Ratner Resigns as Ocar Producer - Brian Grazer Steps Up

Producer, Brian Grazer

Brett Ratner, best known for directing the Rush Hour movies  reigned Monday as producer of the 84th Academy Awards. Sunday, he was at a fan Q&A session for the new movie Tower Heist when he made a Homophobic slur, "Rehearsal is for f*gs."

Yesterday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued this statement, "This morning, Brett Ratner submitted his resignation as a producer of the 84th annual Academy Awards. Ratner then issued an open letter to the entertainment industry in which he explained his decision." Click title of this post to read more.

Today, Academy President Tom Sherak announced  that Academy Award-winner Brian Grazer, current producer of Tower Heist and J. Edgar, will join Don Mischer as a producer of the Academy Awards to be broadcast in February 2012. This will be the first time Grazer has produced the Oscar telecast.

Grazer has earned four Academy Award nominations. He won a Best Picture Oscar in 2001 for A Beautiful Mind. In 1984, Grazer was nominated in the writing category for Splash, and he received Best Picture nominations in 1995 and 2008 for Apollo 13 and Frost/Nixon, respectively.

His other film credits include Spies Like Us, Kindergarten Cop, The Nutty Professor, Liar Liar, 8 Mile and Cinderella Man.

According to Sherak, Ratner, who has apologized to all at the Academy and others, did the right thing for the Academy and for himself.  Sherak said, "Words have meaning, and they have consequences. Brett is a good person, but his comments were unacceptable. We all hope this will be an opportunity to raise awareness about the harm that is caused by reckless and insensitive remarks, regardless of the intent."

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.