In case you missed it...
The other night was the Spike TV premier of "Eddie Murphy: One Night Only", a tribute to the living legend comedian, entrepreneur, and all-around entertainer. The two-hour special included guest appearances by Sam Jackson, Jamie Foxx, Arsenio Hall, Chris Rock, and many other notable and successful entertainers who've worked with Murphy. As expected the show generated record breaking ratings for Spike television as millions of Eddie fans tuned in to see the well deserved honors bestowed on the comedy great.
The night started with Jamie Foxx opening and presenting Eddie Murphy. Tracy Morgan followed wearing an identical red leather suit that Murphy infamously wore in his stand up "Delirious" and expressing gratitude to his "comedic hero". The night continued with Charlie Murphy sharing some funny personal childhood stories about his brother and followed by Juggernauts Adam Sandler (who was visibly nervous), Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Keenen Ivory Wayans, and Tyler Perry all sharing sentiments of gratitude to the honoree and how his career inspired them to become comedic stars as well.
One of the major moments of the night was a tribute from Stevie Wonder, whom Eddie impersonated on SNL, where Stevie invited Eddie on stage. Eddie, hesitant at first, impromptly grabs a pair of glasses from a member of his entourage and sings side by side with Stevie. It was hands down the highlight of the night.
Another important moment is when Arsenio Hall took the stage. He recalled a special where Sammy Davis Jr. was being honored and how Gregory Hines invited the Rat Pack member on stage as they both did what they did best, dance. In this same way Arsenio baited/invited Eddie to do the same, but instead of dancing, treat us all with his gift of comedy. However, Eddie Murphy declined and looked anxious for the event to continue without his participation. Not only was this the defining moment of the night for me, but it was a clear indication that the outlandish funny man that we fans have all come to love may have all his best years in the past. Of course we have seen glimpses of his brillance in movies such as Life and recently Tower Heist. But for the past decade in general Eddie has presented us with several family movies like Dr. Dolittle, Daddy Day Care, Meet Dave, A Thousand Words, and (the corniest of all) The Adventures of Pluto Nash smh.
As I watched comedian after comedian (icons in their own right)thank Eddie for all of his work and for inspiring them so much I found myself becoming frustrated with the new Eddie. His expressions and body language were unfamiliar and he rarely expressed enthusiasm or emotion. Many times during the night Eddie seemed emotionally detached from the praise being directed his way.
To put it sweet... I want that old thing back. I miss the Eddie of old. The one that had us all dying of laughter in Coming To America, 48 Hours, and Raw. Now I don't know what happened but I'm done with the optimistic ideal that "Eddie is back"! To put it simply he is not the same comedian we all came to love. He's rich, content, and he seems uninspired. So even though it's because Eddie was so funny back in the day... he's movies and shows still live on.
Holla Back!
-Achmone
