The biggest surprise at Sunday night's Academy Awards wasn't who took home the coveted golden statues -- it was the disappointingly lackluster performance of cohosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway. The pair showed a good deal of promise in the promos leading up to the big night, but Franco appeared uninterested in the proceedings, and Hathaway's nerves seemed to get the better of her.
According to PopEater, the show’s producers were extremely displeased with the duo, particularly Franco. "This was a disaster," one TV executive claimed. "Before the show something was wrong with James. His live interview on ABC backstage should have been a warning sign. He was awkward and looked as if he knew what a terrible evening was ahead for all of us."
Reviews in the press were equally unkind. "Despite an overall rewarding of brilliant performances and no truly shocking didn't-see-that-coming upsets, the 83rd Annual Academy Awards will likely be remembered as the night James Franco couldn't act like a host," The Hollywood Reporter opined, calling the ceremony "unwatchable." -- though they did give Hathaway props for her effort. "Anne Hathaway at least tried to sing and dance and preen along to the goings on, but Franco seemed distant, uninterested and content to keep his Cheshire-cat-meets-smug smile on display throughout."
The New York Times didn't see things much differently, highlighting the "absence of chemistry" between the cohosts. Once again, however, Franco bore the brunt of the bashing. "Mr. Franco looked a little distracted and even blase -- not surprisingly for a multiplatform performer-writer who is working on an English doctorate at Yale."
With reviews like that, it's not surprising that Franco decided not to prolong the evening. In fact, UsMagazine.com reports that James was so ready to be done with the night that he bailed on his own after-party at L.A.'s Supper Club.
Instead, following the awards, Franco immediately boarded a flight back to New York, tweeting a picture of himself drinking a Bloody Mary with "Goodbye L.A." scrawled across the bottom. An attached note read: "It was fun! Have to get back to class" (the Academy Award nominee is enrolled at both NYU and Yale University). We have to give him credit for maintaining such a positive attitude.
But while Franco ditched out on post-ceremony festivities, the same was not true for the rest of his family. Escorted by Franco's younger brother Dave, grandmother Mitzie hit up the after-party at the Supper Club, partying until 2:00 a.m. according to TMZ. Guess granny didn't have to head to an early class the next morning!
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