Eddie Murphy recently decided not to host next year’s Academy Awards ceremony, for reasons which are a little murky, but seem to involve his loyalty to Brett Ratner, the show’s director, who was fired after he got a little frisky in a couple of interviews.
I like Eddie Murphy, I suppose; I got a few laughs out of “Bowfinger,” anyway. Oh, and he was cute as the voice of the donkey in “Shrek,” and the mini-dragon in “Mulan,” although it was sort of the same performance in both movies. But I was out of the United States during a key period in the 1980s – the period during which “Ghostbusters,” and “Miami Vice” were popular, and during which Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy were the new faces of television comedy. As a result, I am more or less apathetic about Eddie Murphy in general. Let him go, let him go, God bless him, I say.
More importantly, however: whatever shall we do for an Academy Awards host? (You know how strongly I feel about the Oscars.) We could pray for the wiry Hugh Jackman, or the nimble Neil Patrick Harris, I suppose. And I hear that Billy Crystal (who must be eighty years old by now) has already been approached, and has mumbled and clicked his agreement through his ill-fitting dentures.
But I just saw the best idea of all online recently: let the Muppets host the Oscars!
Think of it! Kermit cheering and leaping around on Julia Roberts and Emma Stone. Miss Piggy doing at least one (and maybe all) of the musical numbers (with Doctor Teeth and the Electric Mayhem as backup), and making out (or trying to) with George Clooney. Statler and Waldorf heckling the performance from the audience. Fozzie doing comedy relief in tandem with Zach Galifianakis. We could even have some crossover Muppets: the Count! Big Bird! Grover!
If you don’t agree with me that a touch of Muppet improves almost anything, please to watch this clip from “WWE Raw,” in which lab assistant Beaker gives a wrestler a Secret Energy Drink!
So let’s dump tired old Billy Crystal, and let him go back to Boca, and give the Muppets a chance.
Wocka wocka!
No comments:
Post a Comment