Eddie Murphy at the First Annual Comedy Awards in New York City, March 2011. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
After the debacle that was last year’s Oscar hosting experiment — Anne Hathaway and James Franco’s “younger, hipper” ceremony ended up being more awkward and lethargic than ever — the news that Eddie Murphy is set to host the 84th annual Academy Awards should be music to the ears of the 40-ish million people who usually tune in. If nothing else, the show should at least be funny now that the producers (including Brett “Rush Hour” Ratner, who is, not coincidentally, the director of Murphy’s upcoming flick, The Tower Heist) are going back to its comedian-hosting roots. But will Murphy bend towards the musically minded hosts like Billy Crystal and Hugh Jackman, who used to sing an opening medley about the nominated movies? Or will he simply go raw? Here’s five musical moments from Murphy’s career that, if nothing else, give us a glimpse into Murphy’s chances of pulling a musical number out of his comedic arsenal.
1. James Brown on SNL
Before he was a huge movie star, Murphy was the comedian with a gift for impressions holding together those shaky early-80s years on Saturday Night Live. And it was with his musical mimicry that he really shone. In the “James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub” sketch his version of the Godfather of Soul is spot on, right down to the high-pitched shriek and the staged injury that leads him to limp offstage and then miraculously recover. That last one is a move that Murphy should keep in mind to liven up the Oscar telecast during those interminable technical awards. [Watch here.]
2. “Party All The Time”
Another highlight of Murphy’s musical career was his 1985 single “Party All the Time.” Sure, the song is ridiculous, but Murphy was actually sincere about his desire for a pop career. This track was written and produced by none other than Rick James, and it wasn’t even Murphy’s lone Billboard hit (the ludicrously named “Put Your Mouth on Me” would crack the Top 40 four years later). That said, it is hard to take Murphy seriously in this video — we keep waiting for him to burst out into trademark asthmatic laugh — especially when he seems to be the only member of his band who’s allowed to wear a shirt. [Watch here.]
3. “Whatzupwitu”
Murphy was a longtime friend of the late Michael Jackson, and we wish his appearance in the King of Pop’s “Remember the Time” video was the only evidence of that bond. But sadly the two superstars made this superturd of a video together in 1993. Between the cheesy animation, the terrible costumes (the western belt/wifebeater combo just doesn’t work for Eddie) and the inappropriate dance moves (friends don’t let friends rub their crotches when children are present), it’s no wonder that “Whatzupwitu” was voted one of the worst videos ever in 1999 by MTV viewers and has been permanently banned from the channel ever since. [Watch here.]
4. Spice Girl Babydaddy Denial
Though by 2006 he was already way into his second (or third?) career as the star of dreadful family-fair flicks like Dr. Doolittle, Daddy Daycare and The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Murphy made musical headlines again by impregnating the scariest of all the Spice Girls, Melanie Brown, and then denying it on Dutch television. The baby, a daughter named Angel, took after her father immediately, deciding to come into the world on Murphy’s 46th birthday. A DNA test later confirmed Murphy’s paternity, but he should have known that Scary Spice always gets what she wants, what she really, really wants. [Watch here.]
5. Dreamgirls
This year won’t mark Murphy’s first time at the Oscars. In 2007, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jimmy “Thunder” Early in Dreamgirls. (He would lose to Little Miss Sunshine’s Alan Arkin.) As Early, a James Brown-like R&B showman, Murphy comes full circle, no longer imitating pop greats, but creating his own version of one. His acting, as a singer in decline who eventually dies of a heroin overdose, is painfully empathetic and fully realized, but it’s his singing scenes that he explodes off the screen, illustrating where it was that Early really lived his life. We implore you, Eddie, more of this kind of passion for the Oscar duties and much less of the Norbit kind. [Watch here.]
