After getting an email about this, I just had to gush about the choice of Eddie Murphy as 84th Academy Awards host. While many of my fellow critics despise everything Brett Ratner directs and produces, I’ve been consistently entertained by his work over the years. That’s why I was excited about his involvement as producer of the next Oscar ceremony. With this decision, Ratner’s making fun and inventive choices that could erase the drabness that marked last year’s near fiasco.
And by giving Eddie Murphy the stage, Ratner is taking a calculated risk that will add some edge to the evening. Remember that in 2007, Murphy left the awards after losing the Best Supporting Oscar to Alan Arkin. It was a shocker to almost everyone that Arkin won the award over the certainly deserving Murphy, who had never been better than he was in “Dreamgirls.” But his abrupt departure sent a clear message: Murphy felt slighted and he wanted the Academy to know it. Well, come the 26th of February, 2012, Murphy will get the floor to say his peace or make his peace and maybe a little of both.
Here’s more from The Hollywood Reporter: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/official-eddie-murphy-named-host-231584
