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Sorry, Seth MacFarlane, but not everybody loved you

Posted at 11:19 PM, Feb 25, 2013
and last updated 2013-02-25 23:19:12-05

Commentary By Lisa Respers France

CNN

(CNN) — Funny. Sexist. Sassy. Awkward.

Seth MacFarlane was referred to with all these adjectives and more after his gig as host of the 85th Academy Awards on Sunday night.

The “Family Guy” and “American Dad” creator received mixed reviews for his singing, dancing and jokes, with Time TV critic James Poniewozik dubbing MacFarlane “American Dud.”

“In the run up to Sunday’s Oscars, ABC promoted the broadcast as: ‘Finally! An Oscars the guys can enjoy!’ What did that mean, exactly?” Poniewozik wrote. “Time for me to turn in my Guy Card, I guess.”

MacFarlane is known for his male-centric humor. He is the creator of Ted, a profane stuffed bear who, during his appearance as an Oscars presenter, begged to be let in on the post-ceremony celebrity orgies he had heard so much about.

So was there much surprise that one of MacFarlane’s opening numbers was a little ditty titled “We Saw Your Boobs”?

“I’ll limit my discussion of ‘We Saw Your Boobs’ to noting how, um, nakedly it put into relief a recurring theme in last night’s ceremony: A defensive anxiety about the ascendant power of women (emblematized, later on, by the pairing of the statuesque [Charlize] Theron with the wee Dustin Hoffman as awards presenters),” wrote Slate’s Dana Stevens.

There were a few uncomfortable moments, such as a date night/domestic violence reference to singer Chris Brown and Rihanna that earned some groans.

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