(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Eddie Murphy has been officially named the host of the 84thAnnual Academy Awards.

The 50-year-old actor and comedian will be at the helm of the prestigious ceremony which will be broadcast live on February 26 2012.

The quick-witted star now has 172 days to work on getting his monologue and jokes right.

He will be hoping to do a better job than this year's hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco who were universally panned.

"I am enormously honoured to join the great list of past Academy Award hosts from [Bob] Hope and [Johnny] Carson to [Billy] Crystal, [Steve] Martin and [Whoopi] Goldberg, among others," Eddie said in a statement today.

"I'm looking forward to working with Brett [Ratner] and Don [Mischer] on creating a show that is enjoyable for both the fans at home and for the audience at the Kodak Theatre as we all come together to celebrate and recognise the great film contributions and collaborations from the past year."

Eddie himself was nominated for an Oscar in 2006 in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role in Dreamgirls.

Brett, who is the Oscars producer, apparently championed for Eddie to host the show after working closely together on crime comedy Tower Heist, which will be released in November.

"Eddie is a comedic genius, one of the greatest and most influential live performers ever," Brett said of the Shrek star.

"With his love of movies, history of crafting unforgettable characters and his iconic performances - especially on stage - I know he will bring excitement, spontaneity and tremendous heart to the show Don and I want to produce in February." (C) Cover Media