Hot on the heels of Eddie Murphy's announcement that he would be bowing out as Oscars host this year, actor/comedian Billy Crystal has Tweeted that he will be taking over Murphy's hosting duties. "Am doing the Oscars so the young woman in the pharmacy will stop asking my name when I pick up my prescriptions," Crystal Tweeted. "Looking forward to the show." Although a spokesperson for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences would not confirm or deny Crystal's Tweet, two sources have unofficially confirmed that the When Harry Met Sally… star will, in fact, host the 84th Academy Awards in February.
After the crash-course collision of awkwardness and mediocrity that was Anne Hathaway's and James Franco's Oscar hosting gig last year, the bar isn't set too high for Crystal, who has already hosted the Oscars eight times before. However, if you still care about the Oscars (which, in the interest of full disclosure, I kind of don't), Crystal's announcement that he'll be filling in as host this year seems kinda yawn-worthy. I mean, City Slickers is a great movie and all, but why not recruit a fresher personality to take over the reins? Like, for instance, Tina Fey, or Jon Stewart, or an FCC-friendly Chris Rock (could that actually be a thing)? It can't be that difficult to don evening wear, read some sloppily-written Ashton Kutcher jokes off a teleprompter, and pretend to care when someone wins for Best Short Film End Credits Sound Editing or something.
