84th Annual Academy Awards

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Billy Crystal Tweets He's Hosting 2012 Oscars

by Derrik J. Lang - AP Entertainment Writer

Veteran Oscar Host Billy Crystal

LOS ANGELES, California — Veteran Oscar Host Billy Crystal says he's doing it again. The 63-year-old comedian said on Twitter that he is hosting the February 26, 2012, Academy Awards "so the young woman in the pharmacy will stop asking my name when I pick up my prescriptions. Looking forward to the show."

Officials of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed the announcement and said an official statement was forthcoming but had no further comment. This will be the ninth Oscar stint for Crystal, who last hosted in 2004. It follows a groundswell of sentiment for his return following a guest appearance on the 2011 Oscar show for which he received a standing ovation.

Crystal said later he was moved by the warm reception and that "it might be fun" to host the show again. "I think the show needs to change," he said in an interview with The Associated Press in March. "There's too many awards and it has to sort of freshen itself up, and if I can be a part of that, that would be great."

Crystal previously hosted in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2004 — some of the most successful shows in Oscar history. The 2011 ceremony featured the duo of Anne Hathaway and James Franco in an effort to attract younger viewers to the show, but with disappointing results. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin hosted the year before.

Comedian Eddie Murphy had been chosen to host the 2012 show, but pulled out Wednesday, November 9 following the departure on Tuesday, November 8 of producer and friend Brett Ratner, who left amid criticism of his use of a pejorative term for gay men at a screening of the director's action comedy, "Tower Heist," which stars Murphy and Ben Stiller.

Ratner was replaced this week by Veteran Producer Brian Grazer, joining Co-Producer Don Mischer, who was named Producer of this year's telecast in an earlier announcement.

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84th Annual Academy Award Nominations

84th Annual Academy Award Nominations

84th Annual Academy Award Nominations

(winners will appear highlighted in red)

Best Picture

"The Artist"

Thomas Langmann, Producer

"The Descendants"

Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers

"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Scott Rudin, Producer

"The Help"

Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers

"Hugo"

Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers

"Midnight in Paris"

Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers

"Moneyball"

Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers

"The Tree of Life"

Nominees to be Determined

"War Horse"

Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Best Director

Woody Allen

"Midnight in Paris"

Michel Hazanavicius

"The Artist"

Terrence Malick

"The Tree of Life"

Alexander Payne

"The Descendants"

Martin Scorsese

"Hugo"

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"

George Clooney in "The Descendants"

Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"

Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"

Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"

Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"

Nick Nolte in "Warrior"

Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"

Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"

Viola Davis in "The Help"

Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"

Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist"

Jessica Chastain in "The Help"

Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"

Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"

Octavia Spencer in "The Help"

Best Animated Feature Film

"A Cat in Paris"

Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli

"Chico & Rita"

Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal

"Kung Fu Panda 2"

Jennifer Yuh Nelson

"Puss in Boots"

Chris Miller

"Rango"

Gore Verbinski

Best Art Direction

"The Artist"

Production Design: Laurence Bennett

Set Decoration: Robert Gould

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"

Production Design: Stuart Craig

Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan

"Hugo"

Production Design: Dante Ferretti

Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo

"Midnight in Paris"

Production Design: Anne Seibel

Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil

"War Horse"

Production Design: Rick Carter

Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Best Cinematography

"The Artist"

Guillaume Schiffman

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Jeff Cronenweth

"Hugo"

Robert Richardson

"The Tree of Life"

Emmanuel Lubezki

"War Horse"

Janusz Kaminski

Best Costume Design

"Anonymous"

Lisy Christl

"The Artist"

Mark Bridges

"Hugo"

Sandy Powell

"Jane Eyre"

Michael O'Connor

"W.E."

Arianne Phillips

Best Feature Documentary

"Hell and Back Again"

Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner

"If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front"

Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman

"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"

Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

"Pina"

Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel

"Undefeated"

TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

Best Short Subject Documentary

"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement"

Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin

"God Is the Bigger Elvis"

Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson

"Incident in New Baghdad"

James Spione

"Saving Face"

Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

"The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom"

Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

Best Film Editing

"The Artist"

Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius

"The Descendants"

Kevin Tent

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall

"Hugo"

Thelma Schoonmaker

"Moneyball"

Christopher Tellefsen

Best Foreign Language Film

"Bullhead" (Belgium)

"Footnote"

"In Darkness" (Poland)

"Monsieur Lazhar" (Canada)

"A Separation" (Iran)

Best Makeup

"Albert Nobbs"

Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"

Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng

"The Iron Lady"

Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Best Original Score

"The Adventures of Tintin"

John Williams

"The Artist"

Ludovic Bource

"Hugo"

Howard Shore

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"

Alberto Iglesias

"War Horse"

John Williams

Best Original Song

Song: "Man or Muppet"

Movie: "The Muppets"

Music and Lyric: Bret McKenzie

Song: "Real in Rio"

Movie: "Rio"

Music: Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown

Lyric: Siedah Garrett

Best Animated Short Film

"Dimanche/Sunday"

Patrick Doyon

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore"

William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg

"La Luna"

Enrico Casarosa

"A Morning Stroll"

Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe

"Wild Life"

Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Best Live Action Short Film

"Pentecost"

Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane

"Raju"

Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren

"The Shore"

Terry George and Oorlagh George

"Time Freak"

Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey

"Tuba Atlantic"

Hallvar Witzø

Best Sound Editing

"Drive"

Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Ren Klyce

"Hugo"

Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"

Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl

"War Horse"

Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Best Sound Mixing

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson

"Hugo"

Tom Fleischman and John Midgley

"Moneyball"

Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"

Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin

"War Horse"

Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Best Visual Effects

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"

Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson

"Hugo"

Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning

"Real Steel"

Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"

Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

Best Adapted Screenplay

"The Descendants"

Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash

"Hugo"

Screenplay: John Logan

"The Ides of March"

Screenplay: George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon

"Moneyball"

Screenplay: Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin

Story: Stan Chervin

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"

Screenplay: Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan

Best Original Screenplay

"The Artist"

Writer: Michel Hazanavicius

"Bridesmaids"

Writer: Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig

"Margin Call"

Writer: J.C. Chandor

"Midnight in Paris"

Writer: Woody Allen

"A Separation"

Writer: Asghar Farhadi

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Best Picture:

"The Artist"

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

Jean Dujardin

"The Artist"

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

Meryl Streep

"The Iron Lady"

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

Christopher Plummer

"Beginners"

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:

Octavia Spencer

"The Help"

Best Director:

Michel Hazanavicius

"The Artist"

Best Foreign Language Film:

Film: "A Separation"

Country: (Iran)

Best Adapted Screenplay:

"The Descendants"

Screenwriters: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash

Best Original Screenplay:

"Midnight in Paris"

Screenwriter: Woody Allen

Best Animated Feature Film:

"Rango"

Best Art Direction:

"Hugo"

Best Cinematography:

"Hugo"

Best Sound Mixing:

"Hugo"

Tom Fleischman and John Midgley

Best Sound Editing:

"Hugo"

Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty

Best Original Score:

"The Artist"

Best Original Song:

Song: "Man or Muppet"

Film: "The Muppets"

Best Costume Design:

"The Artist"

Best Documentary Feature:

"Undefeated"

Best Documentary Short:

"Saving Face"

Best Film Editing:

"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"

Best Makeup:

"The Iron Lady"

Best Animated Short Film:

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore"

Best Live Action Short Film:

"The Shore"

Terry George and Oorlagh George

Best Visual Effects:

"Hugo"

Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning

———

Oscar winners previously presented this season:

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award:

Oprah Winfrey

Honorary Award:

James Earl Jones

Honorary Award:

Dick Smith

Gordon E. Sawyer Award:

Douglas Trumbull

Award of Merit:

ARRI cameras