2012 Oscars back on track, but it was rough

After Brett Ratner went anti-gay and Eddie Murphy quit, the 2012 Oscars were in trouble, and being close to the end of the year, organizers needed to act quick.

 

As word spread that Brett Ratner had resigned from producing the 2012 Oscars, there were rumors suggesting that Eddie Murphy may step down too, and he did, just a day later. This left the Academy with no host, and no head of the production team.

Thankfully however, Brian Grazer and Don Mischer soon got involved, and the Academy made the announcement, however it still left the 2012 Oscar ceremony without a host.

With a ratings dip, and a lot of criticism in the media for the 2011 Oscar hosts’ performances, the prestige ‘factor’ of the industry’s most important event seemed to slip a few levels.

Today the Academy announced that Billy Crystal would host the 2012 Oscars, which is a good move. He is a classic presence, having hosted 8 previous ceremonies and will surely bring his clever sense of wit back to an Academy Awards ceremony, that certainly lacked panache this year. This is a remarkable turnaround for what seemed to be the biggest challenge the Academy Awards have faced in recent years. With the show back on the road, the 2012 Oscars is surely set to be a fantastic event.

film industry network members