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The New York Post's Michael Kane has a lengthy (and reasonably well-thought) piece on whether Eddie Murphy deserves to win an Oscar for Dreamgirls -- or if he even wants to. As Jeff Wells has noted repeatedly on Hollywood Elsewhere, Murphy hasn't exactly been going out of his way to work the pre-Oscar scene . Murphy has, however, joked his way though both the SAGs and Golden Globes, and, as Kane notes, the Oscars are "serious business."

That's kind of funny, actually. I mean, certainly the Oscars are serious business to those who make it their business to take seriously Hollywood's most glamorous self-congratulatory back-patting session. And I expect (or at least I would hope) that they're serious business to the Academy members who still care enough to watch hours of screeners and vote for them. The real serious business of the Oscars, though -- and let's be honest here, just for kicks -- is about the moolah at the end of the Oscar rainbow.

Sure, it's nice to have that shiny Golden statue to show off for a while, but really, the big payoff of an Oscar win is in the greater bankability of the stars who get the noms and wins. For the studios, the payoff is in the extra box-office receipts of a post-Oscar second run, not to mention those extra DVD sales down the road because your pic won an Oscar (preferably a slew of them). Money is and always will be the grease that keeps the gears of Hollywood churning along. And when it comes to money, as the Post piece notes, Murphy already has it all over most of Hollywood, anyhow.

As Kane notes in his piece, as we gear up for the very real possibility of a world where Eddie Murphy, comedian, could also be Eddie Murphy, Oscar-Winning Serious Actor -- the actor's latest fat-suit comedy, Norbit, is in theaters. Oh, the sweet irony! Here we are, just three weeks away from the night when Hollywood takes itself most seriously, and all over Hollywood are billboards advertising one of its prestigious nominees starring in a role for which he would never, in this or any parallel universe, be nominated for anything.

If Murphy wins, his acceptance speech is probably going to be one of the most scrutinized of the entire evening. If Scorsese finally scores for best director, he'll have a speech ready that will knock it out of the park -- it's probably just a variation on the unused speeches he's been writing since 1980. Should O'Toole win for Best Actor, there won't be a dry eye in the house (but look for Forest Whitaker, should he edge past O'Toole, to have a gracious and lovely speech at the ready). Best Actress will likely go to either Helen Mirren or Meryl Streep, either of whom just has to dust off a previous acceptance speech, insert some new names, and go. Best Supporting Actress will very likely go to Murphy's co-star, Amercian Idol-turned-starlet Jennifer Hudson, who has probably been tearily practicing her acceptance speech in her bathroom mirror since December.

But Murphy, now, he's a wild card isn't he? If he wins, will he offer up to the Academy the kind of humble, gracious, knee-bending acceptance it will expect in return for bestowing the favor of a golden statue of a naked man on one of Hollywood's greatest comedic actors? Or will he stay in his smart-aleck comfort zone, either mocking out the seriousness of the other acceptance speeches, or breaking out some classic Murphy sarcasm and going for the laughs?

What do you think? Is it finally Murphy's time to shine? And if he wins, do you want to see him make a serious, I'm-so-grateful-to-the-Academy speech, or would you rather see him shake up serious Oscar with a classic Murphy comedic moment?

[ via Hollywood Elsewhere ]