He’s no stranger to hosting the Oscars, having presented the ceremonies over the years a record eight times. But it seems that maybe Billy Crystal has lost the edge which stood him above other hosts, with many critics labelling this year’s Academy Awards ‘the most boring Oscars ever’. Crystal was panned for his lack of originality when it came to his jokes, while the entire ceremony was accused of ‘showing its age’. He made his return as the host of the Oscars tonight after an eight year break, so Billy Crystal was determined to come back with a bang. But in hoping to win laughs, Crystal may have taken things too far after some viewers were left reeling from tactless remarks made by the funnyman. It was his ninth shot as host of the Oscars but it appeared the 63-year-old might have used up all his nine lives after letting rip with a string of racial slurs. The first blow came during the host’s opening number, which saw him pay tribute to ‘Midnight in Paris’ in a 1920s pre-recorded skit shown at the ceremony which saw him portray Sammy Davis, Jr. in blackface. The first blow came during the host’s opening number, which saw him pay tribute to Midnight in Paris in a 1920s pre-recorded skit shown at the ceremony which saw him portray Sammy Davis, Jr. in blackface. Crystal has portrayed the entertainer several times in the same manner on Saturday Night Live, but something about tonight’s nod saw a series of furious viewers vent their anger over Twitter. Perhaps it did not help that the actor then made a controversial remark after Octavia Spencer scooped the Best Supporting Actress award for her role as a maid in ‘The Help’. Justin Bieber took to Twitter to congratulate the comedian on hosting a great show and said: ‘and a BIG SHOUTOUT to Billy Crystal. Thanks for letting be a part of the show and you killed it tonight. #muchlove.’ However, many more young viewers were left wondering just who the comedian was, with some of the posts getting increasingly aggressive with the use of bad language as the show went on. People magazine gave the comic a mixed review and said: ‘Crystal might have tried freshening up his old opening routine. Considering that last year’s Oscars were so thumpingly bad-co-host James Franco behaved as if he’d been taken out of the freezer, left on the counter and unevenly thawed – last night’s broadcast was a welcome relief.’ And Crystal was not the only attendee causing controversy, as actor Sacha Baron Cohen showed up on the red carpet with an urn full of ‘ashes’ which he then threw over E! host Ryan Seacrest. Crystal’s appointment as host for this year’s ceremony came after Eddie Murphy pulled out in November. The actor and comedian stepped down after producer Brett Ratner resigned amid an argument over an apparent anti-gay slur.
