Billy Crystal To Return As Host For 84th Academy Awards

What a difference a week makes. During his visit on Jimmy Kimmel (video) last Thursday to plug his new film TOWER HEIST, Eddie Murphy spritely remarked on how pleased he was to be the host of the upcoming 84th Academy Awards. Now he and former producer of the show, Brett Ratner, are out and new producer Brian Grazer and returning host, Billy Crystal, are in. Prior to the press release below, it was Crystal (@BillyCrystal) himself who tweeted the announcement:

Am doing the Oscars so the young woman in the pharmacy will stop asking my name when I pick up my prescriptions. Looking forward to the show.

For many who have watched the Oscar FOREVER (hand) and obsess about it year round (hand), bringing Crystal in was probably the best and only way to clean up the brouhaha from this week. For many, the return of  favored “son” Crystal as host is very welcomed. To the younglings – isn’t that the voice of Mike Wazowski (MONSTERS, INC.)?

2011 Oscars: Billy Crystal by 5minPeople

Official AMPAS Press Release:

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.

For those who’ve never seen Oscar Host Billy Crystal during a LIVE show, here’s a look at one of his water-cooler opening monologues. Click HERE to watch his infamous opening Hannibal Lecter skit at the 64th Academy Awards® in 1992.