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  3. Award Shows: Best/Worst Hosts of Past 20 Years

Award Shows: Best/Worst Hosts of Past 20 Years

It's not an easy gig; we salute five who did great, five who missed the mark -- and add in five we hope will get a call to do one soon!
By EW Staff
Updated September 13, 2010 at 08:00 PM EDT
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Billy Crystal | BEST: BILLY CRYSTAL The Academy Awards: 1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004 Crystal's eight turns as the Oscars host makes him second only to legendary emcee BobĀ…
Credit: Courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

BEST: BILLY CRYSTAL
The Academy Awards: 1990-93, 1997-98, 2000, 2004

Crystal's eight turns as the Oscars host makes him second only to legendary emcee Bob Hope, who was at the helm of the Academy Awards a record-setting 18 times. However, the City Slickers star's gut-busting, show-opening video montages of the Best Picture nominees and constant showmanship (singing! dancing!) keep him at No. 1 one in the eyes of many viewers. —Tanner Stransky

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Steve Martin, Academy Awards | BEST: STEVE MARTIN The Academy Awards: 2001, 2003, 2010 (with Alec Baldwin) Who doesn't love Steve Martin? The affable funnyman turned in three of theĀ…
Credit: Timothy A. Clary/Getty Images

BEST: STEVE MARTIN
The Academy Awards: 2001, 2003, 2010 (with Alec Baldwin)

Who doesn't love Steve Martin? The affable funnyman turned in three of the most understated, self-deprecating hosting spots in recent memory. His most recent duet with Alec Baldwin proved that he can play very well with others, too. —Tanner Stransky

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Neil Patrick Harris | BEST: NEIL PATRICK HARRIS The Emmy Awards and Tony Awards: 2009 2009 was Neil Patrick Harris' year when it came to hosting awards shows —Ā…
Credit: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters/Landov

BEST: NEIL PATRICK HARRIS
The Emmy Awards and Tony Awards: 2009

2009 was Neil Patrick Harris' year when it came to hosting awards shows — and he killed at it, serving up charming, singing-infused turns first at the Tonys, and then at the Emmys. And surprise! He even popped up briefly during the opening of the Oscars earlier this year, to (sort of) complete the trifecta. —Tanner Stransky

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Jimmy Fallon | BEST: JIMMY FALLON The Emmy Awards: 2010 Jimmy Fallon makes this list for that Glee -inspired ''Born to Run'' opening number alone. But while heĀ…
Credit: Paul Drinkwater/NBC

BEST: JIMMY FALLON
The Emmy Awards: 2010

Jimmy Fallon makes this list for that Glee-inspired ''Born to Run'' opening number alone. But while he stole the show at the beginning, Fallon really proved his hosting mettle by walking the fine line between doing hilarious skits and bits (those tributes to 24 and Lost were inspired!) and not taking over the entire ceremony. —Tanner Stransky

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Ellen DeGeneres | ''It's important for us to be here,'' host Ellen DeGeneres told the Shubert Theatre audience when the 2001 Emmys were finally staged after two unprecedentedĀ…
Credit: Michael Caulfield/WireImage

BEST: ELLEN DEGENERES
Emmy Awards: 2001, 2005

There's a reason she's the heir to Oprah's daytime TV throne — Ellen DeGeneres makes you feel at ease when she's on the screen. That gift has been particularly handy since she's been called into service to host the Emmys twice after national tragedies. Her post-9/11 show, twice delayed, struck just the right tone of deference and humor needed at the time. She then had to try to hit the same beats three weeks after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. —Tanner Stransky

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Emmy Awards, Heidi Klum, ... | WORST: TOM BERGERON, HEIDI KLUM, HOWIE MANDEL, JEFF PROBST, RYAN SEACREST The Emmy Awards: 2008 In celebration of the brand-new Best Reality Host Emmy award,Ā…
Credit: Mathew Imaging/WireImage.com

WORST: TOM BERGERON, HEIDI KLUM, HOWIE MANDEL, JEFF PROBST, RYAN SEACREST
The Emmy Awards: 2008

In celebration of the brand-new Best Reality Host Emmy award, Emmy producers chose to let all five nominees host the show. The result was a disaster of unscripted banality — Mandel rambled, Klum stripped, Seacrest appeared to be looking for an exit. Perhaps coincidentally, the Best Reality Host Emmy was removed from this year's ceremony. —Darren Franich

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Jack Black, MTV Video Music Awards | WORST: JACK BLACK MTV Video Music Awards: 2006 Any show with a Busta Rhymes performance is already suspicious, but Black didn't help matters with aĀ…
Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

WORST: JACK BLACK
MTV Video Music Awards: 2006

Any show with a Busta Rhymes performance is already suspicious, but Black didn't help matters with a mediocre hosting performance. The best you can say is that there weren't any Kanyegate/Confused-Britney train wrecks. But really, what are the VMAs without a train wreck? —DF

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David Letterman, Academy Awards | WORST: DAVID LETTERMAN The Academy Awards: 1994 In the '90s, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal passed the Oscar-hosting baton back and forth. Letterman swooped inĀ…
Credit: Michael Caulfield/AP Images

WORST: DAVID LETTERMAN
The Academy Awards: 1994

In the '90s, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal passed the Oscar-hosting baton back and forth. Letterman swooped in with a relentlessly awkward performance that never recovered from a badly unfunny kickoff: ''Oprah. Uma. Uma. Oprah.'' —DF

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Oscars 2005, Chris Rock | WORST: CHRIS ROCK The Academy Awards: 2004 Rock was brought in to shake things up. Did he ever: After telling the audience to ''Sit yourĀ…
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

WORST: CHRIS ROCK
The Academy Awards: 2004

Rock was brought in to shake things up. Did he ever: After telling the audience to ''Sit your asses down!'' he proceeded into a Jude Law-lacerating opening bit that earned an onstage rebuke from Sean Penn later in the show. Rock's never been asked back. —DF

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Bryant Gumbel | WORST: BRYANT GUMBEL The Emmy Awards: 1997 Funny people make good hosts. Unfunny people make bad hosts. Bryant Gumbel: not a funny person. — DF
Credit: Michael J. Caulfield/AP Images

WORST: BRYANT GUMBEL
The Emmy Awards: 1997

Funny people make good hosts. Unfunny people make bad hosts. Bryant Gumbel: not a funny person. —DF

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Joel McHale | WHO WE'D LIKE TO SEE HOST: JOEL MCHALE FOR THE EMMYS The Soup host already satirizes TV so well on his E! Series and he'sĀ…
Credit: WireImage.com

WHO WE'D LIKE TO SEE HOST: JOEL MCHALE FOR THE EMMYS
The Soup host already satirizes TV so well on his E! Series and he's fantastic on NBC's Community so we think he'd be a perfect fit for the Emmys. And perhaps he's slowly moving in that direction: McHale was one of many stars who appeared in Jimmy Fallon's Glee-inspired opening number at this year's awards show. —Tim Stack

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Justin Timberlake | WHO WE'D LIKE TO SEE HOST: JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE FOR THE VMAS He can sing. He's cute. He's likable. He's cute. He's funny. He's cute. WhatĀ…
Credit: Mathew Imaging/WireImage.com

WHO WE'D LIKE TO SEE HOST: JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE FOR THE VMAS
He can sing. He's cute. He's likable. He's cute. He's funny. He's cute. What more can you ask of a host? Timberlake has already hosted the ESPYs and Saturday Night Live so it seems like a sure bet to have him take on one of the biggest nights for music. —Tim Stack

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George Clooney | WHO WE'D LIKE TO SEE HOST: GEORGE CLOONEY FOR THE ACADEMY AWARDS The Oscars can sometimes be a tad long and slow but we wouldn'tĀ…
Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.com

WHO WE'D LIKE TO SEE HOST: GEORGE CLOONEY FOR THE ACADEMY AWARDS
The Oscars can sometimes be a tad long and slow but we wouldn't mind it if we had Clooney to stare at in-between the seemingly endless technical awards, especially since he'd be in a tux. It would be great to see him turn on that talk-show charm of his onstage. Plus, he's always been a good sport in terms of comedy sketches (see: his Modern Family skit during this year's Emmys). —Tim Stack

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Cheyenne Jackson | WHO WE'D LIKE TO SEE HOST: CHEYENNE JACKSON FOR THE TONYS Broadway star Jackson has gained notoriety from his stint on 30 Rock and willĀ…
Credit: Charles Sykes/AP Images

WHO WE'D LIKE TO SEE HOST: CHEYENNE JACKSON FOR THE TONYS
Broadway star Jackson has gained notoriety from his stint on 30 Rock and will probably glean even more attention from his guest-stint this fall on Glee (he plays Vocal Adrenaline's new coach). So he'd be perfect to host this show that practically demands its host be an ace at singing and dancing. —Tim Stack

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Jay-Z | WHO WE'D LIKE TO SEE HOST: JAY-Z FOR THE GRAMMYS Few people in the music industry are cooler or more beloved than Jay-Z. While heĀ…
Credit: Lester Cohen/WireImage.com

WHO WE'D LIKE TO SEE HOST:
JAY-Z FOR THE GRAMMYS

Few people in the music industry are cooler or more beloved than Jay-Z. While he may not seem like a laugh riot, he would bring a much-needed dose of relevance and swagger. And as a bonus, he'd most likely bring Beyoncé. —Tim Stack

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