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Los Angles - James Franco has been blasted as an "unwatchable" host of the Oscars.
The 127 Hours star - who presented the show alongside actress Anne Hathaway - has been criticised by industry bible The Hollywood Reporter as seeming "distant" and "uninterested" in proceedings at the event at the Kodak Theatre on Sunday.
Writer Tim Franco said: "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.
'A bad idea'
"What was the point, Academy? What did Franco bring to the table? His appearance played more like one of his performance art pieces than an actual attempt to be host.
"A bad and risky idea, letting two actors host, proved out in spectacularly unwatchable fashion on the biggest of all nights for the film world."
BBC reporter Ben Sutherland concurred with the general consensus, claiming the 32-year-old hunk struggled to keep proceedings fresh.
No chemistry
He said: "The pair failed to find the chemistry that would lead to their partnership being remembered as a success - or indeed to be remembered at all.
"At the heart of the problem was the lack of spark between the two. He came across as disinterested and she appeared to be over-excited."
Unlike the much-discussed Golden Globes hosting - in which Ricky Gervais joked about Scientology and the age of the stars of Sex and the City - the pair seemed keen to avoid controversy, although James did play a role in some funny skits, and at one point dressed up in drag as screen icon Marilyn Monroe and joked about troubled actor Charlie Sheen.
Taking to the stage in a pink dress and blonde wig, he added: "The weird part is, I just got a text message from Charlie Sheen."
