Awards season is in full swing now, to be continued this Thursday night with the Critics' Choice Movie Awards. This time, the critics get to run the show. So why is Michael Strahan hosting the Critics' Choice Awards? The NFL alumnus has hosted sports programs and currently hosts a morning talk show with Kelly Ripa, but why an awards show all of a sudden? What about the Critics' Choice Awards says "daytime talk show" particularly? The ceremony is being broadcast on A&E, which is owned by Disney ABC. Live With Kelly And Michael is an ABC morning program, so that could explain why he was on their short-list.
I actually think he's a good choice, for a couple of reasons. For starters, we've been so excited about Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Neil Patrick Harris that the lack of people of color as awards show hosts over the years has barely been acknowledged. The last Black Oscar host was Chris Rock, and that was 10 years ago. The Critics' Choice Awards may not be as big as the Oscars, but Strahan's hosting gig is still a step towards more diversity at awards shows.
Plus, the Critics' Choice Awards aren't nearly as stuffy as they sound. They include not only categories for comedy and drama films, but science fiction and action movies as well. This is fantastic news for me, as I haven't gotten around to seeing Birdhood or Boyman or whatever it's called... but I did love Snowpiercer!
In the official press release announced him as host, Strahan focused on the sports-like nature of these particular awards.
The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards’ show paves the way for the upcoming awards season, and the best part is that the winners are selected by the very people who make a living watching and reviewing films. It doesn’t get much more competitive than that.
The Vice President and General Manager of A&E, in the same press release, attributed the decision to Strahan's irrefutable "charisma" and ability to hold his own in front of a live audience. Strahan's family-friendly charm may be the way to make this awards show appeal to the audience its meant to, and not the audience perceived by the name. Strahan definitely has a better reputation than the generic critics of the show's name. Here's some other reasons why he'll make a great host, based on these promos for Thursday night's awards.
Sports Metaphors
Not only is Strahan able to bridge the genre and age gap, but he might be the first person to bring football fans to the Arts and Entertainment channel. This is an excellent marketing strategy.
Ready To Roast
"Benny Batches." Enough said.
Deprecating As Well
I dunno, I might be interested in reading this script after Strahan's charming performance.
Understands The Craft
Rocking a Meryl Streep joke is always a winning game plan for awards show hosting.
Strahan is gonna do just great. His experience hosting Live With Kelly And Michael has gotten him an in with all the important movie stars. It's just a shame that these aren't the Critics' Choice Awards for television as well. How else is he going to top, or even justify a repeat of, this amazing moment?
Winter is coming, indeed.
Image: Getty Images
