Well according to Brett Ratner, the show's new Executive Producer, despite the issues Murphy has had with the Academy, he is thrilled to host the Awards program set for February 26, 2012. Below, he tells The Hollywood Reporter how he got Murphy:
"We were going through our options, and I just happened to be with Eddie because obviously I'm making a movie [Tower Heist] with him. It was a very casual conversation. I was told by [Academy president] Tom Sherak specifically not to ever ask anyone directly if they will be the host. He told me also to be prepared that, everyone is going to say no to you. Everyone says no because no one wants to do it. We were not at the point where we were going to decide. Don threw some names in the hat, I threw some names. But like I said, when I mentioned it to Eddie, he said, 'Oh, my God, that would be a huge idea.' I immediately called Don and said, ‘I think Eddie might do it,’ and Don said,’ I don't think there's a chance in hell.’ I didn't believe it either, because he doesn’t do a lot. That’s what’s so cool about it. He has such admiration and love for the Academy despite his incidents in the past. He's just a fan of movies and Hollywood and the Academy itself. And the Oscars for a stand-up comedian, who’s also a movie star, it's the ultimate platform There's Lenny Bruce, there's Richard Pryor, there's Eddie Murphy. Those are the three icons of stand-up comedy."
Read the rest at Hollywoodreporter.com.
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