Kirk Douglas upstaged ACADEMY AWARD hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway during a surprise appearance at the Oscars last night (27th February 2011), according to the New York Daily News.
Kirk Douglas, the veteran Hollywood actor, presented the 'Best Supporting Actress' prize to Melissa Leo at the 83rd Academy Awards yesterday and the 94-year-old's jokes were amongst the evening's stand-out moments.
Franco was criticised by some sections of the media for his performance and the Daily News writer SORAYA ROBERTS noted that the arrival of Douglas gave the show a much-need boost, saying, "At 94, screen legend Kirk Douglas had all the verve that co-host Franco, 32, lacked throughout the night when he arrived on stage to announce the winner of the best supporting actress Academy Award". Kirk, the father of Michael Douglas, had the star-studded audience in hysterics when he began mock-flirting with Anne Hathaway, saying, "Wow! Where were you when I was making movies?" He later referenced Franco's performance in '127 Hours', saying, "You look much better out of the cave" and also pretended to fight with an attendant for possession of his walking stick.
Academy Awards bosses had attempted to inject some youthful energy into the show by recruiting Franco and Hathaway to host, but their performances were generally not well received. According to The Huffington Post, Franco decided to skip his own Oscar party in Los Angeles and immediately jetted back to New York after the show.