Top 10 Billy Crystal Oscar hosting moments

With the 84th Academy Awards right around the corner, the anticipation of watching Billy Crystal host again grows. Crystal is known for his Oscar movie parodies and comic personality. After Eddie Murphy stepped down from hosting this year’s event, Crystal gladly re-took his place as the Academy Award host.

Here’s a look back at Crystal’s top ten most memorable Oscars moments.

10. In 1990, Crystal got asked to host the awards for the very first time. Within the very fist seconds of the awards, he cracked a joke that loosened up the audience and showed everyone his comic personality. Regarding the previous years opening number, which was a skit featuring Rob Lowe and Snow White, Crystal asked the crowd if their applause was for him, or simply because they were so pleased that he wasn’t Snow White.

9. In a tribute to Dances With Wolves, which was 1991’s Best Picture winner, Billy Cyrstal rode a live horse named Beechnut onto the stage. He then kept the horse after the awards.

8. In his opening of the 1991 Oscars he also made a joke of how many other people wish to be in his position. His opening seemed more touching with a hint of comedy, than his following years were. He made reference to thanking that no Americans are fighting, except for in Paramount. He then broke into song describing each movie.

7. To make humor of the 1992 Best Picture winner, The Silence of the Lambs, he was wheeled onto the stage wearing a Hannibal Lecter mask on his face. “I’m having some of the Academy over for dinner. Care to join me?” He said as he walked to the audience to greet Anthony Hopkins.

6. During the 1992 awards, before his Hannibal Lecter mask skit, Crystal made jokes with the audience regarding the progress that cinemas have made over time. He remembers with the audience of how great a movie theater is and how great they once were. It’s “the only place in the world where you can get real imitation butter,” Crystal said. He makes a joke of how a trip to the movie theater used to be consisting of going to see one big movie, and now it is “all multiplex and quadraplex.” He also jokes about Beauty and the Beast’s nomination.

5. During the opening of the 1997 Oscars, after loosening up the crowd with a few jokes, Crystal stated he knew they were waiting for him to sing a medley of the years best pictures, and that’s just what he did. He sang descriptions of movies to the themes of the Brady Bunch and Frank Sinatra songs.

4. When Crystal hosted the 1998 Oscars, Titanic won Best Picture. His performance during this Oscars was one of his best. He performed a combination of song parodies about the films that were nominated. He played the Gilligan’s Island theme song to the Titanic picture.

3. In 2000, Crystal placed himself into the movies, as he interacted with actors such as Kirk Douglas, Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, and Dustin Hoffman. His comic skit was in regard to the movies, Spartacus, The Godfather, Taxi Driver, and The Graduate. In his skit with Dustin Hoffman, he replaced actress Anne Bancroft in the movie’s Mrs. Robinson seduction scene.

2. During the opening of the 2004 Oscars, a video played in which Crystal was initially sitting in a movie theater recording the movie and eating popcorn. He then found a ring inside his food, and after he put it on his finger he was transported into the movie screen and into scenes from that years movies. It was put together like a movie trailer, with scenes from The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Lost in Translation, and Seabiscuit.

1. While Crystal did not host the 83rd Academy Awards, Anne Hathaway introduced him as a special guest. He explained to the crowd that the 25th Academy Awards were hosted by the great Bob Hope, and stood on the stage as a video played from the event.