It’s really official; Eddie Murphy is out and Billy Crystal is in as the new host of the Oscars. How short the Eddie Murphy Oscar host reign was…There were some thoughts that Murphy was going to possibly come back (even though we knew that wasn’t going to happen) when producer Brian Grazer was hired to replace Brett Ratner as the show’s new producer. For those of you who don’t know, Grazer was an Executive Producer of Tower Heist and has an excellent relationship with Murphy. Anyway, In the whirlwind news yesterday of the who would be host of the Oscars once Grazer was hired, speculation was rampant of who the new host would be and some actually thought Murphy was coming back. As we learned last night, that was not to be the case.
Here is the official press release from the Academy;
Producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer have announced that Billy Crystal will serve as host for the 84th Academy Awards.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Billy back to the Oscar® stage,” said Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak. “He’s a comic legend and Oscar icon, and it feels good to have him back where he belongs.”
Commented Grazer: “Like so many others, I’ve been eager to see Billy host again. It’s very gratifying that he agreed to do it with Don and me at the helm.”
Said Mischer: “With Billy, we’re moving forward with one of the greatest hosts in Oscar history. His return to the Oscars is, in a sense, a celebration.”
This will mark Crystal’s ninth time as host. Only Bob Hope has hosted more Academy Awards presentations, with 19 ceremonies between 1940 and 1978. Crystal last hosted the Academy Awards in 2004.
“Some of the best moments of my career have happened on the Oscar stage. I am thrilled to be back there. Actually, I am doing this so that the young woman in my pharmacy will stop asking me my name when I pick up my prescriptions,” said Crystal.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200
countries worldwide.
