Seth Macfarlane Page 4

Things are about to get serious for a certain trash-talking stuffed bear: Liam Neeson has signed on to join the cast of Ted 2. 

Ted better watch out as Neeson has a 'particular set of skills'

The star of films including Schindler's List and Taken is more known for his roles in big action thrillers, but did show his softer side earlier this year when he appeared in The Lego Movie as the literally two-faced Good Cop/Bad Cop. Seth MacFarlane revealed the news from his official Twitter, also confirming the casting of Hollywood legend Morgan Freeman that was rumoured earlier this week. There's no word yet on who either of the stars will play.

Continue reading: Liam Neeson Joins Ted 2

Kim Kardashian will turn voice-over artist in the season finale of 'American Dad' in September, whilst the new season of 'The Simpsons' will include appearences from the iconic Jane Fonda as well as comedians Nick Offerman and Sarah Silverman. 

Businesswoman, model, fashion designer, mother...actress? There's no end in sight for Kardashian world domination

According to ABC Kim will be voicing an alien who has a fling with Roger, the extra-terrestrial who lives in the Smith family's attic. Meanwhile in Springfield, America's native yellow family will lock horns with Peter Griffin and co when the long-awaited 'Simpsons'/'Family Guy' crossover episode airs this autumn. Hollywood A-Lister Liam Neeson is also set to star, his latest animated appearence since he turned up in the hugely popular Lego Movie earlier this year. Julie Bowey ('Modern Family') and Allison Janney (American Beauty) are also slated to pop up in the episode.

Continue reading: Jane Fonda And Kim Kardashian To Go 2D For Simpsons And American Dad

Ted, the main character of the film ted, was the loveable talking bear that looked like butter wouldn't melt.What he was, in actual fact, was the cause of endless friction between his owner John, Mark Wahlberg, and John's girlfriend Lori, Mila Kunis, as a result of his foul-mouthed, boozy and irresponsible ways.

It has been claimed that the character of Ted was not an original idea from MacFarlane

Two years after the film's release and, once again, Ted is in the middle of another row, this time between Universal Pictures, the film's creator and director, Seth Macfarlane and a production company that claims they invented the cuddly character first.

Continue reading: It Seems Seth MacFarlane's 'Ted' Has Been Obnoxious Before

Seth Macfarlane's hugely popular 2012 comedy 'Ted' may not have been his own idea!

A California production company are suing the filmmaker for allegedly stealing the premise of the vulgar talking teddy bear.

On Tuesday a lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, against MacFarlane and his company for copyright infringement.

Continue reading: Seth MacFarlane Slapped With Lawsuit Over Stealing 'Ted' Story From Web Series

Someone is going to have to have the Ted talk with Seth Macfarlane following a copyright infringement claim being made against the producers of the hit, 2013 movie. The litigating company alleges the idea of a rude, politically incorrect teddy was stolen from their web series.

Seth Macfarlane signs copies of his debut novel at Waterstones in London

The bong-smoking, womanizing, trash-talking bear was a hit with both the critics and the box, pulling in $550m worldwide. But Macfarlane is being questioned on the source of his idea for the character by a Californian production company who have their own mischievous stuffed toy: Charlie.

Continue reading: Seth MacFarlane Is Being Sued Over "Ted" As Sequel Gathers Speed

Rihanna’s red carpet look, you know the one we’re taling about – CFDA awards, sheer floor lenghth dress, sparkles – was generally a hit with fashionistas, not to mention it was such a big hit that we’re still talking about it two days later.

The outfit caused some controversy online.

You know when something causes even the barest hint of controversy (get it? bare?) you can bet a Family Guy parody isn’t far behind. Did they really have to put Peter in the sparkly sheer gown though? That’s really not a look for everyone. In fact, we’re fairly convinced that Rihanna is the only person alive, who could have pulled it off.

Continue reading: Rihanna Is Cool With 'Family Guy's' Jab At Her Fashion Choices

Three big films hit cinemas this weekend in the UK (one of them opens next week in America), with a fantasy blockbuster taking on a sci-fi action thriller and a Wild West comedy for box office glory. Angelina Jolie's Maleficent is likely to emerge triumphant, thanks to high expectations. But Tom Cruise's Edge of Tomorrow is getting much more positive reviews. And Seth Macfarlane's A Million Ways to Die in the West is bound to be popular escapist entertainment. Take time out to read our Maleficent review, Edge of Tomorrow review and see what we said about Seth MacFarlane in A Million Ways to Die.

To mark the launch of Edge of Tomorrow, Tom Cruise and his costar Emily Blunt held an unprecedented triple premiere on two continents in one day. They started Wednesday morning at 9am with the massive world premiere in central London, where the film is set, then dashed across to Paris for a second premiere a few hours later at the location of the film's climactic battle. Then after a trans-Atlantic flight they turned up for an 11pm North American premiere in New York. Browse our photos from the world premiere of 'Edge Of Tomorrow' held at the BFI IMAX, London United Kingdom on Wednesday 28th May 2014 or check out Tom in a different suit at the New York premiere held at AMC Loews Lincoln Square.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Blockbusters Bombard Cinemas, Tom And Emily Have Three Premieres In One Day, And New Trailers Turn Up For Festival Favourites And Disney Animation

After Judd Apatow relaunched the adult comedy in 2005 with The 40 Year Old Virgin, he has dominated the genre by collaborating with his pals from his iconic 1999 TV series Freaks & Geeks, including James Franco, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel.

Seth Macfarlane in 'A Million Ways to Die in the West'

This expanding team of actors and filmmakers are responsible for everything from Anchorman to Forgetting Sarah Marshall to Pineapple Express to Bridesmaids, not to mention the hit TV series Girls. In 2009, Todd Phillips briefly threatened Apatow's dominance with The Hangover, but neither the sequels nor Phillips' other feature Due Date caught on.

Continue reading: 'A Million Ways To Die In The West' Is Grown-Up, Gross-Out Comedy

A Million Ways To Die In The West is released today in the US and UK and will surely be a huge draw for fans who enjoyed Seth Macfarlane's last comedy, Ted. The Family Guy star's wicked and often inappropriate sense of humour proved a huge hit with his debut live action movie but critics have warned that the formula isn't necessarily repeated in the comedian's sophomore effort.

The comedy has hit a bum note on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, accruing an embarrassing 33% rating amongst reviewers. The Telegraph's Tim Robey barks out angry and wounding soundbites such as "flatly atrocious" and "unamusing tumbleweed" but offers a nugget for the more immature fans: "if you want to find out how much scope the Old West contains for jokes about violent bowel movements, this is very much a movie for you."

The Guardian's Mike McCahill gives the movie a similarly low rating, saying "Fans of Ted's aggressively scattershot misanthropy may be left wanting by Seth MacFarlane's mock-western follow-up" before adding "the dragging pace means the overall hit rate is down on even late-period Family Guy."

Continue reading: 'A Million Ways To Die In The West': Should We Listen To Critics?

Seth Macfarlane really wants to be a movie star. And we get it, we really do, but that isn’t enough to justify the existence of A Million Ways to Die in the West. Critics are pegging Macfarlane’s latest as “astonishingly lazy” (TIME Magazine) and “altogether wrongheaded” (Film School Rejects) and its overall 34% score on Rotten Tomatoes means that this one is easily skippable.

Seth Macfarlane's latest wasn't worth the hype.

The only hope Macfarlane has of redeeming himself as a writer and, to an extent, as a director, is for his other project, Ted 2, to be a stellar success. So where are we with that one?

Continue reading: Ok, Seth Macfarlane, You've Had Your Fun, Now Where Are We With "Ted 2"?

A host of pun-tastic and risqué posters has been released ahead of the release of Seth Macfarlane's new comedy western, A Million Way To Die In The West. Starring Amanda Seyfried, Sarah Silverman, Neil Patrick Harris, Liam Neeson, Charlize Theron, Giovanni Ribisi, and MacFarlane himself, the movie certainly pulls no punches when it comes to rounding up a killer cast.

MacFarlane Plays a Sheep Farmer Who's About To Receive The Courage Shake-Up He Needs When Charlize Theron Rolls Into Town.

As well as directing, co-writing and producing the comedy, Seth also takes on the role of cowardly sheep farmer Albert. After Albert backs out of a gunfight, his fickle girlfriend (Seyfried) leaves him for another man. However, the farmer hadn't counted on a mysterious and beautiful woman (Theron) riding into town, who helps him find his courage.

Continue reading: 'A Million Ways To Die In The West' Is A Whip-Cracking Western Comedy As Immature As 'Ted' [Pictures]

If you haven't already heard, Family Guy's Brian Griffin was killed off but if you're even hotter on the ins and outs of entertainment news, or just live in the US where episodes are shown first, you'll know that Brian has been brought back.

What Was The Real Motivation behind Killing Brian Off?

Indeed, in the blink of an eye - well, less than a month after Brian was shown dying after being hit by a car, the makers of Family Guy have brought the Griffin family's beloved pet dog back into the plot. Though Brian's death was made out to be irreversible seeing as Stewie's time machine was supposed to be destroyed, all is not so.

Continue reading: Why Was Family Guy's Brian Griffin Brought Back From The Dead? [Video]

Seth Macfarlane has opened up about the recent publicity that his cartoon comedy show Family Guy has attracted after deciding to kill off main character, Brian Griffin. The Griffin family's pet dog was shown to die after a car crash, before being quickly replaced by straight-talking tough dog, Vinnie, voiced by The Sopranos' Tony Sirico.

We Were Told That Stewie Had Destroyed His Time Machine So Couldn't Save Brian.

Fans reacted with sorrow and outrage to the cull of the character who is arguably Family Guy's most memorable. A petition was quickly launched demanding that Brian be brought back and fans waited with baited breath to see what the show's next move would be.

Continue reading: Seth MacFarlane Lifts Lid On 'Family Guy' Brian Griffin Plot Ruse [Video]

In one of the most irritating and transparent plotline stunts of all time, Brian Griffin's return to hit comedy cartoon Family Guy isn't exactly the most unpredictable move. Brian, the Griffin family's pet dog, was widely accepted to be one of the show's strongest characters but was killed off in a November episode after he was hit by a car.

Brian Griffin Has Made His Return To 'Family Guy.'

Within the same episode that Brian died on the operating table, the Griffin's headed to a dog's home to pick up another pet. Vinnie, the straight-talking dog voiced by The Sopranos' Tony Sirico, was brought in to replace the loveable black and white mutt, who was voiced by show creator Seth Macfarlane. Fans reacted in their thousands to Brian's untimely and unexpected demise by creating a petition to bring Brian back.

Continue reading: What's The Point In Bringing Brian Griffin Back To Family Guy? [Video]

Family Guy fans looks set to be confused once again after news has surfaced that Brian Griffin, the Family Guy character killed off in a recent episode of Family Guy, could be set to return for good. Brian the dog's death didn't go down particularly well when the episode, 'The Life of Brian,' was aired, with fans quickly creating petitions to have the loveable pooch brought back.

Well, Is He Or Isn't He? 'Family Guy' Messes Fans Around?

It seems that makers of the show have taken heed of the uproarious reaction after Brian was shown getting hit by a car, dying on the operating table, then being buried to by the grief-stricken Griffins. To rub salt in the wound, the family were seen in the same episode going to a dog's home to pick up a new pet, Vinny, voiced by The Sopranos' Tony Sirico.

Continue reading: Brian Returning To Family Guy After Death: Come Again?

Ok so Brian the dog is dead and Family Guy fans are angry, but the aficionadas are holding out hope for the pooch's safe return to action. It's still one of the most popular shows around, but Seth Macfarlane and everyone involved knew that it needed a kick up the backside.

Brian [L] and Stewie [R] in 'Family Guy'

A nice big fat slice of publicity. If Brian's death turns out to be permanent, than fine, the show has been in the news all week and it's generated plenty of interest, but the clues suggest the writers might be looking to keep viewers hooked for a couple of weeks, before the big reveal.

Continue reading: So, Family Guy's Brian Will Be Resurrected On December 15th, Right?

When popular cartoon Family Guy decided to kill off one of the show's core cast - namely loveable family dog Brian Griffin - the producers could not have anticipated the controversy that would be stirred up. Turns out that after nearly 15 years of Family Guy, fans feel like they have some kind of ownership of the show and have put their foot down this time.

R.I.P. Brian Griffin.

In an episode aired over the weekend, beloved pooch and writer Brian (voiced by Seth Macfarlane) was brutally taken from the show after being hit by a car. He died under the family's watch on an operating table when doctors just couldn't save him. However, in typical Family Guy blunt style, no sooner than Brian had died than he'd been replaced with a straight-talking, tough dog Vinny, voiced by The Sopranos Tony Sirico.

Continue reading: Family Guy Fans Launch Petition To Protest Death Of Major Character

Family Guy writer threw their fans a curveball on Sunday, 24 November, night by killing off one of the show's main characters, ending their eleven season run in the hit FOX animation for good. As fans react angrily online, the show's executive producers have since come forward in order to explain the character's axing and ask fans to see this as the start of something new, rather than the end of an era.

No more wacky adventures for these two

[Spoilers] Titled 'Life of Brian,' the latest episode of the current season began with Stewie destroying his time machine after too many near-misses tht could alter the space-time continuum, immediately ending any chance he might have of saving the beloved family dog Brian. Within the first few minutes of the episode, Brian was dead, run over by a car, and by the end of the episode the Griffin family had already adopted a new pet, so there was little chance to grieve. So maybe this is why fans are so aggravated.

Continue reading: 'Family Guy' Producers Explain The Reason Behind The Shock Main Character Death

Erm, Family Guy killed off a major character. They killed off Brian, and he’s not coming back. No really. That’s what happened. The family pet was killed off in a car accident, and the Griffins went to a pound and picked up a new dog, with a mafia-style attitude to boot.

Sad times: these two won't be enjoying any more jokes together

The death of Brian was a huge surprise for fans, who were promised the end of a major character in this Sunday’s episode, but who wouldn’t have expected him to go due to his importance to the last 11 seasons of the show. Alas, the Family Guy team were in the mood for a shock, electing the chatty mutt to meet his maker.

Continue reading: Which Family Guy Character Died? Clue: The Episode's Called 'The Life Of Brian'

Good news fans of repetitive toilet humour, Seth Macfarlane has been given the green light by Fox to produce another animated series for the network. With Fox quietly reducing his output on the network to just his flagship show, Family Guy, a deal has been struck between Fox officials and MacFarlane to bring Bordertown to the network.

As first reported by Deadline, Fox have agreed an initial 13 episodes run for the new animated series, with MacFarlane working with Family Guy producer and Ted director Mark Hentemann as executive producer for the project. Alex Carter (Family Guy) and Dan Vebber (American Dad) will also executive produce the seriers.

The show was originally conceived by Hentemann, and is set in the fictitious Texan town of Bordertown, where the ongoing cultural shifts running through America will be explored in each episode, probably in the least politically correct way possible.

Continue reading: Fox Order All-New Seth MacFarlane Animated Series, 'Bordertown'

Neil Patrick Harris has landed the top awards hosting job in television for the second time. Such is the natural ability of the man, that organizers of the Primetime Emmy Awards have invited him back to helm the show at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles on September 22, 2013.

"Four years ago, Neil was an amazing Emmy host and we are excited to have him back," Bruce Rosenblum, the Television Academy chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "Neil is an extremely gifted and inventive performer, and we look forward to seeing what he has in store this year." A hugely popular awards show host, Harris said he "couldn't be more honored and excited" to host the Emmys - the biggest date on the television industry's calendar. The 'How I Met Your Mother' actor is also hosting the Tony Awards for the fourth time this year, which honors the best shows and performances on Broadway. This year's ceremony comes from the Radio City Music Hall in New York next month.

A three-time Emmy Award winner himself, Neil Patrick Harris is currently shooting Seth Macfarlane's new comedy A Million Ways To Die In The West, about a cowardly farmer who seeks the help of a gunslinger's wife to help him win back the woman who left him. It also stars Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson and Charlize Theron and hits theaters on May 30, 2014.

Continue reading: 'Gifted' Neil Patrick Harris Returns To Host 65th Emmy Awards

Seth Macfarlane got a mauling after his performance hosting the Oscars this year, so you’re probably all breathing a sigh of relief that he won’t be back to take the helm at the movie showcase in 2014, the Family Guy creator reiterating what he’d said after the event, in that he wasn’t going to be there.

Taking to Twitter, MacFarlane alerted his followers "Traumatised critics exhale: I'm unable to do the Oscars again.” As the world’s smallest violin presumably played, he added "Tried to make it work schedule-wise, but I need sleep." MacFarlane had a rough time of it with the critics, but it would appear that internally he got on well with the Oscars team, as he also commented, "However, I highly recommend the job, as Zadan and Meron are two of the most talented producers in the business."

This isn’t really news at all to be honest, we already knew that MacFarlane wasn’t too keen on coming back for another round of hosting. As The Guardian reports, earlier this year he commented ;"The Oscars is basically the Kob[a]yashi Maru test," in a reference to the unwinnable training scenario depicted in the Star Trek film series. Still, the critical beating must have rankled with MacFarlane who is used to making a success of everything he touches, whether it be TV, music or film. The temptation to prove his doubters wrong must be there, or perhaps he’s simply not bothered. He’s rich enough after all.

Continue reading: And Breathe...Seth MacFarlane Won't Be 2014's Oscars Host

Wow. Fox has really shown its hand for next season, offering four big new shows in the bid to get ahead in the race for ratings. The network has made high profile comedy pickups including the Seth Macfarlane produced Dads and the Andy Samberg starring Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Elsewhere, Fox ordered 13 episodes of of Surviving Jack with Chris Meloni, Enlisted with Geoff Stults and Us and Them starring Jason Ritter and Alexis Bledel. But which is likely to become the next Family Guy or New Girl? 

Dads

Continue reading: Fox Orders Seth MacFarlane's 'Dads' And Samberg's 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' [Analysis]

Despite widespread criticism – although primarily directed at the host, Seth Macfarlane – The Oscars 2013 was considered a success by The Academy due to the high ratings, especially in the much coveted demographic of ‘young people’.

And in that light, the decision to bring Caig Zadan and Neil Meron back as producers seems less strange. The ceremony was rich in set pieces; Macfarlane, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe did a number, as did the entire crew of Les Miserables. Turns out, people love all that.

Partners in crime - Zadan [L] and Meron [R] will work on The Oscars again

Continue reading: High Ratings See Craig Zadan And Neil Meron Re-Hired For Oscars 2014

Fox television has pulled an episode of Seth Macfarlane's animated series 'Family Guy' from television and internet sites after several unrelated clips were spliced together to depict a bombing at the Boston Marathon. Creator MacFarlane slammed the mash-up as "abhorrent," after it came just a day after two bombs killed three people and wounded 176 at the finish line of the annual marathon.

A Fox spokeswoman said the network had pulled the recent 'Turban Cowboy' episode of Family Guy from being rebroadcast, and that network officials were working to take down YouTube videos. The clips are taken from an episode in which character Peter Griffin drunkenly drives over runners in order to win the Boston Marathon, though the makers of the video took advantage of an unconnected storyline in which Peter unknowingly becomes friends with an extremist who gives him a cell-phone which detonates a bomb. "The edited Family Guy clip currently circulating is abhorrent. The event was a crime and a tragedy, and my thoughts are with the victims," MacFarlane, who recently hosted the Oscars, wrote on Twitter.

Television networks in the US frequently review material that might be considered sensitive after national tragedies such as the marathon bombings. Similar reviews were conducted following the Newton, Connecticut school shootings and Superstorm Sandy in 2012. In the UK, Film4 has dropped the movie Four Lions from its schedule next week. Chris Morris' comedy is about a group of British Muslims planning a bomb attack at the London marathon.

Continue reading: Fox Pulls 'Family Guy' Episode After Boston Bombings Clip Goes Viral

There will not be a single Oscar handed out in February 2014, and that’s because the ceremony will be held in March. See, the Academy bods are so worried about attention being deflected from the biggest night in Hollywood, that they’ve pandered to the biggest week in… winter sports.

The Winter Olympics will be taking place in Sochi, Russia from February 7-23, and it has become customary for the Academy to step aside while the games are on. It’s only an issue they have to deal with every four years. This way, both events get the ratings, and people don’t have to make that oh-so-difficult decision: bobsleighs or award speeches. We’re shuddering at the thought of such a dilemma. Still, if the calibre of host doesn’t improve from last year's pretty woeful Seth Macfarlane, then watching skinny athletes fall over on the show might just be a more electable option. Credit where credit’s due for the Family Guy creator, 40m people tuned in to watch it, so he did his job. So the date’s cleared up.

Opposite directions - Macfarlane and Timberlake

Continue reading: The Oscars Slalom Into March To Avoid The Winter Olympics

Jamie Lee Curtis has spoken out on her feelings about Seth Macfarlane's controversial performance at the 2013 Oscars ceremony.

The 'Family Guy' creator hasn't exactly been the subject of much praise over the last few weeks after hosting the ceremony, the least appreciated act being performing a crude song about several of the female attendants called 'We Saw Your Boobs'. 'Freaky Friday' star Curtis states that the show 'offended' her and has slammed the number, likening it to a 'public execution', mentioning that it turned the prestigious show into a 'cheesy vaudeville show'. 'The 'boob' song, as it will be known in perpetuity, may go down as the highest-rated Oscar number in history, but at what cost?' She wrote in an article for the Huffington Post. 'When did they turn into a 'roast'? At least at a roast you know what's in store. What if actors and actresses stopped attending the Oscars because it was deemed open session to ridicule and parody them? Would the Academy be so cavalier then?'

She went on to say that she has also gone topless for movies but added that it wasn't something she enjoyed. 'I am sorry that this is what we are talking about and not Argo's lovely win or Jennifer's amazing performance', she said. 'What we will be talking about is Seth's lack of class and a 14-year-old boy's derogatory word for one of the most beautiful, motherly and literally nurturing parts of the female form.'

Seth Macfarlane is "very, very happy" with his Oscars performance, according to producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron who are basking in strong ratings for the 85th Academy Awards, despite the ceremony being among the worst reviewed in years. The Family Guy comedian came in for the majority of criticism, particularly for jokes deemed to be sexist, unfunny and downright offensive, though Zadan and Meron should not escape criticism given a series of bizarre song and dance numbers to open the show, a lethargic tribute to James Bond, and several major names excluded from the In Memoriam segment.

Seth MacFarlane Came Under Fire For His Oscars Hosting

"When you take the job, you know you're in jeopardy of being ripped to shreds," producer Craig Zadan said in an interview with The Times. "No matter what you do with the Academy [of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences], people take sides. We judged the show by what we wanted to do." Meron added that he was expecting some criticism, "None of us expected to be lauded by the press." The Oscars has an uncomfortable relationship with its hosts over the past couple of years. A kneejerk decision to have James Franco and Anne Hathaway helm the ceremony in 2011 will go down as one of the disaster moments in the Academy's long history, while choosing Oscars veteran Billy Crystal to steady the ship in 2012 proved an equally bad move. Although revered as perhaps the greatest host of all time, Crystal's comedy seemed out of touch with the younger generation - a blackened face in his opening skit sort of set the pace. 

Continue reading: Seth MacFarlane's Oscars: What Went Wrong And Who's To Blame?

They say that all publicity is good publicity, right? Though it has to be said, if Seth Macfarlane happens to be self-googling this morning, he will probably be questioning why they say that and whether it holds any truth at all. After Macfarlane shut the lid on his controversial Oscars hosting stint, the dust is still a long way from settling.

Macfarlane’s management of his hosting role resulted in him offending pretty much every minority group going, particularly women and Jews (and especially Jewish women, we expect). And judging by New York Times’ report on the matter, even the white middle-class males that for the leftover majority managed to be offended on behalf of and out of sympathy for everyone that was already offended. Academy member Lawrence Turman remarked “I think I’m a very liberal guy, but I actually winced.” Jewish groups have labeled the Family Guy creator as “offensive, unfunny and inappropriate,” the Daily Mail report, after his Ted alter-ego told Mark Wahlberg that he had to be Jewish if he wanted to work in Hollywood.

He also took a pop at Adele’s weight, Chris Brown and Rihanna’s relationship and a whole bunch of female Hollywood actresses, including Jennifer Lawrence and Charlize Theron, for daring to take their clothes off in movies. It’s not looking good for Macfarlane, who appears to have offended everyone in sight, if the headlines are to be believed (and the paragraphs after the headlines, containing all the evidence…) but hey, at least the ratings were up, eh, Seth!? That’s the main thing, right? 

Continue reading: Ratings Up But That Won't Save Seth Macfarlane's Oscars Reviews

Seth Macfarlane was always going to be a contentious choice of Oscar host, as the Academy Awards sought to attract the key 18-49 demographic, but just how did the risqué comedy of the Family Guy and Ted creator go down on an evening which is known for its formality and tradition?

If this critical mauling doesn't wipe the grin off Seth MacFarlane's face, nothing will

Continue reading: Oscars 2013: Seth MacFarlane Oscars Hosting Given A Mauling By Critics

Seth Macfarlane is undoubtedly set to be an unorthodox Oscars host, and there’s all sorts of chat about what everyone could be letting themselves in for. One thing that is definitely happening is that the Family Guy and Ted creator will be closing the show with a song and dance, alongside Kristin Chenoweth.

 Seth Macfarlane's up for a song and a dance this Sunday

Continue reading: Seth MacFarlane Set For Oscars Song And Dance To Close Show

Family Guy will meet The Simpsons for the first time when Family Guy creator Seth Macfarlane lends his voice to a character for the first episode of the upcoming 25th season of the The Simpsons.

Fans of the yellow-skinned show may be surprised with the announcement, with MacFarlane creations Family Guy and America Dad being lampooned on the show during the episode 'The Italian Bob', where the two shows patriarchs Peter Griffin and Stan Smith were both accused of plagiarism. Still, entering it's 25th season and with dwindling audience numbers and with scripts of questionable quality, who can blame them for recruiting outside help - even if the help is essentially a rival.

Producer Al Jean spoke to Entertainment Weekly earlier this week (Nov 30) to break the news, as well as giving some word on what the the episode, which will air in fall 2013, will entail. The show, which is set to be titled 'Dangers On A Train,' will see MacFarlane play a married man who pursues matriarch Marge Simpson following a meeting between the two on a website. The two go on to form a bond over their love of a Downton Abbey-esque show called 'Upton Rectory', with hilarity likely to ensue.

The Oscars is the biggest annual event in western film culture, perhaps matched only by the Cannes Film Festival. Winning an Oscar is a director's, actor's or writer's proudest moment and one that will ensure career longevity and continued success. So, to host the Oscars is a pretty big deal- is Seth Macfarlane, a squat comedy writer whose shows have been censored and even banned in the past the right man for the role? And, if he's not, who may have been a better choice?

Seth MacFarlane is the creative mind behind the animated comedy tour-de-force Family Guy, as well as American Dad and The Cleveland show. He branched his career out further this year writing, directing and starring in the movie “Ted”.

However, MacFarlane had a slight mishap when hosting the Emmys this year, in which he couldn't find the mic. If he has a similar slip-up this year, the award directors may be lamenting not opting for someone else. But who else could step up to the mark? Judging on entertainment value and quality The Muppets would have been an excellent choice, or even the man responsible for bringing them vehemently back to life earlier this year, Jason Segel. Neil Patrick Harris is another all-rounder who would be great for the job, or even Mila Kunis.

Continue reading: The Oscars 2013: Is Seth MacFarlane The Best Man For The Job?