The Playgoer: DOA TV Awards Show Picks Host

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Thursday, May 14, 2009

DOA TV Awards Show Picks Host

Riedel was praying for Will Ferrell. The Tony folks wooed James Gandolfini. Others lobbied for Dolly Parton.

But no, the host of this year's Tony Awards broadcast will be what must have been everyone's 3rd default: Neil Patrick Harris.

Hey no offense to the guy. Good performer. But "Doogie Hauser" isn't quite a current show. You gotta wonder whether he actually draws any higher ratings than no host at all.

Unless they're aiming for the Joss Weedhon/ Dr. Horrible crowd...

10 comments:

RLewis said...

Sad that he'll always carry the Doogie label. I mean, it's not like he isn't currently on a running sitcom. Don't ya gotta give him credit for playing such a sleezy hetro'?

But aren't the Tonys just ripping off the OBies. I recall that he was scheduled to present last year. But come to think of it, I don't recall ever seeing him give anything out. I hope he wasn't a no show and I was just at the bar... again.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/116870-Camp_Harris_Merkerson_Marvel_and_White_to_Present_at_Obies_Passing_Strange_to_Perform

Aaron Riccio said...

By this point, don't plenty of people know him from "How I Met Your Mother"? And if it's a popularity thing, isn't he quite the thing for the younger demographic, particularly for his role as NPH in the "Harold & Kumar" films? He should also satisfy the older demographic of theater buffs who may have caught him doing Sondheim... all in all, not really a bad choice.

Aria said...

As a "younger generation," I love Neil Patrick Harris. I don't own a tv so I can't watch the tonys, but I'm rooting for him - he's hilarious.

L Turner said...

Well, I like Dolly! Business savvy, and appears to be an overall genuine person. Hmmm, I'm not saying the others are not, but what I perceive about an actors' persona off camera gives them extra points in my book.

Nick Keenan said...

...

I'm sorry, I may be missing the obvious here, but have you guys SEEN this? NPH has, for me anyway, reinvigorated and reclaimed the musical genre with a splash of comic book ethos. Kitschy? Sure. But most people aren't equating Neil with Doogie anymore, they're equating him with this and H&KGTWC.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/28343/dr-horribles-sing-along-blog#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hulu.com%2Ffeed%2Fpopular%2Fvideos%2Fall_time%3Frd%3D0

Nick Keenan said...

That is to say:

Yes, the Joss / Dr. Horrible crowd is exactly who they're aiming for... because that crowd is huge, and they want them to go to the real theatre.

Peter said...

I think, Mr. Playgoer, you are dating yourself with the whole Doogie Howser reference. His work in Dr. Horrible and the Harold & Kumar films has definitely launched him into a different and much more contemporary arena.

And I think you could make a compelling argument that Joss Whedon and his fans are actually quite relevant to the future of at least musicals and musical theatre. By reinvigorating the forms and structures of the musical through film and video, they can bring a lot of younger people into the fold.

I haven't watched the Tony's (or any other award shows) for years and years, but I would be far more tempted to watch with NPH as host than any of the other names you mentioned.

Vance said...

Yah, Barney Stinson has overtaken Doogie. But NPH is Barney, Dr. Horrible and himself in Harold and Kumar! Awesomeness!

Anyways, I don't think any host will really draw people to the Tony's that won't already watch. Didn't even Hugh's rating get only a slight bump? If any at all?

Peter said...

The fact that IO9 blogged about the Tony's is definitely a sign that NPH could bring with him a whole new demographic to the show: http://io9.com/5255383/the-tony-awards-just-got-horrible-awesome

Playgoer said...

Readers, I am duly humbled.

Indeed I have never seen Harris' show "How I Met Your Mother." I actually didn't know they still made sitcoms. Let alone that people watched them.

And, no, I never even heard of I09.com. WTF is that?

Although I have not seen Dr. Horrible, I really didn't mean any slight to it. I take Joss Wheedon seriously (or at least Mrs. Playgoer makes sure I do) and hear good things.

Therefore I officially apologize to Mr Doogie--I mean, Mr. Harris, who was quite decent in "Assassins" a few seasons ago.

Finally, though may I point out something no one else has-- that "How I Met Your Mother" happens to be a CBS show? As in, the very same network stuck with the burden of broadcasting a Tony Awards show each year....?