Brian Grazer Steps In As Oscar Producer

With all the Oscar news making the rounds this week, you would think that the 84th annual Academy Awards were just around the corner. Luckily, we still have more than three months until the live telecast on February 26, and more than a month until nominations are announced. The latest news coming straight from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is that Brett Ratner, who tendered his resignation on Tuesday, has been replaced with producer Brian Grazer, who will co-produce the telecast with industry veteran Don Mischer. "Brian Grazer is a renowned filmmaker who over the past 25 years has produced a diverse and extraordinary body of work," Academy president Tom Sherak said in a statement posted on Oscars.org. "He will certainly bring his tremendous talent, creativity and relationships to the Oscars." "I am thrilled to welcome Brian Grazer as my partner and that we will be collaborating to produce an outstanding show," echoed Mischer in the statement. "It's very gratifying to be part of a show that honors excellence in the medium to which I have devoted so much of my career," said Grazer. "Don is a legend, and I am excited to work with him." Grazer's credentials seem a good fit for producing Hollywood's "biggest night." He's been nominated four times (for writing "Splash," and Best Picture nods for "Apollo 13" and "Frost/Nixon.") and won the Best Picture Oscar in 2001 for "A Beautiful Mind." Coincidentally, Grazer has worked with recently resigned host, Eddie Murphy, on "The Nutty Professor" and "Tower Heist." Rumor has it that the Academy and Grazer hope that Murphy will reconsider his decision not to be involved in the program. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Brian Grazer Photo: MTV News