Corona | Coming Attractions

What began as a rumor this past weekend is fast becoming reality. It's supposedly all but officially announced that Eddie Murphy will emcee the 84th Annual Academy Awards next year, at the recommendation/request of Rush Hour director Brett Ratner who's also having a hand in producing the broadcast.

Ratner also directed Murphy in the upcoming ensemble comedy Tower Heist, out this fall. You see the synergy kickin' it in, don'tcha?

If Murphy is indeed hosting the Oscars it will be the first time in three years that a comedian has hosted the show (the last time was in 2008 when Steve Martin co-emceed with Alec Baldwin.)

Eddie Murphy's career has been stuck in some kind of movie hell, and having him host the Oscars could be the major kick-start he needs to get back into the A-league. Murphy has always been a great performer in front of a live crowd, and having him play chaperone to the biggest awards show of the year could certainly give him the material to make his name dangerous again for comedy. There's a whole new generation of kids that only know Eddie Murphy as the voice of Donkey in the Shrek movies and some lame comedies like Norbit. Wouldn't it be great to see the old Eddie Murphy from Beverly Hills Cop and Raw show up on that stage?

There's also a rumor that another familiar Oscar face will have some screen time during the 2012 Oscar show: Billy Crystal. Reports are that he was interested in the emcee job as well, and even if Eddie has the job filled, Billy will have some kind of appearance during the telecast too.