Award Shows: Best/Worst Hosts of Past 20 Years

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WORST: BRYANT GUMBEL
The Emmy Awards: 1997
Funny people make good hosts. Unfunny people make bad hosts. Bryant Gumbel: not a funny person. —DF

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

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

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

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

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