Brett Ratner got his wish: Eddie Murphy will host the 84th Academy Awards, the academy announced Tuesday.
"Eddie is a comedic genius, one of the greatest and most influential live performers ever," Ratner, who's producing the Oscars, said. "With his love of movies, history of crafting unforgettable characters and his iconic performances — especially on stage — I know he will bring excitement, spontaneity and ...
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Jane Russell, one of Hollywood's biggest sex symbols in the 1940s and '50s, died Monday, The Los Angeles Times reports. She was 89.
Her son, Buck Waterfield, said she died at her home in Santa Maria, Calif., but did not specify a cause...
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So how did everyone like 127 Hours: The Oscar Show?
Past experience has lowered our Oscar night expectations, but the enormity of this year's train wreck was hammered home when the starry audience stood and cheered as Billy Crystal took the stage midway through — as if to say: "Come back, Billy! Do something! Please save this show!"
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The 8-time former host teased, "We're running a little long, so here are the nominees for best picture." Bad boy. Funny boy. Boy oh boy, could the show have used a little more of Crystal's comic polish...
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New releases announced today, July 25:Donny & Marie, Sonny & Cher and Bob Hope - A Classic TV Christmas 3-Pack will be coming out November 11 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - Johnny Carson Celebrates Christmas will be coming out November 11 Visit TVShowsOnDVD.com for the complete stories on these and other news items.
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Question: Although I really can't stand Jay Leno and much prefer Conan O'Brien, I was very surprised when NBC announced Conan would be replacing Leno in the near future. I assumed eventually it would be revealed why this happened, but I haven't read anything about that. I can't see Leno wanting to step down, and his ratings have been stellar for NBC. I could see NBC worrying about losing Conan, but Leno is young and hungry enough to captain The Tonight Show for many more years of big ratings. So do you have any insights about why this is happening?
Answer: NBC made the announcement three years ago that Jay would step down from the Tonight throne in 2009 and Conan would succeed him, the idea being to keep Conan at the network and lay the groundwork for a more orderly passing of the torch than what happened when Johnny Carson retired (a bruising and messy tug-of-war involving Leno and Letterman). The reason it's making headlines again is because there's new management at NBC Entertainment
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