Has Eddie Murphy officially been replaced? After word spread that Murphy had dropped out of his Oscar hosting duties, movie fans were buzzing with their own suggestions on who should take Murphy's place. The overwhelming favorite replacement? Billy Crystal.

And it looks like fans of the comedian are getting their wish.

"Am doing the Oscars so the young woman in the pharmacy will stop asking my name when I pick up my prescriptions. Looking forward to the show," Crystal tweeted.

Cary Elwes, Billy Crystal, Wallace Shawn, Chris Sarandon, Robin Wright and Carol Kane got together for a 'Princess Bride' reunion that aired Friday on 'Good Morning America' (weekdays, 9AM ET on ABC). The cast reminisced about the '80s cult comedy classic, told some funny stories about their late friend and co-star Andre the Giant, and re-lived the experience of shooting the film.

Billy Crystal explained what he thought was the secret to 'The Princess Bride's' enduring appeal. "Great screenplay, it was the perfect cast, the perfect director, it's the perfect movie for us. For me, I'm so proud to be in it with everybody," Crystal said, as they all joined hands.

Billy Crystal was on 'The Daily Show' (Weeknights, 11PM ET on Comedy Central), where he told a story about the filming of Meg Ryan's famous orgasm scene in the movie 'When Harry Met Sally.'

Apparently, Ryan was nervous about making such personal noises in front of a bunch of crew and extras she didn't know. So director Rob Reiner, "a big bear of a man" as Crystal described him, decided to show her how to do it.

"So Reiner proceeds to have an orgasm that Mighty Joe Young would have," Crystal explained to Jon Stewart. "Oh it's huge, he's pounding the table. The little spice balls are flying off pickles."

With the power of today's technology, we can experience things that just wouldn't otherwise be possible. The modern era's favorite Oscar host presented just such an opportunity at 'The 83rd Annual Academy Awards' (Sun., 8:30PM on ABC) by allowing us a glimpse into a world where Oscar's all-time favorite host could preside again.

Billy Crystal came out and slid easily into the hosting position, cracking jokes about the show running long and poking fun at his own Hollywood leading man looks.

He told a story about a connection he shared with 18-time Oscars host Bob Hope at the Academy Awards. Crystal was hosting and Hope shared a special gesture with him on-camera, and then a different one off.

Long before Whoopi Goldberg was a co-host on 'The View' (Syndicated on ABC), she was friends with Billy Crystal and Robin Williams. In addition to being the most popular comedians in the country, the trio also hosted regular 'Comic Relief' benefits for the homeless. So when Crystal came on 'The View' today, the show's producers thought it might be a good time to ambush Whoopi and Billy with some old, embarrassing footage.

The clip they played showed the three comedians at 'Comic Relief' in 2006. Goldberg is in the middle of making a serious point about two former presidents helping in the relief effort, when she suddenly gets the giggles. She then has an uncontrolled gas attack, which was apparently so loud that it had to be dubbed over so the audience wouldn't hear it. But Crystal and Williams weren't going to let her go that easily. Crystal backed off, flapping his jacket, and Williams yelled, "Fire in the hole!"

When they came back from the clip, Goldberg was in tears laughing. Crystal gave some sage advice to the panel: "Never eat broccoli before a show."

Normally, you'd think it odd to spotlight a series that lasted four seasons in a column like 'Gone Too Soon.' But 'Soap' was a different kind of series. Like the soap operas it was mocking, it was a premise that could have gone on for years and years. In fact, there's no reason to imagine that it couldn't still be on today.

From 1977 to 1981, Susan Harris crafted what would become a timeless comedy classic for ABC. But despite high ratings throughout its run, 'Soap' would only see four seasons, abruptly ending on a slew of cliffhangers that have frustrated fans for decades.

Despite that, the stellar cast and writing have stood the test of time in a way very few television series can, even if the wardrobes haven't. 'Soap' is as relevant and hilarious today as it was more than thirty years ago now. It deserved a longer life, and both the series and its fans deserved a true ending to Harris' brilliant vision.

The history of the Academy Awards telecast has been generally a pretty traditional show. You've had historic moments of bad taste like Rob Lowe dancing with Snow White, bizarre musical opening numbers from the likes of Lucie Arnaz and Liza Minnelli -- not together -- and, of course, great highs like most of the Billy Crystal musical medleys of the Best Oscar nominees.

This year if Billy were there, his medley would be about 20 minutes long to include all ten nominated movies! They'd have needed an oxygen tank in the wings to revive him after that.

But here's a wickedly wild idea that might have set the Oscars into to fierce wilderness of 'oh-my-God' TV. The Oscar producers were toying with the idea of having Sacha Baron Cohen host the show. Yep, believe it. Producers Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic were on NPR's 'Fresh Air' with Teri Gross, and they said when they contemplated shaking up the broadcast, they thought of 'Borat.'

Oscar roulette is usually played when it comes time to figure out the nominations. However, this year there seems to be a wheel of fortune spinning with the names of possible hosts for the show. Of course, the folks running the show have intimated that they might want to have a few stars sharing the duties. Historically, that hasn't worked out too well.

The other day when Hugh Jackman removed his name from the running, I asked you for your ideas and told you that I like Kathy Griffin. Jimmy liked George Clooney and Justin Timberlake. Sancty suggested Neil Patrick Harris.

The Jay Leno Show has taken a bit of a beating from viewers and critics, but my household has been watching, and we like the show. Sure, there are parts of it that fall a little flat (like, ok, The Real Housewives of Orange County bit last night; Jason didn't like it either), but overall, Jay's pretty funny no matter what he's doing, and we enjoy the show.

One of the bits we like is 10@10, the part where Jay gets celebrities on his screen and asks them ten questions about anything. In last night's episode, he caught up with Billy Crystal, currently in Philadelphia touring with his show, 700 Sundays.

I'll give Leno credit for getting creative in the ways he's starting to incorporate celebrities into bits and segments. It fills time for him and gives them their plug opportunities. Tonight, he trotted out three of The Real Housewives of Orange County for a "Battle of the Jaywalk All-Stars Challenge." And ... wow.

I don't watch The Real Houswives of anywhere, but if this is the intellectual capacity of their "stars," then I'm glad I don't. I couldn't tell if they were putting on an act or if they were being themselves. Either way, it was obnoxious and I wanted to reach through the screen and strangle each of them. The blondes were enforcing stereotypes left and right!

If it was all an act, then that's even more unfortunate, because it means they're playing characters rather than being themselves. What? A reality show that's less than real? It was funny that their first reaction to seeing a picture of Nancy Pelosi was that she needed botox. And of course, they had no idea who she was, or anyone else.

It's always great to see Don Rickles on TV. He's rarely out of form, and he has a knack for sailing some great zingers past the censors. Which means his appearance on last night's My Life on the D-List was a perfect opportunity, a place where he could be a bit more loose.

We got a taste of that from him, walking around Kathy Griffin's house, but we also got a glimpse of the guy I have heard about from comedians who've met Rickles - the old softie who is ever willing to talk shop with other comics. It was a great moment when Griffin and Rickles talked about how both of their mothers would try to tell them not to pick on people so much, with Griffin's mom providing a bit of the dialogue. Meeting Rickles was on Griffin's mother's "bucket list."

I thought I'd use the occasion to take a look around YouTube to find some of Rickles' best TV appearances. He seems to have been everywhere, from The View to cable.

If you had DVR'd the Tony Awards on CBS last night, or switched off the set after Elton John's Billy Elliot, The Musical won the final big award of the night -- Best Musical -- you missed the best thing in the entire show. In a word, Neil Patrick Harris.

At a few minutes after 11 o'clock, Tony host Neil Patrick Harris wrapped up the broadcast, but instead of just saying goodnight and urging viewers to go see a Broadway show, Neil did a musical number and it was the high point of the night. In true Barney Stinson style, the How I Met Your Mother star (and sure bet Emmy nominee), performed a song that was as good as any Billy Crystal Oscar opening. Funny, snarky and pointed, it really skewered the Tonys, almost like a Mad magazine parody.

I would have posted this earlier today, but I couldn't read Prince's handwriting on the big sheet of paper he gave to Jay Leno last night. I thought it was just a goodbye wish, but now I see from TMZ that it was actually a dig at David Letterman.

It says "Jay is the best. Even Paul Shaffer knows it." Billy Crystal looks amused.

Almost as soon as I arrived in Beverly Hills for the press tour on July 13, I had an assignment: find a power brick for my laptop, which I had left behind in New Jersey. One frantic and sweaty trip to Radio Shack later, I was ready for my next assignment: a brief interview with The Daily Show's Senior Black Correspondent, Larry Wilmore.

Wilmore was on hand to promote Make 'Em Laugh, a wide-ranging PBS documentary series on the history of modern comedy that's set to air in 2009 (it was announced that day that Billy Crystal is hosting the series). Right after the interview, Wilmore was on a panel with two other documentary participants: original SNL writer Anne Beatts (whom I also interviewed) and comedian Richard Lewis.

I only had a few minutes with Wilmore, so I quickly moved on from the special to ask him about how he got the Daily Show gig after a career spent behind the scenes as a writer and producer (The PJs, The Bernie Mac Show). I also asked him what it's like to work on a show that's so influential on the political and news scene. The interview is after the jump.

Thirteen/WNET and Ghost Light films named Billy Crystal host of the new documentary series Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America. The six-hour documentary, which will air in January 2009, will explore the tropes of American comedy and chronicle its evolution.

The comedian will appear in the opening of each episode and introduce viewers to the funniest moments in American entertainment. Some of the comedic talents that will be featured include: Charlie Chaplin, Jack Benny, Abbott & Costello, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Sid Caesar, Anne Beatts, Woody Allen, Larry Wilmore, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Richard Lewis, Jon Stewart, and Chris Rock.