14 DAY TRIAL // After the initial host of the Oscars 2012, Eddie Murphy, stepped down from the job after producer Brett Ratner was fired, Billy Crystal agreed to do it one more time. This was his ninth time on the job.
Reviews of his performance as host of the biggest awards show of the year have been mixed so far, with some saying he was boring, and others defending him, saying he was pretty entertaining, all things considered.
Below is the video of his opening monologue – watch it and judge for yourself.
Noteworthy is that Crystal did his best to keep the fire going, even joking at the expense of the actors in the audience by saying nothing beats recession like seeing millionaires hand each other gold statuettes.
There was also singing and dancing and, by the looks of all those A-listers gathered at the Hollywood & Highland Center (the former Kodak Theater or, as Billy calls it, Chapter 11 Theater), he seems to have succeeded in keeping them entertained.
How about you? Let us know in the comments section below.