Ever since the whole Eddie Murphy debacle that ended in Billy Crystal trending into a role as host, we’ve been unsure what to exactly expect from the 84-year-old awards. While the Oscars and their Academy will never lose importance, there’s definitely a sense of excitement around wanting things to change. After two young hosts didn’t turn out so well (Franco even quit Twitter after the Oscars) Billy Crystal is tweet-announcing and getting involved in some cool antics early on.
While you might think of the Oscars as old-school and a bit stuffy, they’ve actually made a YouTube promo video with Funny Or Die. They’re doing a great job at continuing to play the truthful angle, that Billy Crystal hasn’t really been in the starlight for awhile but is still very cool. The second I watched the following clip, nostalgia kicked in bringing me back to 1998’s infamous My Giant, where Crystal ends up in an Eastern European cave.
They also disclosed their second-screen plans for Oscars night on February 26th. “On Oscar Sunday, February 26, Oscar.com will have live cameras strategically placed everywhere from the red carpet to backstage and even the Governors Ball, providing the ultimate insider’s view before, during and after the show,” their release said. “The cameras will broadcast online, as well as on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch,” as well. On the social side, they’ll be tacking buzz on the website. “Oscar Buzz, the site’s social media page, will track real-time comments from fans using #Oscars and #OscarBuzz.” This visualization is powered by Mass Relevance.