine who the Academy awards are for: the television audience or even the industry.It's pretty hard to serve both well. Contact Christy Grosz at christy.grosz@variety.com