Schadenfreude Alert: Brett Ratner Ousted from Oscar Show

Earlier this year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences mystified the world with news that hack director Brett Ratner had been hired to produce next year’s Oscars telecast. This seemed like a spectacularly bad idea to just about everyone except, perhaps, AMPAS President Tom Sherak. Ratner quickly announced that once-funny actor Eddie Murphy (who oh-so-coincidentally happens to be the star of the director’s new film, ‘Tower Heist’) would host the ceremony. That part, at least, didn’t sound like nearly as huge of a mistake. Well, now they’re both out, thanks to Ratner’s stunning self-destruction, and the Academy has to scramble to make alternate plans for the February broadcast.

How did this happen? Ever the charmer, Ratner hosted a Q&A session for ‘Tower Heist’ last weekend in which he stated, “Rehearsal? What’s that? Rehearsal’s for f*gs.” (I’m sure you can figure out what the word at the end is supposed to be. I’ll give you a hint; it’s not “figs” or “fogs.”) Needless to say, that remark didn’t go over so well with the gay community. Later, the director went on Howard Stern’s radio show and talked explicitly about his sex life with starlets such as Lindsay Lohan and Olivia Munn. The Hollywood Reporter has a lovely selection of his choicest quotes from the past week.

Despite Ratner’s attempt to make apologies for his behavior, the uproar against him quickly escalated to the point that he was forced to resign from his position as Oscar producer. Although Eddie Murphy had no part in any of this, he wisely decided that it would be a good idea to distance himself from the whole fiasco as well.

Personally, I’m not a fan of overzealous political correctness, and it’s pretty clear that Ratner didn’t mean to refer to homosexuals when he made his ill-advised slur. However, ignorance is not much of an excuse for being an obnoxious asshole. Brett Ratner is a repulsive human being, and I take great glee in watching him fall on his face.

Who will produce and host the Oscars now? Rumors have it that the Academy has approached Lorne Michaels and Tina Fey. We’ll have to wait and see if that pans out.

[via Los Angeles Times and Entertainment Weekly]

9 comments

  1. as much as i love movies and t.v. shows , award shows are the biggest steaming piles of crap around and what happened is the reason why they are. from the transcript i read , Brett was just being honest on stern. and as for the gay comment , you can read the line to tell he was satirizing people who feel that way. and i love how the academy had a problem with this but they have no problem with the stars that come to their telecast being trashed by every show about how bad this actor or actress looked because it brings eyeballs to their show. and they can control it. they dont have to do the red carpet.

  2. JM

    Brett Ratner has made $1.8 billion at the box office with cinematic shit, and he fucked Lindsay Lohan before she got ugly.

    This is the exact sensibility the oscars needs.

    I’m sad that Rat-Eddie won’t be subverting this year’s pretentiousness.

      • Drew

        I don’t think Jane was considering whether or not LiLo was legal or not.

        That’s not the point. Ratner fucked her before she was ugly. That’s gotta count for something.

        Sleazy bastard!

        I do have to add that I’m sad that Eddie won’t be hosting the Oscars. I was looking forward to that more than any hosting gig in the last decade plus.

    • Barsoom Bob

      Skyrim !
      +1 for Jane, the HDD’s provocative provocateur.

      As for the Rat. I happened to be watching AOTS earlier this week and saw Brett’s interview where he trashed Olivia Munn. So utterly tasteless as to not be believed, until two nights later, Mickey Rourke was on and was even more gauche, if that was even possible. ALL he could say was he wanted to motorboat every women that was on the set, repeatedly, leeringly and without a trace of humor.

    • Drew

      Those were my exact thoughts when I saw that news.

      What a bunch of shit!

      Why don’t they just let Johnny Carson host it, via the technology used in those commercials featuring Elvis?

      I seriously can’t believe they would even consider Billy Crystal!

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