He’s back! A new Oscar host has been chosen nearly 24 hours after Eddie Murphy stepped down due to Brett Ratner resigning as Producer. Why the change-up? Well, apparently, Mr. Ratner (Rush Hour, Rush Hour 2, Rush Hour 3, X-Men: The Last Stand) said a few things on The Howard Stern Show that pissed off Olivia Munn, and then said another thing that pissed off the folks over at GLAAD. So, Ratner did what everyone wanted him to do and resigned as Oscar Producer.
This led to Eddie Murphy – who co-stars in Ratner’s latest movie, Tower Heist – to step down as host for the 2012 Academy Awards. It appears these two became good buddies on the set and have already planned to make another movie together in the future (Rush Hour 4, anyone? Anyone?).
So, the two vacancies threw Hollywood into a tizzy; who will host the Oscars in 2012? The first big news came when Brian Grazer stepped up and became the new Producer of the awards show. But who was a worthy host with no controversial ties and with no possible PR problems popping up in the next six months?
Billy Crystal.
Crystal (City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally, Analyze This) has hosted the Oscars a record nine times, which is a pretty decent track record as far as overlong awards shows go. He’s definitely a seasoned vet who can deliver laughs and commentary without any fear of it being controversial or racy.
Much like the SuperBowl after the Janet Jackson nipple incident, Crystal is the tame and safe act to go with. This, of course, is interesting considering the other two – Ratner and Murphy – never even had a shot.
Personally, I would have loved to have seen Hugh Jackman host again. He was funny, can sing and dance, and I felt he did a great job as host. Crystal will always be a Oscar host legend, and his appearance this year will continue to solidify him as one of Oscars most reliable emcees.
What do you think of the choice? Do you even know who Billy Crystal is without doing a Google search or checking with imdb.com? Who would you like to see host the Oscars? Leave a comment and let us know!