Why Nikki Glaser is on a rocket ship headed to the Oscars
The St. Louis native makes Tom Brady nervous, and hosted the Globes with ease.
Comedy is a hard act to pull off in any environment, and the size of the room doesn’t even matter. Can you craft a joke or story with the ease of a veteran who isn’t trying too hard, or is it evident that family get-togethers are your forever audience? When it comes to performing on any stage, Nikki Glaser has it locked down.
While other comedians threw up softballs or held back, she roasted Tom Brady to a point where visible agony was apparent. She had other sharp-edged takes that were outlawed before the show even began. The man has seven Super Bowl rings to his collection, but Glaser put him on ice with mere words. That’s a true power that leads to greater opportunity.
While she was born in Cincinnati, Glaser spent the better chunk of her childhood in Kirkwood, Missouri. She graduated from Kirkwood High and briefly left town for college before coming back closer to the University of Kansas. Yes, Mizzou fans, she doesn’t like your Tigers. It’s better this way. The best comedians shouldn’t be the sweetheart of every room, or sway too far towards the protagonist zone. They need to be Batman and the Joker all at once.
Glaser hosted the Golden Globes this year, and aced the task with rave reviews. One has understood that critics love to roast the Globes host just like those celebs get fried by comics, but there wasn’t a bad review to be found. She didn’t drop a hammer on the guests that evening, but she didn’t let them off the hook of the eternal idea that it’s a gathering for Hollywood to congratulate themselves. When there was a shot to be taken, she fired it with ease. Few people remember the Globes’ winners, but the host can leave a dent.
This November, Glaser will host Saturday Night Live. The musical guest is someone I’ve never heard of, and it’s spelt like sombrero without a few key letters. In other words, it’s Glaser’s ship to steer. She will be the reason folks are tuning in, and the music will only be a break from laughing. For one night, SNL can return to its old glory due to the energy of a can’t-miss comedian.
The Glaser effect is real in St. Louis, and it has been for a long time. The world is just getting to the computer and realizing how big of a deal she is and could be if the right people let her keep on rocking. A few years ago at an advanced screening at Esquire theater, she came walking down the aisle and people made it look like Jon Hamm or Jenna Fischer walked in. Nope. It was Nikki catching a flick early, and the attention left the movie and landed on her.
If the people who plan the Academy Awards are smart, they will hire Glaser to host the Oscars. Conon O’Brien did a wonderful job earlier this year, but I doubt he will do it more than two years in a row. When he declines, Glaser should be the choice. She won’t put you to sleep like Jimmy Kimmel and won’t try to sing and dance it Conan. Glaser will simply host and roast, like a master barbecue expert who doesn’t let the meat get too dry before serving.
Watching her ad-lib Nicole Kidman’s almost-alien-like AMC Theaters introduction is hilarious, and Glaser used it to promote her own upcoming special. She knows what she’s doing, and just needs the right people to continue applying the stepping stones for her to take over the comedy world. With the current climate of the United States, we need all the Glaser we can get.
The best part about her is that she is fearless. Every great comedian has to be that way in order to stick around and make a dent. If they take a step back or pull their punches, it becomes a true dead zone. At the tender age of “not a gentleman’s place to say,” Glaser is turning heads and should get to turn more if the SNL gig soars. Just make sure Mr. Brady is watching from his Oakland Raiders suite as he prepares to comment on other football teams.
Glaser makes him more nervous than a Manning sibling ever could. She’s not even my favorite Glaser.
While Nikki dishes out the comedy, I have the lovely pleasure of seeing her sister, Lauren, rock her talents at Crescent Plumbing Supply five days a week. She is as sweet and outgoing as a warehouse grunt could wish for, and uses her ex-teacher background to good use in crafting people’s dream designs for their home’s interior. I always take the chance to poke my head into the showroom to ask how she’s doing, and that she is my favorite Glaser.
So, please give Lauren a chance to wear the greatest dress ever while she cheers on her sister from the Kodiak Theater in Los Angeles as a future Oscars telecast.
One more thing about my second favorite Glaser. Nikki threw a damn STRIKE at Busch Stadium during first pitch ceremonies before a Cards game. There’s a long list of celebs who couldn’t come close. It’s the little things, even with a non-player who received her own bobblehead this past season.
The Academy Awards needs a dose of Glaser soon. She’s on a rocket ship, and it would be best to catch it earlier in its launch phase!