Oscars controversy: Can Muppets save the day?
Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog in a scene from "The Muppets." (Scott Garfield / Disney Enterprises)
Could Kermit the Frog host the Oscars? That’s what some Muppets fanatics are hoping.
Thousands of Muppets fans on Facebook and Twitter are pushing for the popular characters to fill the Oscars telecast void left by the departure of Eddie Murphy, who stepped down from his hosting gig Wednesday. Murphy quit less than 24 hours after his creative partner Brett Ratner resigned as producer of the 2012 Oscar ceremony after making an anti-gay slur. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has tapped Brian Grazer — the producer of “24,” “Arrested Development” and “A Beautiful Mind” — to take Ratner’s place, but no announcement has been made concerning the hosting job yet.
Enter Kermit and friends. Aside from adorable cuddliness, they have decades of stage experience, great comedic timing and plenty of cross-generational appeal — all things that the academy is desperately seeking.
Everyone’s favorite amphibian and his company of fuzzy and feathered pals might be up against some tough competition; buzz for Billy Crystal, Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig and at least a dozen other big names is circulating. But the Muppets-Oscars fan movement seems to be gaining Betty White-style momentum, and if the position were chosen by popular vote, the beloved Henson creations would likely come out on top. Stay tuned.
– Noelene Clark
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