Billy Crystal is Superman!
The Oscars’ 84th Academy Awards were in turmoil, and had degenerated into a situation described by a word with that now-familar meme “gate” rehersalgate. Eddie Murphy stepped down as the original host of the 2012 Oscars, and after producer Brett Ratner resigned the day after making an anti-Gay slur that many agree with perhaps the dumbest action an Oscar producer could take.
The Oscars looked lost and the promise of Oscar high-ratings to come from the Tower Heist pair was gone.
Not anymore.
Enter Billy Crystal to save the Oscars!
Here’s the press release from the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:
Beverly Hills, CA – Producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer have announced that Billy Crystal will serve as host for the 84th Academy Awards. “I’m thrilled to welcome Billy back to the Oscar® stage,” said Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Tom Sherak. “He’s a comic legend and Oscar icon, and it feels good to have him back where he belongs.”
Commented Grazer, “Like so many others, I’ve been eager to see Billy host again. It’s very gratifying that he agreed to do it with Don and me at the helm.”
Said Mischer, “With Billy, we’re moving forward with one of the greatest hosts in Oscar history. His return to the Oscars® is, in a sense, a celebration.”
This will mark Crystal’s ninth time as host. Only Bob Hope has hosted more Academy Awards presentations, with 19 ceremonies between 1940 and 1978. Crystal last hosted the Academy Awards in 2004.
“Some of the best moments of my career have happened on the Oscar stage. I am thrilled to be back there. Actually, I am doing this so that the young woman in my pharmacy will stop asking me my name when I pick up my prescriptions,” said Crystal.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar® presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
And as noted, Gil Cates first brought Crystal to the Oscars.
Stay tuned.