Kristen Bell & Fred Armisen’s Birdman Sets The Bar High For Oscar Skits

After all the awards Birdman has been racking up this
season, including the latest at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday,
many seem to think it's a lock for a few Oscars tonight. Actually, it's already
won in our hearts, just for inspiring this spoof, starring Spirit Awards hosts
Kristen Bell and Fred Armisen, which served as the opener for the show.

The opening shot of the Michael Keaton movie has been
parodied before (even by Big Bird!), because how can you not want to apply that
"smells like balls" line to anything and everything? But Armisen and
Bell are the best at mocking themselves as self-important actors.

"This isn't important," Bell says. "It's an awards show during the day!"  While they argue, the Veronica Mars star finally points out how stressful the drumming score (Birdman's signature) has been all along, which opens the skit up to a Whiplash interlude, also starring Miles Teller. And also, there is random slapping of Armisen. Bill Hader steps in as a weird version of the already weird director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, and basically, we are left convinced of one thing: Every awards show needs at least one Saturday Night Live alum and one really sharp-tongued lady as its hosts. You have much to live up to tonight, Neil Patrick Harris.