The actor and comedian will host the 84th annual Academy Awards, producers Brett Ratner and Don Mischer said Tuesday and even they were surprised the reclusive star agreed to the gig. The last comic to host the show alone was Jon Stewart in 2008. A singing, dancing Hugh Jackman took over in 2009, and in recent years, pairs of actors have helmed the show.
This is Murphy's first time hosting the Academy Awards. He said in a statement that he's "enormously honored" to join the ranks of the aforementioned Oscar hosts.
The producers said Murphy will likely select a writing team and contribute his own jokes and material to the Oscar show, set for Feb. 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. >>read more
