CRUELEST JOKE
Ryan Seacrest's Weeds wisecrack
How did Ryan Seacrest fare as emcee? Well, he didn't sing (thankfully), he didn't dance, and he had only one disastrous costume change — into a Henry VIII outfit from The Tudors (pictured). He did try to tell jokes, with varying degrees of success, and often at the expense of some hapless celebrity targets. Naturally, one of the meanest was directed at a fellow American Idol star. Talking about pot-themed comedy Weeds, Seacrest remarked, ''A great show, an amazing after-party.'' Pause. ''Isn't that right, Paula?'' Cut to Paula Abdul, who lived up to the joke's punchline and her own reputation by displaying an oblivious expression for a few seconds. At least Seacrest and Simon Cowell refrained from gay-baiting each other. Still, Seacrest's performance offered a cautionary reminder of why the Emmy producers usually hire trained comedians, with actual joke-telling skills, to host the show.