It's
official. Billy Crystal will host the 84th Academy Awards ceremony Feburay
26, 2012 on ABC. Brian Grazer and Don Mischer will take over for Brett
Ratner as producers.
"I'm thrilled to welcome Billy back to the Oscar®
stage," said Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president
Tom Sherak in a press release on the Oscar website. "He's a
comic legend and Oscar icon, and it feels good to have him back where he
belongs."
Always a fan favorite, the 63-year-old Crystal is a logical
choice. It will be the comedian's ninth time as host of the show, second
only to Bob Hope who hosted 19 times. The question now seems to be whether or
not Crystal can pull young viewers as well as he is likely to attract viewers
from the Baby Boomer and Gen X demographics.
Crystal is quoted in the same release: "Some of the
best moments of my career have happened on the Oscar stage. I am thrilled to be
back there. Actually, I am doing this so that the young woman in my pharmacy
will stop asking me my name when I pick up my prescriptions."
