Late Tuesday, Brett Ratner resigned from his position as Oscars producer. The move followed an outcry over a gay slur Ratner used at a Q&A for Tower Heist, which he directed, over the weekend. Now, proposed Oscars host Eddie Murphy, who stars in that film and had been handpicked by Ratner to liven up the awards ceremony, has also stepped down. Should Murphy have remained onboard?
Yes, this is a shame: Bummer. "I was looking forward to Murphy's stab at things," says Kristopher Tapley at HitFix. He got his start in stand-up, and it could have been great to see him return to the Oscars' version of it. But perhaps this is for the best. If Murphy had stuck around, "the traces of Ratner's controversy would have been left all over this show." That's "unfortunate but true."
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