Backlash at news that 'Rush Hour' director Brett Ratner to produce next year's Oscars

Brett Ratner, director of the Rush Hour trilogy, as well as X-Men: The Last Stand and Hannibal Lecter remake Red Dragon, has been put in charge of producing the show for next year's Academy Awards. With that news comes the inevitable internet backlash, with many critics and bloggers already considering it a poor choice.

The Hollywood Reporter has already located the best reactions from Twitter, including Christopher E Downes' view that:


Ratner will co-produce the event with Don Mischer, whose previous production credits include Superbowl Half Time shows, the Emmy Awards, The Tony Awards and last year's Oscars.

Justifying the decision to recruit Ratner, the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences CEO, Dawn Hudson said:


Earlier this week, the Academy drew criticism for bestowing an Honorary Oscar to Oprah Winfrey, despite the fact that she has only made three on-screen performances and produced one film.

The 84th Academy Awards will be broadcast on February 27, 2012.

Ricky Gervais: “I was approached to host Oscars”

Ricky Gervais has revealed that his agent was approached about being put on a list to host the Oscars. However according to Deadline, ABC, the channel that screen the Academy Awards, have denied that the writer and actor was approached.

Speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival on Friday (August 26), Gervais commented:


The director of Rush Hour and X-Men: The Last Stand, Brett Ratner, will produce next year's Oscars ceremony.

As well as declaring that he was on the short list for the Academy Awards, Gervais also said he's been offered the chance to host the Golden Globes again.

Speaking to Richard Bacon about whether or not he was thinking about a third go round, Gervais said:


His performance at this year's Golden Globe ceremony caused consternation amongst members of the Hollywood establishment who believed the comedian went too far. His response to this accusation was, “People say I crossed the line but I didn't draw the fucking line, you did."

Eddie Murphy top of list to host Oscars

Eddie Murphy is the current front-runner to host the 84th Academy Awards in 2012. The Trading Places and Beverly Hills Cop star is said to be top of Brett Ratner's wanted list. Last month, Ratner, director of Rush Hour and Red Dragon, was asked to produce next year's ceremony.

Murphy, whose latest film is the comedy Tower Heist, directed by Brett Ratner, started out as a stand-up comic gathering great acclaim for his one-man shows, Delirious and Raw.

His last work on stage, the stand-up show Raw in 1987, was filmed and subsequently released in theatres as a feature film.

Despite box office success with the Shrek films, Eddie Murphy hasn't had a spectacular run of form in the past two decades with howlers Pluto Nash, Norbit and Showtime gracing his CV.

He was, however, nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2007, for his role as James 'Thunder' Early in the hit musical Dreamgirls. Many believe he lost out on the award thanks to the release of Norbit just before voting commenced.

Tower Heist is due for release in the UK on November 4. The Oscars will air on February 26, 2012.

Eddie Murphy to host Oscars in 2012

Eddie Murphy has been named host of the 2012 Oscars.

After weeks of rumours it was announced the actor, star of Beverly Hills Cop, Bowfinger - and the voice of Donkey in the Shrek series - will present the 84th Academy Awards on February 26.

He'll follow in the footsteps of comedians such as Billy Crystal, Steve Martin and Jon Stewart in the most prestigious presenting job of them all.

It may not come as too much of a surprise that Murphy has been named host. The 50-year-old stars alongside Ben Stiller and Matthew Broderick in forthcoming crime comedy Tower Heist, directed by Brett Ratner. Ratner is also producing next year's Oscar ceremony.

In his statement, Ratner, director of Rush Hour and X-Men: The Last Stand, said:


Earlier this year Ricky Gervais revealed he had been approached to present the awards for the first time following on from his headline-grabbing performances at the Golden Globes in 2009 and 2010. Academy Award bosses have since denied they made such an offer.

Brooklyn-born Murphy rose to fame as a stand-up comedian, eventually becoming a Saturday Night Live regular between 1980 and 1984.

Films such as 48 Hrs, Beverly Hills Cop and Trading Places saw him become one of the most bankable actors at the Box Office, although his career dipped during the late-80s and early-90s after a string of unsuccessful films.

The Nutty Professor reversed the slump, while Shrek in 2001 gave the actor a second lease of life and new fanbase. He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2007 Oscars for his role as James 'Thunder' Early in Dreamgirls.

I want to see "Raw" era Eddie come out.

Steve Martin writes 'Oscar letter' to Eddie Murphy

Former Oscars host Steve Martin has written an open letter to next year's compère Eddie Murphy giving him a list of 'tips' to help his evening go swimmingly. The jokey letter, published in full on Steve Martin's website, included guidance on everything from losing weight to consoling losers. One piece of advice said:


The Man With Two Brains and The Jerk funnyman also made fun of his 2010 co-host, Alec Baldwin, advising Murphy against picking a joint emcee because they "are a pain and end up breaking your Saturday Night Live hosting record".

While the initial announcement of Eddie Murphy hosting the most prestigious film awards show was met with criticism, many are now on board with giving the Beverley Hills Cop and 48 Hours star a chance.

Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show and himself a two-time Academy Award Show host, recently commended the choice of Murphy. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Stewart said, "The last person I would give advice to is Eddie Murphy. He's gonna fucking kill it."

The 84th Academy Awards will air on February 26, 2012.

Brett Ratner steps down from Oscars over gay slur controversy

Brett Ratner has resigned as producer of next year's Oscar ceremony over his recent 'gay slur' controversy.

The Tower Heist director had been booked to put on the 2012 show, but hit the headlines this week for the wrong reasons. During a Q&A session for his film, he said that he did not believe in rehearsals because they are "for f**s".

He later apologised for the comments, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) president Tom Sherak said while Ratner's comments were "inappropriate" he would not have action from the Academy. However now, following widespread criticism and a dressing down from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), he has stepped down, according to Deadline.

Ratner said in a statment:


He added that he "deeply" regrets his actions and is "determined to learn from [the] experience".

Sherak said in response: "He did the right thing for the Academy and for himself. Words have meaning, and they have consequences. Brett is a good person, but his comments were unacceptable. We hope this will be an opportunity to raise awareness about the harm that is caused by reckless and insensitive remarks, regardless of the intent."

He doesn't really need it. It has a better chance of hurting his career at this point than helping it.

Best Picture
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
"Hugo"
"Midnight in Paris"
"The Help"
"Moneyball"
"War Horse"
"The Tree of Life"

Best Actor
Demian Bichir, "A Better Life"
George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"
Gary Oldman, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Brad Pitt, "Moneyball"

Best Actress
Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis, "The Help"
Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, "My Week With Marilyn"
Jonah Hill, "Moneyball"
Nick Nolte, "Warrior"
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Max Von Sydow, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain, "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"

Best Director
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"

Best Original Screenplay
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
JC Chandor, "Margin Call"
Asghar Farhadi, "A Separation"
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, "Bridesmaids"

Best Adapted Screenplay
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash, "The Descendants"
John Logan, "Hugo"
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, "The Ides of March"
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, "Moneyball"
Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughn, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"

Best Animated Feature
"A Cat In Paris"
"Chico & Rita"
"Kung Fu Panda 2"
"Puss in Boots"
"Rango"

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)

Original Score
"The Adventures of Tintin," John Williams
"The Artist," Ludovic Bource
"Hugo," Howard Shore
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Alberto Iglesias
"War Horse," John Williams

Best Original Song
"Man or Muppet," The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
"Real in Rio," Rio; Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Best Achievement in Art Direction
"The Artist"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
"Midnight in Paris"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Cinematography
"The Artist"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Costume Design
"Anonymous"
"The Artist"
"Hugo"
"Jane Eyre"
"W.E."

Best Documentary Feature
"Hell and Back Again"
"If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front"
"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"
"Pina"
"Undefeated"

Best Documentary Short Subject
"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement?"
"God Is the Bigger Elvis"
"Incident in New Baghdad"
"Saving Face"
"The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom"

Best Achievement in Film Editing
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Moneyball"

Best Achievement in Makeup
"Albert Nobbs"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"The Iron Lady"

Best Animated Short Film
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Best Live Action Short Film
"Pentecost"
"Raju"
"The Shore"
"Time Freak"
"Tuba Atlantic"

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
"Drive"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Moneyball"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
"Real Steel"
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"