GoldenJCJ

Last year was James Franco in drag, this year will be Eddie Murphy in a fat suit! I like where the Academy awards is headed.

It's always a good idea to attempt to bring in the Daddy Day Care demographic!

Perkinsun Dzees

Would rather have David Spade.

Osiris3657

It's official, he's hosting.

Eddie Murphy to host Oscars

The Cow

The Oscars are still irrelevant. The host doesn't matter. (I like Eddie from his SNL days)

Charlie Goose

This could be great. Eddie Murphy of this millenium has been all about the fat suit, kiddie movies, and unbelievable bombs. However, there was a time when Murphy was a brilliant outlaw of comedy, poised to take up where no less than Richard Pryor left off. Just watch Delirious or Raw. People would actually protest at his shows.
Unfortunately, somewhere it all went wrong. A lot of his early movies still standup as comedy classics. Best Defense excepted. I think it was around the time of Harlem Nights. He got way too pleased with himself, surrounded himself with sycophants. I think Ebert pointed out that the biggest laughs in HN came during the opening credits when Murphy's name appeared like 5 times in a row. It was downhill after that. He did Boomerang and the Congress movie, and the vampire movie, and pumped a dry well for BHC3, and they all did middling box office. So he made the move into family friendly, which was something I never thought I would see from one of the edgiest, most ferocious comedians I'd ever seen. Of course, that led to some really awful movies. Did the fat suit cost him an Oscar for Dreamgirls? Who knows?
ANYWAY, this is his big chance. I'm looking forward to it. Of course, it being Oscar night, he's not going to do blue material, but I bet he can still do it in a big way. And this could certainly help his career. I'll be rooting for him.

AnonomusBob15

I thought Life was funny, seems to be the last thing he did I enjoyed. However, him hosting the Oscars isn't a bad choice. He could bring the funny if he colors outside the lines.

Hazel Motes

I'm a huge fan of Eddie Murphy as a stand up comic. The Oscars could almost be viewed as his first stand up gig in more than 20 years. On that level I'm pretty excited about this.

kd5

I think the Oscars could do a hell of a lot worse than Eddie Murphy.....and they have. I honestly hope he gets his groove back for the Oscars and that the naysayers are pleasantly surprised... -kd5-

jeffkjoe

To all the naysayers of the current 2011 Eddie Murphy being host,

I'm pretty jazzed about this choice. Eddie can still riff like nobody's business.

I'll take a tamer, laid-back Eddie Murphy over a seasoned Jon Stewart or even Chris Rock any day.

Michael Corvin

I was going to say I had you beat with Bowfinger but it looks like they came out the same year.

rexinnih

Eddie!

covenant

If he does that fucking laugh I'll RAGE!!

Ash Ketchum

I thought BOOMERANG was a superb adult romantic comedy and far better than all the recent crap with Kate Hudson, Matthew McConnaughey, Jennifer Aniston, etc. I thought Murphy was a credible romantic lead and Halle Berry played well off of him. And the "Congress movie," THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN, was one of the best Washington political comedies in years and had a very good supporting cast (including James Garner!). These two are among my favorite Murphy movies (the others being TRADING PLACES and 48 HRS). I was upset that so many of reviews of DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN didn't seem to pay attention to the film's subject matter and just reviewed it as a Murphy vehicle complaining that he didn't do his usual mugging. Which was why it was so good! In both BOOMERANG and GENTLEMAN, he plays fully-fleshed-out characters and not just the usual Murphy persona. I don't care that they did middling boxoffice. He allowed himself to stretch as an actor in both.

I agree with others here that Murphy hosting could be a very good thing--if he's allowed to be funny. But the track record on funny people allowed to actually be funny while hosting the Oscars hasn't been good in the post-Crystal era.

raven56706

better Eddie than Whoopi, Bill(tired of his act) crystal, and others..


and jesus, last year made the show the pits...


Eddie is something fresh and an actual comedian... the only other person i would want would be RG

JumpCutz

RG?


Richard Gere?
Rupert Grint?
Rebecca Gayheart?
Robin Givens?

PopcornTreeCt

Ron Geremy!

AnonomusBob15

Ricky Gervis

JumpCutz

D'oh. Ricky Gervais would be excellent.

GoldenJCJ

I'm actually more concerned that Brett Ratner is producer than I am that Eddie Murphy is hosting.

Murphy will do fine assuming he is provided with decent material. If he's got a good sense of humor some self deprecating humor will come across sincere and funny.

Groucho

I seem to recall Murphy doing a good job hosting the MTV Video Awards 25 years ago. So there you go.

raven56706

you know he will make fun of last years hosting job

Osiris3657

Did anybody know that Bruce Vilanche (this guy) is the head joke writer for the Oscars? He's always interviewed on those VH1 shows. Last year was awful! Forget about the deliveries of non comedians Franco and Hathaway, the jokes would have sucked had they been read by a professional.

nando820

-no-

kd5

I hate professional joke writers and writers guild people that get so damned comfortable and lazy with their jokes and stories that good comedians and TV shows get cancelled because people just lose interest in the blandness of it.

Let Eddie do his thing dammit! Just caution him to take it easy on the profanity, don't want the censors bleeping every other word that comes out of his mouth. I have Delirious, I remember... -kd5-

jfoobar

I predict he will play it too safe, be too respectful, and ultimately be passable but boring.