Amy Schumer, the irreverent comedian in charge of resurrecting the Oscars

Javier Romualdo Los Angeles (USA), 22 Mar Amy Schumer, the only American comedian capable of filling the imposing Madison Square Garden in New York, will be responsible for returning the figure of the master of ceremonies to the Oscars, after three consecutive years without a presenter. “I'm pretty scared,” admitted the humorist, recognized for her irreverent and natural style, in an interview with Efe. In this edition, the leading role will be tripled and in a female key, as Schumer will be joined by Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes, all of them with the task of leading the reins of a ceremony whose decline in audience is beginning to seriously worry the Hollywood Academy. Last year's gala, decaffeinated by the pandemic, attracted 10 million live viewers. It was their all-time low, a drop of almost 60% compared to the previous year. Once it became clear that the idea of doing without presenters did not raise the appeal of the ceremony, the Oscars have focused on the talent of three women to present a gala that, between the return after the pandemic and their bad run in audience, seems the most decisive in years. “I think women are gaining more power in this industry, to be able to direct or create shows when they haven't been able to for a long time,” Schumer herself analyzed. WOMEN, ALSO IN THE MINORITY TO PRESENT THE OSCARS The Oscar statuette is a male figure as most of its presenters have been throughout its 94 editions of history. For example, in the last twenty years there have been only three presenters, Whoopi Goldberg, Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Hathaway, the latter with James Franco. This year's trio will try to correct that imbalance with a script that, Schumer, could not advance at all, but which will undoubtedly bring a new nuance to the Oscar driving style. Schumer (New York, 1981) is one of the faces that best represent that wave of comic women who, thanks to social media and the opening of Hollywood, have shaken the television scene. From the same generation as Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Amy Poehler or Rebel Wilson, her humor is characterized by talking openly about sex, the pressure to fit into physical ideals, feminism, racism and, more recently, motherhood. “In fact, it's the first time I've been on tour since I had a baby, but my family is very supportive, they're with me almost all the time,” said the comedian, which before her pregnancy filled Madison Square Garden in New York (almost 20,000 viewers), opened for Madonna and starred in “Inside Amy Schumer”, her own 'reality show'. He also has experience hosting awards galas, his monologue at the 2015 MTV Movie Awards went viral for his jokes about Hillary Clinton, Harrison Ford's plane crashes (more frequent than desirable), and the power that the cast of “Magic Mike” had to “make his fingers disappear” while watching the film. “Amy Schumer doesn't cut herself and that's why we love her comedy so much”, MTV celebrated in its press releases. With the same decision, the comedian has proposed that the president of Ukraine, Volodymir Zelensky, appear at the Oscars. The final decision is up to the producers of the ceremony, although she has already advanced that she will include some commentary on the “current conditions” in a gala that, however, will fulfill the function of entertaining in troubled times. DIRECTOR, SCREENWRITER AND PRODUCER OF “LIFE & BETH” In parallel to the Oscars presentation, Schumer has just released on Hulu and Disney+. “Life & Beth” is a series directed, written and starred by herself, about a woman who seems to have it all: She lives in Manhattan with her partner, she earns a living as a winemaker and her friends admire her. But nothing satisfies him. “She lives the way she's supposed to live and she's pretty unhappy,” Schumer explained. His life will turn 180 degrees when he returns to his village because of a family incident. Between comedy and realism, Schumer makes “Life & Beth” another portrait of millennial disappointment such as “Fleabag”, “Girls” or the Spanish “Cardo”. Series for millennials, precisely the audience who want to recover the Oscars. CHIEF romu/agf (photo) (video)