Begging to disagree

HARVEY. “Old hat” hosting style

News reports have it that the next Miss Universe tilt finals will be held for the third time in Manila this year, partly due to the earnest and eager “bridging” efforts of the current queen, Pia Wurtzbach. Congrats all around for the successful and effective “clinching” campaign.

Monumental booboo

On the other hand, we beg to disagree with the choice of Steve Harvey to again host the pageant show and telecast, despite the monumental booboo he made last year, when he first announced Miss Colombia’s victory, instead of the rightful awardee, “our” Pia.

We agree that to err is all too human and to forgive divine. But the ovum that Harvey laid at the 2015 rites was the size of an ostrich—and even a dinosaur—egg, so it shouldn’t be pooh-poohed away that easily and breezily.

More to the point: Viewed in its entirety, Harvey’s hosting career is pretty much limited to TV game shows and show biz events, which helps explain why he so clumsily bungled the Miss U pageant.

Even before he made his humongous and egregious mistake, his handling of the pageant show was lacking in the stylishness, glamour, “drama” and excitement it requires.

We’ve watched Harvey’s other TV shows, like “Celebrity Family Feud” and “Little Big Shots,” so we can similarly fault him for being a relatively limited TV host even in those program types.

His pacing is heavy and slow, and he tends to rely too much on his “signature” look of “funny” befuddlement whenever a contestant says or does something stupid or unexpected.

Aside from this overused reaction, he occasionally cracks some jokes that do get a giggle or a hearty laugh—but, all told, he’s a sluggish TV host.

Yes, we know he’s popular, but his “old hat” comedy and hosting style is less than thoroughly winning, especially when contrasted with the livelier, more plugged-in likes of Jimmy Fallon and Steven Colbert.