LOS ANGELES — The rumors became a reality Tuesday:
Eddie Murphy will host the 84th Academy Awards, which will be telecast
Feb. 26 on ABC, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has
announced.
Buzz starting circulating over Labor
Day weekend that the 50-year-old comedian-actor was being considered for
the host job. In some ways, it’s no surprise, since Murphy is starring
in the upcoming film “Tower Heist,” which was directed by Brett Ratner —
who is also producing the Academy Awards show with Don Mischer. “Tower
Heist” is set to open in November.
By selecting
Murphy, the academy is returning to its comedic host roots. The academy
attempted to court younger viewers, hiring James Franco and Anne
Hathaway to host the 83rd Academy Awards in February. Franco, who in
addition to hosting was nominated for a lead actor Oscar for “127
Hours,” was roundly trounced by critics for his lackluster performance;
reviews were kinder toward Hathaway.
Over the
years, comics including Bob Burns, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, Johnny Carson,
Chevy Chase, Billy Crystal, David Letterman, Chris Rock, Steve Martin,
Whoopi Goldberg and Jon Stewart have hosted the awards. Crystal even
admitted recently that he was available to host if the academy wanted
him.
“Eddie is a comedic genius, one of the
greatest and most influential live performers ever,” Ratner said in a
statement Tuesday. “With his love of movies, history of crafting
unforgettable characters and his iconic performances — especially
onstage — I know he will bring an excitement, spontaneity and tremendous
heart to the show Don and I want to produce in February.”
Murphy,
who earned a supporting actor Oscar nomination for his dramatic turn in
2006’s “Dreamgirls,” hasn’t been seen on the screen since the 2009 flop
“Imagine That,” which made just $16.1 million domestically. In fact,
another Murphy film, “A Thousand Words,” which is now set to open in
January, has been on the shelf for more than three years.
However, Murphy has been heard as the wisecracking Donkey in the popular animated “Shrek” franchise.
First
coming to fame as a stand-up comedian, he joined NBC’s “Saturday Night
Live” in 1980 while still a teenager, performing such characters as
Buckwheat and Gumby. Murphy made his film debut opposite Nick Nolte in
Walter Hill’s 1982 buddy action comedy, “48 Hrs.,” followed by such hits
as 1983’s “Trading Places,” 1984’s “Beverly Hills Cop” and 1988’s
“Coming to America. “ He made his film debut as a director with 1989’s
“Harlem Nights.”
Murphy was named best actor by
the National Socitey of Film Critics for his multiple roles in 1996’s
“The Nutty Professor.” Other hits in the 1990s included 1998’s “Doctor
Dolittle” and 1999’s “Life” and “Bowfinger.” Save for “Dreamgirls,” most
of the films he’s made recently have been critically lambasted,
including 2003’s “The Haunted Mansion,” 2007’s “Norbit” and 2008’s “Meet
Dave,” which made only $11.9 million.
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