And now, to erase the memory of Anne Hathaway and James Franco, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has picked Eddie Murphy to host the 84th annual Academy Awards.
The telecast is set for Feb. 26 on ABC.
The pick had been the subject of a guessing game recently. Murphy is starring in the November film release “Tower Heist,” which was directed by Brett Ratner — who is also producing the Academy Awards show with Don Mischer.
The Academy took a sharp turn away from convention last year, hoping to court younger viewers with the pairing of Hathaway and Franco as hosts. Their performance was not stellar, nor were their ratings.
This time, the job will go to a comic, in keeping with long-standing tradition. The long list of comics who have hosted the awards includes Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, Johnny Carson, Chevy Chase, Billy Crystal, David Letterman, Chris Rock, Steve Martin, Whoopi Goldberg and Jon Stewart.
