Move Over, City Slicker

Billy Crystal isn't the only guy in town who can help save the Oscars

Illustration by Tomaz Walenta fror TIME; Oscar: Scott OlsonGetty Images; Crystal: Jason LaverisFilmmagic

joel stein awesome column

There are few opportunities for me to really help my fellow human beings. Sure, there's charity work, platelet donations, taking a break from Facebooking in my home office when my 2-year-old son is crying. But those things are unglamorous. Not to get too philosophical, but if you help prevent a tree from falling in the forest and a ton of people don't hear you helping, did you really help?

But when action-movie director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, Tower Heist) used the word fags in a Q&A and stepped down from producing next year's Academy Awards ceremony, and Eddie Murphy then quit...

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