In just a few hours, Neil Patrick Harris will play host to one of the biggest award ceremonies in the world. And while this may be his first time serving as an Oscar host, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll be able to pull it off with flying colors. Because, truth be told, there's no better emcee out there, which can easily be proven just by looking at the total number of times NPH has hosted an awards show in general. Harris has hosted the Tony Awards alone a whopping four times — once in 2009 and again for three consecutive years from 2011-2013 — placing him just one short of tying Angela Lansbury for the record of five times.
He's also hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards twice in 2009 and 2013, the World Magic Awards in 2008, the TV Land Awards in 2009, and the Video Game Awards in 2010. That's in addition to his four times hosting the Tony Awards (does he get some sort of punch card for that?). This means that after Sunday night, NPH will have hosted a grand total of 10 award shows, which is an extremely impressive feat, not just for the shear number itself, but also because of the rave reviews he consistently brings in each and every time he takes the stage. Sure, it may look easy from the comfort of our living room couches, but acting as an emcee is far from easy. You have to be funny, but not offensive; charming, but not boring — and let's not forget the fact that it's all done completely live in front of millions of viewers and your peers.
That's a lot of pressure, in my opinion. And yet, NPH always manages to pull it off without a hitch. So while we wait for him to make his very first Academy Award debut, I thought it would be fun to look back on some of his best hosting moments as a way to help get us pumped for the fun night he undoubtedly has in store.
When He Told Us To "Put Down the Remote"
Though he's performed many musical numbers throughout his hosting gigs, "Put Down the Remote" will always be one of my all-time favorites. It's funny and clever, and boy does he know how to wear a white tux, amirite? The only reason you'll want to pick up that remote is so you can re-watch this entertaining little number again and again.
When He Channeled His Inner-Spiderman
Proving that he's not afraid of a few potentially dangerous stunts, this friendly neighborhood award show host completely wowed the audience with this impressive entrance and left us all wanting an NPH-Spiderman spin-off.
When He Invented the Playsical
Because who wouldn't want to go see A Midsummer Night's Dreamgirls?
When He Rapped a Recap of the Tonys
As if he didn't already have enough on his plate that evening, Harris concluded the show with an impressive recap of the evening set to Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind." Can you imagine what little time he had to memorize all of that? And yet he pulled it off to perfection and finished with a badass mic drop.
We love you, NPH. Never change.
