Will Funnyman Eddie Murphy Host The 2012 Oscars?

UPDATE: The answer is a resounding (and yawn-inducing) yes.

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No decision has officially been made, but when you're considered a has-been in the entertainment world, any move you make seems to be noteworthy. Already interestingly enough, director Brett Ratner will be co-producing the 84th Annual Academy Awards, but adding Eddie Murphy as its host is the real surprise. The recent attempts by the Oscars to skew for a younger audience (see: James Franco and Anne Hathaway) was a flop, so Murphy's skill-set as a comedian and improv artist may work to bring fans back in front of the boob tube.

The only downside to this rationale is that his live-on-stage talent hasn't been in use in about a quarter-century, so does Murphy still have the edge to keep an audiences attention? The consensus may be a resounding no, especially if the former funnyman's (and honoree at the Comedy Awards) next two movies, Tower Heist and A Thousand Words, respectively, fail to connect at the box office.

While Ratner and Don Mischer meet with Academy of Motion Pictures President Tom Sherak this week, Eddie may want to focus on his competition, Billy Crystal, who also expressed interest in hosting the awards show again. In the meantime, you can see if the former Saturday Night Live star has returned to comedic form when Tower Heist, directed by Brett Ratner, makes it debut in early November, and A Thousand Words opens on January 13, 2012.

UPDATE: Eddie Murphy has agreed to host the show with Billy Crystal involved "in some marquee way."

[via Deadline]

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