When Chris Rock hosted the , he insulted several actors by insinuating they were small-timers who got parts only when better actors were unavailable. This, combined with a pre-taped man-on-the-street segment in which a collection of moviegoers, most of them African American, said they hadn t seen or even heard of many of that year s nominated films, pretty much sealed the deal that Rock wouldn t be asked back (even if he d wanted to return). And Rosie s evolution from Queen of Nice to, as she described it, mimicking her conservative critics terminology, big fat lesbian loud Rosie who attacks innocent pure Christian Elisabeth [Hasselbeck], has caused an ongoing ruckus.
Of course one might question why a show called would get yanked for being politically incorrect. Or why the producers of the Oscars would choose a comedian known for edgy, in-your-face humor if what they really wanted was a Billy Crystal clone funny and immensely likeable, not provocative. Or what really went on behind the scenes in Rosie s decision not to renew her contract with or finish out the final three weeks of the season.
On the other hand, the further comedians stray from their original role of telling the truth through humor and migrate into pure political commentary, it s natural that the line of what s acceptable is going to keep shifting. Maybe the only solution is for comedians to skip the intermediary stage of becoming political pundits and, instead, become the first truth-telling politicians in the history of the world.
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