News is forthcoming about the 84th Annual Academy Awards ceremony to be held on February 26th, 2012, and some of it isn’t pleasing the masses. The latest news on the big event has Eddie Murphy confirmed as the host for the festivities … leaving many confused and at least a few questioning the choice of emcee. I guess (stoner) James Franco and Anne Hathaway haven’t been invited back after last year’s debacle. In recent years Murphy’s been more notorious for flopped films like Imagine That, Meet Dave, and the commercially successful but critically panned Norbit (plus a paternity suit). I should mentions he has had a few good turns in films like the Shrek series and his Oscar-nominated role in Dreamgirls, (upon losing he left the ceremony), nonetheless Murphy is a fading star in the comedy world, straying far from his stand up / SNL roots. I can only surmise that the Oscar producers are getting desperate to woo back viewers with any gimmick available, in recent years TV viewers have been avoiding the program like the plague. Only one thing is for sure, they’ve got to try harder than this to earn back a tired public. Will Eddie Murphy be able bring viewers to Hollywood’s biggest night? Sound off in the comments section below!