Sorry, Billy: After getting a hat tip from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Saturday Night Live veteran Eddie Murphy has been tapped to host the 84th Annual Academy Awards in February.
Despite urban legend that the DreamGirls actor famously threw a tantrum when he failed to snag the Best Supporting Actor gong at the 2007 show, Eddie was Oscar producer Brett Ratner’s top choice to host next year’s ceremony, Deadline.com said Tuesday. The Rush Hour lensman recently directed Murphy in the upcoming movie Tower Heist and endorsed him for the coveted Oscar gig even as comedian Billy Crystal, who hosted the awards show eight times between 1990 and 2004, was also rumored to be in the running for hosting duties.
Ratner expressed those very sentiments in a statement this afternoon: “Eddie is a comedic genius, one of the greatest and most influential live performers ever. With his love of movies, history of crafting unforgettable characters and his iconic performances – especially on stage – I know he will bring excitement, spontaneity and tremendous heart to the show Don and I want to produce in February.”
Eddie chimed in with: “I am enormously to join the great list of past Academy Award hosts from Hope and Carson to Crystal, Martin and Goldberg, among others. I’m looking forward to working with [producers] Brett [Ratner] and Don [Mischer] on creating a show that is enjoyable for both the fans at home and for the audience at the Kodak Theatre as we all come together to celebrate and recognize the great film contributions and collaborations from the past year.”
It’s not like he’s got a tough act to follow! Oscar-nominated stars James Franco and Anne Hathaway were universally-panned for their collaborative hosting gig at last year’s ceremony. To his credit, Eddie has some experience behind the podium. He hosted the second MTV Video Music Awards in 1985 after finding success with the original Beverly Hills Cop. He also tackled emcee duties at the network’s Movie Awards in 1995.
But can he conquer the toughest crowd in Tinseltown? We’ll soon find out: The Oscars will air live from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood Feb. 26 on ABC.
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