( Rolling Stone ) -- Since the 1999 debut of his hit series `` Family Guy , '' Seth MacFarlane has been best known for his filthy fiefdom of anarchic , envelope-pushing cartoons . Lately he 's been expanding his empire , hosting `` SNL , '' recording a Grammy-nominated album of standards and show tunes , and directing a Hollywood blockbuster , `` Ted , '' in which MacFarlane gave voice to a horny , drug-abusing toy bear . His official coronation as a showbiz don came earlier this month , when he was announced as next year 's Oscar host . But the 39-year-old confesses , `` I love a good fart joke . '' Seth MacFarlane Tapped to Host 2013 Oscars . Why do the Oscars frequently suck , and how will you make them better ? All of them have had redeeming qualities . It 's about finding that balance between doing what I do but acknowledging that this is the Academy Awards , not the roast of Donald Trump . It 's walking that line between old-fashioned showmanship and allowing it to be contemporary with a little bit of bite . Johnny Carson and Billy Crystal are two hosts who walked that line . There 's a moment on `` Family Guy '' that 's just Gene Kelly dancing with Stewie -- that 's what we have to achieve , a dance between the traditional and the new . Are you going to write the show with your `` Family Guy '' team ? The staff has n't been assembled . But this is not going to be `` Family Guy Meets the Oscars . '' Hosts who come in with a specific brand and try to turn the show into the brand , it never works . You have to adapt yourself to the Oscars , not vice versa . For all its success , `` Family Guy '' is sometimes dismissed as frat-boy humor . Does that surprise you ? A lot of that comes , I think , from people who have n't actually seen the show . They 're going with what they 've heard . The show itself contains a degree of frat-boy humor -- there are fart jokes , there are shit jokes . But we try to include an equal amount of intelligent humor . If it makes you laugh , what 's wrong with that ? There 's room for both highbrow and lowbrow . 'SNL ' Recap : Frank Ocean , John Mayer and Seth MacFarlane Kick Off New Season . Louis C.K . has said he loves `` Family Guy , '' but the show has also been mocked by `` The Simpsons '' and `` South Park . '' Did you ever feel like you were on the outside of some comedy in-crowd ? At one point , that was the case . But the `` Family Guy '' crowd and the `` Simpsons '' crowd have become friendly over time . I thought the `` South Park '' episode making fun of us was funny and accurate . But what I do n't understand is the personal venom that they spew in the press about the show and about me , where it 's not in the context of a joke . That 's a little baffling . They let loose with this vitriol in every interview I read with them . It 'd be interesting to know where it comes from , because I do n't know them . As someone who pokes fun at pieties , what are your thoughts on the `` Innocence of Muslims '' video and the riots it provoked ? In all honesty , I glaze over with this stuff because it happens all the time over there . There 's just constant boiling rage -- it 's like , `` What else is new ? '' It 's just another round of religious-based fury . It 's like following the presidential race . I 'm yawning . I 'm numb . Review : 'Ted ' You 're rebooting the Carl Sagan science show `` Cosmos . '' Do you hope creationists tune in ? Among others . The show does n't have an agenda . It 's going to be educational . Science has become politicized , and that 's an embarrassment . Evolution does n't care whether you believe in it or not , no more than gravity does . I want to rekindle excitement over what we 've achieved as a species with the space program . We ca n't afford to regress back to the days of superstition . Surreal Kurt Cobain Tribute Staged at Art Basel . `` Ted '' was about a kid who retains a childhood fantasy into adulthood . You 're unmarried , and you make your living in cartoons . Do you feel a bit like an overgrown kid ? Oddly , I do n't relate a lot to that character . I never had a stuffed animal I wished would come to life . The story felt universal enough to resonate . But working in entertainment , you have to retain a degree of childishness . That 's one reason Spielberg has been so successful : He 's been able to maintain that sense of wonder into adulthood . I suppose that makes people like us a little more stunted than everyone else , emotionally . This is from the October 25th , 2012 issue of Rolling Stone . Copyright © 2011 Rolling Stone .
MacFarlane has performed ` ` SNL , '' recorded a Grammy - winning album and directed ` ` Ted '' ' : ` ` You have to adapt yourself to the world , not vice versa '' ` ` I love a good practical joke , '' the year - old said .