Who is Ryan Seacrest?

At 7:05 p.m., after watching 65 minutes of E!'s breathless coverage of the red carpet, my wife popped the question:

"Who is Ryan Seacrest, and what is he doing on national television?"

The first paragraph of his web site bio shares the key stuff:

With his successful broadcasting career, it's no wonder why he was recently awarded a prestigious star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and why he was voted as one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful,” as well as one of their 2005 “Most Eligible Bachelors.” With Ryan Seacrest Productions (RSP) becoming a known entity producing and hosting multiple television and radio specials, his many restaurant investments, as well as the launch of the R Line, Seacrest is redefining what it means to be an entrepreneur and a triple threat in Hollywood.

He's a known entity.

I was just about to give up on this show when Gary Busey made it real. Looked like he tried to drink Jennifer Garner. (Video here. Scroll down.)

Best line about Ryan's gravitas goes to the New York Post, which blogged:

Like I said, he makes Joan Rivers look like Edward R. Murrow.