Despite what you may have heard over the past few days, things are just golden in Oscar world.
Following a torrent of negative publicity and fallout that started with then-producer Brett Ratner's crude and homophobic comments and ended with his and hand picked host Eddie Murphy's resignations, the Academy has steadied the ship with veteran Hollywood hands. In to produce alongside veteran Don Mischer is Brian Grazer, an Oscar winner himself, and coming on board to host is Billy Crystal, who will be taking his ninth turn in the role.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Grazer and Mischer insist that, while the show certainly took a few unexpected turns this week, they're in great position to put together a winning telecast. While that may seem like a stretch, it actually makes quite a bit of sense.
There are a large number of awards contenders that have yet to hit theaters, meaning critical and commercial reaction to the pictures are still entirely in the air. Oscar veterans such as David Fincher, Alexander Payne, Jason Reitman and Steven Spielberg all have films on the docket, and how they are received will help determine elements such as musical numbers, awards presenters and, of course, Crystal's monologues.
Last year, for example, featured an opening montage that put hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway running through a number of Best Picture nominees; that can't be written, let alone produced, until nominations are announced in January. Jokes from presenters have to be topical -- perhaps political, given that the show will go on amidst Republican primary elections -- and plenty of other last minute decisions are certain to arise.