Eddie Murphy has been confirmed by the Academy of Motion Pictures and Arts as the host of the 2012 Oscars.
Brett Ratner is producing the ceremony this year and is the man that pushed Murphy - apparently a huge movie buff - for the gig, having just directed him in the ensemble action flick, Tower Heist. Murphy has been saying for some time that he wanted to return to stand up comedy, having been one of the biggest draws of the 80s whenever he appeared on stage - the stages don't get much bigger than this. Generally speaking, Oscar hosts don't get announced until January, but according to Deadline, Ratner really wanted the actor for the gig so was keen to lock him down. The past couple of years have seen the academy try out a bunch of new hosts - last year disastrously pairing Anne Hathaway and James Franco. Murphy is a return to the straight up comedy angle that has served Oscar so well in the past with the likes of David Letterman (even though he maintains he was a failure) and Chris Rock.
Murphy is getting excellent buzz for his role in 'Heist', which also stars Ben Stiller and Casey Affleck.