Billy Crystal

Yea!!!!!

The Academy went with the obvious choice to replace EDDIE MURPHY as host of the 2012 Oscars.  BILLY CRYSTAL announced on Twitter yesterday that he took the gig.

He said, quote, “Am doing the Oscars so the young woman in the pharmacy will stop asking my name when I pick up my prescriptions.  Looking forward to the show.”

Academy President Tom Sherak then issued a statement saying, quote, “He’s a comic legend and Oscar icon, and it feels good to have him back where he belongs.”

Crystal . . . who’s 63 . . . has hosted the show EIGHT times already, and has won four Emmys for both his hosting and writing duties.  His last time was in 2004.

Billy becomes the second-oldest person to host the Oscars solo since BOB HOPE . . . who was just shy of his 75th birthday when he hosted in 1978.

STEVE MARTIN was 64 when he co-hosted with ALEC BALDWIN in 2010.

(–There was actually a Facebook page campaigning for the MUPPETS to host, which could have been AWESOME.  If the page is still up this morning, you’ll find it here.)