Eddie Murphy Pulls Out of Hosting Oscars

Bily Crystal, or The Muppets… Billy Crystal… or… the Muppets. Have to say, I’m leaning towards the latter to replace Eddie Murphy (imagine Gonzo in a tux), but I’m probably in the minority.

What lead to Eddie Murphy absconding in the first place? That would be the resignation of Oscars producer, Bret Ratner, as reported by Mike yesterday. He felt compelled to do so after an appearance on Howard Stern’s radio show, where he said some *gasps* inappropriate things. Honestly, some folk just can’t win - you go on the Howard Stern show and don’t be controversial, you’re rigidly boresome, if you go on the Howard Stern show and say arsey stuff about your ex-girlfriends (Lindsay Lohan), and then stuff like ”Rehearsal is for fags” a few days later at a screening, and you get canned for producing the Oscars. Who knew?

Of Murphy hightailing it, the San Francisco Chronicle reports: “I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well," Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, said today in an e-mailed statement. Murphy, 50, was working with Ratner and a team of writers to headline the show scheduled for Feb. 26 on Walt Disney Co.'s ABC network. Ratner, director of the Murphy comedy Tower Heist, stepped down yesterday amid criticism over a gay slur made after a promotional screening of the film. ‘I completely understand and support each party's decision with regard to a change of producers for this year's Academy Awards ceremony,’ Murphy said in the statement. ‘I was truly looking forward to being part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I’m sure that the new production team and host will do an equally great job'.”

One could say “Well, you could’ve have the balls to stick around, but you didn’t”. If he did, Eddie could be working with Oscar-winning producer Brian Grazer, who has been hurriedly passed the baton. According to The New York Post: “The move to hire Grazer - in the wake of Ratner’s and then host Eddie Murphy’s dramatic exits - came as Imagine Entertainment honcho Grazer touched down in Los Angeles from New York late Tuesday after he’d screened his Clint Eastwood film, J. Edgar, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and is gaining big Oscar buzz.

As for Eddie’s replacement, nothing’s been confirmed as yet, that’s why the likes of Fandango.com have hosted a few polls to see who their viewers would like to see bore the pants off the Hollywood elite for approximately 16 hours.

“Website editor Harry Medved tells WENN, ‘We put the poll up at 12 noon and we had over a thousand people voting in less than three hours.’ (Billy) Crystal is the early favourite in the ongoing poll with 16 per cent of the vote, while The Muppets are ranking second with 14 per cent and Tom Hanks is a distant third with eight per cent. Also making the list were 2011 Golden Globe Awards host Ricky Gervais (seven per cent, and seems keen) and former Oscars hosts Steve Martin and Whoopi Goldberg (both with six per cent). Bridesmaids star Melissa MCCarthy and comedians Dave Chapelle and Zach Galifianakis are also winning votes.”