The 83rd Annual Academy Awards

[Jeremy Blackman]

This will be like the most glorious natural disaster we've ever seen.

[matt35mm]

For some reason, the image of Eddie Murphy as a raging Oscars nerd cracks me up.

[Pubrick]

That's because it's not true. Just like ratner isn't a cinephile and the Oscars don't award the best movies of the year.

It's like instead of trying to regain some integrity the Oscars are going the other way and fully embracing their phoney status. Eddie Murphy might be a good host, if he can remember how to be funny again, but the reason he's got the gig is ratner nepotism and nothing else.

Ratner himself is using this as an opportunity to somehow legitimize his credentials as "lover of cinema" and hoping it retroactively rebrands his cinematic output as the work of someone who is consciously carving out a legacy instead of all his films being the result of staunch opportunism.

[MacGuffin]

[MacGuffin]

Source: Brett Ratner Out as Oscar Show Producer
In recent days, the "Tower Heist" director said that "rehearsal is for fags" and discussed his sex life on Howard Stern's radio show.
Source: THR

Director Brett Ratner is out as Oscar producer, a source close to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tells The Hollywood Reporter. The source says a decision has been made and the Academy will make an announcement shortly.

Calls to the Academy were not returned.

Ratner had been named as the producer of the 2012 Academy Awards show, but he has been under fire for making a series of ill-judged remarks in recent days, including saying "rehearsal is for fags" and discussing his sex life with Howard Stern.

The Academy is expected to issue an announcement detailing the situation later today. It is not yet known whether Eddie Murphy, who stars in Ratner's film Tower Heist and was recruited by Ratner to serve as the host of the Oscar show, will remain involved with the production.

[Ravi]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/brett-ratner-fired-oscars-olivia-munn-258883

Brett Ratner's 10 Offensive Quotes That Ended in Oscar Trouble
4:20 PM PST 11/8/2011 by Michael O'Connell
From insults on Howard Stern to Olivia Munn to that gay slur, the (former) Oscar producer and Tower Heist director has been on a tear.

Directors rarely get the opportunity to be the face of their films' promotions, but not all directors are Brett Ratner.

The man behind the Rush Hour franchise, and what was supposed to be the upcoming Oscar telecast, has been making the rounds for his latest film, Tower Heist, appearing on talk shows, radio programs and at public screenings.

At almost every opportunity, he seems to have gleefully inserted his foot into his mouth.

First, he addressed rumors about a past relationship with Olivia Munn, defending his manhood by confirming that he did indeed "bang" her. Then, he dropped the three-letter f-bomb at a Q&A, eliciting scorn from GLAAD and eye rolls from every corner of the industry. Most recently, he stopped by Howard Stern to backtracked on Munn but confess that he once forced Lindsay Lohan to get checked for sexually transmitted diseases when she was "very young."

So in the interest of absorbing the crudest, most ill-advised and all around regrettable soundbites to come out of Ratner's mouth in the last week, here are the 10 greatest. And by "greatest," we mean worst:

1. "I'm a hypochondriac. Before I go all the way, I send the girl to the doctor and check them for everything. My doctor has a test to tell if you're going to catch something in the future even." - - Brett Ratner on Lindsay Lohan (The Howard Stern Show)

2. "I said I banged her three times, which wasn't true... The problem is I made her look like whore." - Brett Ratner on Olivia Munn (The Howard Stern Show)

3. "I have huge balls." - Brett Ratner on his balls (The Howard Stern Show)

4. "I turned 40, and I said, 'Holy s---. I've never gotten a girl pregnant.' And I've been doing this pull-out thing for year and years and years. So I go to a doctor and I said, 'You gotta check my sperm.' He calls me up two days later and says, 'We gotta talk.' .... He said, 'Brett, in 25 years, I've never seen a sperm count like this.' The average load is 40 million sperm, and only 30-40 percent are motile. He said I have 10 times, 480 million sperm, he said, 'If you breathe on a girl, she's going to get pregnant.' ... So now I'm condoms only." - Brett Ratner on never getting a woman pregnant, including longtime girlfriend Rebecca Gayheart (The Howard Stern Show)

5. "I'm probably the best in the world at it" - Brett Ratner on oral sex (The Howard Stern Show)

6. "She was hanging out on my set of 'After the Sunset,' I banged her a few times...but I forgot her." - Brett Ratner on Olivia Munn (G4)

7. "When she came and auditioned for me for a TV show, I forgot her, she got pissed off and she made up all these stories about me eating shrimp and masturbating in my trailer. And my shortcomings. She talked about my shortcomings. I get it. She's bitter."  Brett Ratner on Olivia Munn (G4)

8. "I used to date Olivia Munn.. when she was Lisa. That was the problem. She wasn't Asian back then." - Brett Ratner on Olivia Munn (G4)

9. "Rehearsal? What's that? Rehearsal's for fags. Rehearsal. Not much." - Brett Ratner on the Oscars (Tower Heist screening)

10. "It was a dumb way of expressing myself. Everyone who knows me knows that I don't have a prejudiced bone in my body. But as a storyteller I should have been much more thoughtful about the power of language and my choice of words." - Brett Ratner apologizing for his stance on rehearsal.

[MacGuffin]

Brett Ratner Explains His Oscar Resignation
BY MIKE FLEMING | Deadline

Brett Ratner has issued a letter to the entertainment industry explaining why he has resigned as producer of the Academy Awards following a litany of spectacularly dumb and insensitive statements made while promoting his new film Tower Heist. I'm told that despite a growing groundswell of Academy members calling for Ratner's head, the Academy likely would have grudgingly hung in there with Ratner as producer. He made it easy for them by bowing out. Here is his statement:

An Open Letter to the Entertainment Industry from Brett Rather

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last few days, I've gotten a well-deserved earful from many of the people I admire most in this industry expressing their outrage and disappointment over the hurtful and stupid things I said in a number of recent media appearances. To them, and to everyone I've hurt and offended, I'd like to apologize publicly and unreservedly.

As difficult as the last few days have been for me, they cannot compare to the experience of any young man or woman who has been the target of offensive slurs or derogatory comments. And they pale in comparison to what any gay, lesbian, or transgender individual must deal with as they confront the many inequalities that continue to plague our world.

So many artists and craftspeople in our business are members of the LGBT community, and it pains me deeply that I may have hurt them. I should have known this all along, but at least I know it now: words do matter. Having love in your heart doesn't count for much if what comes out of your mouth is ugly and bigoted. With this in mind, and to all those who understandably feel that apologies are not enough, please know that I will be taking real action over the coming weeks and months in an effort to do everything I can both professionally and personally to help stamp out the kind of thoughtless bigotry I've so foolishly perpetuated.

As a first step, I called Tom Sherak this morning and resigned as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards telecast. Being asked to help put on the Oscar show was the proudest moment of my career. But as painful as this may be for me, it would be worse if my association with the show were to be a distraction from the Academy and the high ideals it represents.

I am grateful to GLAAD for engaging me in a dialogue about what we can do together to increase awareness of the important and troubling issues this episode has raised and I look forward to working with them. I am incredibly lucky to have a career in this business that I love with all of my heart and to be able to work alongside so many of my heroes. I deeply regret my actions and I am determined to learn from this experience.

Sincerely,
Brett Ratner

[Reel]

Brett Ratner's 10 Offensive Quotes That Ended in Oscar Trouble

That on Howard Stern was the most douche-chilling hour of radio I've ever listened to. This guy needs much less of a career.

[Pedro]

Eddie Murphy is officially out.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/movies/eddie-murphy-drops-out-of-oscars-telecast.html

[Sleepless]

I like Empire's suggestion of getting the Muppets to host.

[MacGuffin]

OSCARS: Brian Grazer Will Step Into Breach And Produce 84th Academy Awards
BY NIKKI FINKE | Deadline

The Academy Of Motion Pictures & Arts Sciences just made official what Deadline reported first: that Hollywood A-lister Brian Grazer will produce the 84th Academy Awards with TV veteran Don Mischer. And there's more news on this fast-breaking story: As much as the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences hoped that Eddie Murphy would reconsider his exit as host, insiders tell me that Imagine Entertainment co-founder Brian Grazer has moved on this afternoon. "We are not going back to him. No way," they say. Grazer, co-founder of Imagine Entertainment with Ron Howard, first told Hollywood around 1 PM that he committed to the gig. The Academy now owes Brian big-time for stepping into the breach left when Brett Ratner exited because of the scandal which the director created around himself. Immediately, Grazer began calling around town looking for an Oscar host and speed-dialed the top agencies checking availabilities for big talent.

For Grazer to take on the Oscars demonstrates a dedication to the movie community that the Academy won't soon forget. Grazer's name frequently comes up for the Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award, the most coveted Oscar honor for anyone in Hollywood, and the producer almost received it for the 76th annual Oscars. So maybe sooner rather than later it should be Grazer's turn for the Thalberg.

Beverly Hills, CA – Academy President Tom Sherak announced today that Academy Award®-winner Brian Grazer will join Don Mischer as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards. This will be the first time Grazer has produced the Oscar® telecast.

"Brian Grazer is a renowned filmmaker who over the past 25 years has produced a diverse and extraordinary body of work," said Sherak. "He will certainly bring his tremendous talent, creativity and relationships to the Oscars®."

"I am thrilled to welcome Brian Grazer as my partner and that we will be collaborating to produce an outstanding show," echoed Mischer.

"It's very gratifying to be part of a show that honors excellence in the medium to which I have devoted so much of my career," said Grazer. "Don is a legend, and I am excited to work with him."

"I too am delighted that Brian will join Don in producing the Academy Awards and I am looking forward to our producers delivering the movie event of the year," commented Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.

Grazer has earned four Academy Award nominations. He won a Best Picture Oscar in 2001 for "A Beautiful Mind." In 1984, Grazer was nominated in the writing category for "Splash," and he received Best Picture nominations in 1995 and 2008 for "Apollo 13″ and "Frost/Nixon," respectively. His other film credits include "Spies Like Us," "Kindergarten Cop," "The Nutty Professor," "Liar Liar," "8 Mile" and "Cinderella Man." His current projects include the about to be released "J. Edgar" and the just released "Tower Heist."

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar® presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

[Sleepless]

It's Billy Crystal.

[polkablues]

Sweet, I really need to catch up on my sleep that night.

[O.]

i wanted to have the muppets host it

[MacGuffin]