Bruce Vilanch reflects on this year’s Oscars…and the insatiable demands of host Hugh Jackman

Okay, the Academy of Magical Arts Awards on Sunday weren’t exactly the Oscars but they did have one major thing in common with the Academy Awards: Bruce Vilanch!

Bruce is the much in-demand writer who makes a lot of people seem funnier than they are on award shows, stage productions and films. He was one of the comedy writers for this year’s highly-rated Oscars telecast and at the Magic Awards, he was the special color commentator sitting in a balcony trading clever repartee with host Neil Patrick Harris onstage.

I caught up with Bruce before the show to talk about the Oscars and that dreamy host Hugh Jackman.

“People loved it,” he said of the show. “More people than ever said to me it was the best show they’d seen in years. That rarely happens. I thought the new producers really shook it up and found new things to do and Hugh was wonderful. I was just a happy boy!”

Ah Hugh. The sensational Mr. Jackman who was such a dynamic host. How was it working with HIM?

“Oh God, he’s just impossible,” Bruce joked. “His sexual demands are insatiable.”

He adds, more seriously now: “He’s the nicest guy. He’s like everything Australia is. He’s fun, he;s loose, he;s a pioneer. I can’t say enough. I’ve done three Tony shows with him and I worked on The Boy From Oz and now this. I’m his biggest fan.”