Oscar writer Bruce Vilanch about the joke that never made it into the air

Bruce Vilanch is a walking oxymoron: a legendary ghostwriter who is best known to feed hosts and moderators at the Oscar loan, Grammys, Emmys and Tony. He has worked on the Oscars since 1989, the year of the notorious Rob Lowe-Snow White … whatever was what was the hell. The title of the new Tell-All of the 77-year-old, Back then it seemed a bad idea to be (From March 4th by Chicago Review Press) refers to these and other TV train wrecks with which he is connected. But if you give him to blame, you say, you say, The Star Wars Holiday Special or The Paul Lynde Halloween SpecialThen you should owe him to all the really funny Oscar night pain you have never recognized. Before the 97th Academy Awards, Vilanch offers his unvarnished opinion about former hosts and reveals the best joke he ever had to cut.

The Oscars are interesting in this sense that they have this double function. On the one hand, it is like an insider ceremony that takes Hollywood very seriously, and then it is a show that has to reach a mass audience. How do you navigate this tension as a writer?

With a shrimp fork. It is very difficult because they realize that while everyone in the house is familiar with everything that people go home “The brutalistWhat is that? A wrestling picture? “But to answer your question, try to get it for the house, because if the house enjoys it, this spirit is seen by people at home, and they somehow get into the fact that it works. And although they may not know every reference that is made, they will have enough.

What is the most important advice you gave to an Oscar night host?

I always say the hosts that they should load the show front – because for everyone who wins, there are four people who don’t. And when the evening continues, the room fills with losers and they don’t listen to them. You write an SMS, shoot your agent, shoot your dentist, whoever. So you won’t get the laugh you have. And often the camera is cut to where Eddie Murphy was sitting, and it is now a beautiful woman from Pacacima who bought a dress from TJ Maxx that she got on this occasion. You better do the strong things in advance, because you will probably not build during the show.

What does a great Oscar host that go beyond the ability to deliver a joke?

Well, what Jo Koy has proven Golden Globes in the (2024) is that they have to be a big star. Because if you want to make fun of big stars, you have to feel like you are at your level. There is a very short list of people who can do that. In general, nobody wants to do it.

Is there an advantage if you organize a price rescue show more?

You are still out there. Hey, if you are Nikki Glaser (moderator of the 2025 Globes), there is a great advantage. And it wasn’t mean. She calibrated her things. Her act is very dirty and she was a nice girl, but she had a little advantage. I don’t know if that definitely worked on the Oscars, because although it is the same amount, there is more pomp and ceremony for the thing.

Who would you say, was the worst Oscar host with whom you had to work?

Who was the worst? Well, I had a problem with Ellen (degeneres), but that’s because she … I think she was afraid.

It seems that they were not the only one who had a hard time working with Ellen.

Yes. I had no idea. She isolated a lot and it was not fun. And I like her. I’ve known her for years. And she was always fun. But I think the burden of everything that happened to her has changed. I think she was a little riskaver, even though she was now on her own talk show and everything was on her and the public loved her. I think she was very protective and wanted her people around her and that was it. So that was the only one who was really (difficult).

And did you think the show worsened?

No, because it is great. For us writers it made it only a less fun experience. That’s all. The same with the Franco Hathaway show, which was a bad idea. And James panicked and went to Judd Apatow, and Judd brought four writers of his writer who had never done anything like this. And he also had no person. So what did you write? I mean, Ananas Express? And then when Anne felt that there was all this attention to him, she brought her own writer who was great. So the atmosphere was not wonderful.

We are back in the Trump years. How carefully do you have to play as a writer for the Oscars with the political sensitivity of the Hollywood audience and the audience?

Trump himself explained the Oscars as a war zone: Meryl Streep is an overvalued actress, Robert de Niro is an overvalued actor, and all these people who don’t like him … So I think that it doesn’t matter at this point, and I think people will say their opinion. I don’t think the academy is largely a terribly trumpy operation. Especially since it has become more international and less Hollywood.

Would you like to keep these surprising political moments on the show as a writer or do you just want to stay away from you?

Well, as a writer I love her, but I’m not out there and do it. So it really depends on who is out there and does it. A few years ago when we marched into Iraq, Michael Moore won the documentary award for Bowling for columbine. He came up and started a speech by anti-George-Bush, and some stage workers began to build him and the people in the audience began to remove him. And he got out. Steve Martin organized. And there was a commercial. We are in the back for three minutes and jokes each other, then Steve came out and said: “I think it is wonderful that the stage workers Michael Moore will help behind the scenes to help in the trunk of his car.” Somehow the whole idea empty: See, that happens when you become political. And it was also a nice splitter among the people who opposed him. So of course I love it.

Is there a joke that you really want to say that it was never allowed in which you feel: “Damn, I wish I had arrived”?

Richard Gere was in the audience for a year and we had a joke. It was after the entire Richard Gere Whisper campaign. The joke that Billy Crystal would say was said: “Richard Gere will present later. He originally wanted to with FIEVEL, the mouse of An American cockBut Fievel has withdrawn. “And it came up. The director gets the script shortly before the broadcast of these things, and so he has one of his 14 camerameners going to Richard. And when that happens, you know that they are somehow mentioned. They could see the panic in Richard’s face because he thought (Billys). And what would you make a joke with Richard at that time?

And Billy said: “Look … we have to cut the joke. Look at him. He will have a heart attack. “He said:” I can’t do that to him. ” And we cut the joke. Billy has a innate feeling of fairness. I mean it wasn’t the first time. We would come up with outrageous things and he would say: “I could do it on a letter committee, but I won’t do it on the Oscars.” I mean, he really had a feeling of occasions and his personal feeling that he was a just type.

Are people ever warned that they will make fun of?

No. Elizabeth Taylor was the rare exception. And it was because it was a joke about her personal life. Billy introduced Al Pacino and said: “This is the eighth nomination of Al Pacino and he never won. He heard more people who scream the name of another man than anyone else except Larry Forttensky ”(Taylor’s seventh husband). And we all love this joke. And (long -time Oscar Telecast Director) Gil Cates says: “It is hysterical. You have to call Elizabeth because it is a sex joke about her. “Anyway, he called her and told her the joke and she said:” Who is Larry Forttensky? ”

This story appeared in the Hollywood reporter Magazine edition of February 26. Click here to subscribe.