So now the Academy Award telecast is in flux. Brett Ratner is out as producer, after drawing criticism for remarks; Eddie Murphy promptly stepped down as host.

Is this a tragedy? Probably not. Murphy was an odd choice and there would be lots of better ones. Steve Martin is, as always, my top choice. I'd also go with Neil Patrick Harris or Chris Rock or Hugh Laurie or ... well, lots of others. Given the right choice, the Oscars will be fine.

During the Oscars, I'm going to throw out some comments; please add yours. And keep in mind that these are chronological and random:

1) The bar was set pretty low, but Jess Cagle managed to get under it. He's now officially the most obsequious host in red-carpet history.  Working ABC's half-hour premiere (in which Kathy Ireland wasn't much better), he felt compelled to tell us that the every person and every gown was wonderful. If Uriah Heep (the Dickens character, not the rock group) saw this, he'd say: "Can't you toughen up a bit?"

Tonight's good news? Steve Martin, the best host in Academy Award history, will be back this year.

I'm surprised that the producers decided they need two hosts, adding Alec Baldwin. Baldwin's fine, but he's no Steve Martin; nobody is.

It's been a fun night, watching the Academy Awards. Here are some of my comments, as the show goes on:

-- Good news: Baz Luhrmann created that spectacular number, celebrating the return of the movie musical. Luhrmann's touch -- in "Moulin Rouge," "Romeo and Juliet," "Australia" and more -- is masterful. This was a grand moment.

-- Bad news: Five presenters for one awards? That's approximately four too many.