Felt So Mellow He Had To Leave

Tower Heist star Eddie Murphy has told an anonymous Rolling Stone writer that he didn’t angrily storm out of the 2007 Oscars after losing the Best Supporting Actor trophy to Alan Arkin. A Huffington Post account of the RS interview claims Murphy is saying that it’s “not so” that he left the Oscars. But it sounds to me like Murphy isn’t denying that he walked out — he’s saying he didn’t leave in a pissed-off mood.

If Murphy is claiming he didn’t actually leave the show then his driver, Karlo Ateinza , doesn’t share this recollection. Just after the 2007 Oscars L.A. Times columnist Joel Stein reported that he spent Oscar night hanging at the Hollywood Bowl parking lot with Ateinza and other top celebrity limo drivers, and that at 6:52 pm Karlo’s cellphone rang and he said the following after hanging up: “I have to go right now…I have to pick him up.”

Here‘s what Murphy has told Rolling Stone:

“Alan Arkin‘s performance in Little Miss Sunshine is Oscar-worthy, it’s a great performance. That’s just the way the shit went. He’s been gigging for years and years, the guy’s in his seventies. I totally understood and was totally cool. I wasn’t like, ‘What the fuck?’ Afterward, people were like, ‘He’s upset,’ and I’m like, ‘I wasn’t upset!’

“What happened was after I lost, I’m just chilling, and I was sitting next to Beyonce’s pops, and he leans over and grabs me and is like, [solemn voice] ‘There will be other times.’ And then you feel Spielberg on your shoulder going, ‘It’s all right, man.’ Then Clint Eastwood walks by: ‘Hey, guy… ‘ So I was like, ‘It’s not going to be this night!’ [Mimes getting up] I didn’t have sour grapes at all. That’s another reason I wanted to host the show…to show them that I’m down with it.”

So Murphy left the show early in a really positive mood, feeling great about Arkin’s triumph and just, you know, exuding alpha vibes about everything. Whoo-hoo, this is cool, good for Alan…I’m outta here!

The link to Stein’s story has disappeared off the L.A. Times website, but here’s how the story went:

“A perfect confirmation about Eddie Murphy having left the Kodak auditorium after he didn’t win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar has arrived by way of L.A. Times columnist Joel Stein, who spent last Sunday night hanging at the Hollywood Bowl parking lot with all the top celebrity limo drivers, one of them being Murphy’s driver, Karlo Ateinza, who’s been hauling Murphy around for the last seven years.

“Karlo wasn’t having a great night because Murphy lost early,” writes Stein. “I”m really sad. I feel sorry. He should have won it,’ Karlo said. ‘But Alan Arkin is good.’

“Karlo, who drives Murphy only when he isn’t needed by Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock or Colin Farrell (Reeves and Bullock both needed him last year, so they rode together), said he figured he’d be home by midnight. ‘He’s not a party animal,’ Karlo said. ‘Last night, he went to two parties, stayed for 45 minutes and went back home.’ After the Golden Globes, Murphy went straight home. Even though he won.

“Though he was worried about Murphy’s mood, Karlo tried to convince himself that the boss wouldn’t be ornery. ‘When he got the Golden Globe, he just put it in the car and he was the same Eddie Murphy. So maybe he won’t care.’

“Right then, at 6:52 p.m., long before Jennifer Hudson would win her Oscar, Karlo’s cellphone rang. ‘I have to go right now,’ he said. ‘I have to pick him up.’”

Here’s another story about the event.

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33 thoughts on “Felt So Mellow He Had To Leave”

  3. A &E actually did a decent biography on him. He seems to approach show business like a regular job. He goes picks movies based on what’s easier and where it’s filmed. I think he said he did Holy Man because it would film somewhere nice and warm vs. some artsy movie filming up north in winter.

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  4. Even if he did leave pissed, he appears to have taken the time to reflect, and come to very acceptable, karmic conclusions about the situation.

    He would not be the first, and certainly not the last, to react in an emotional manner, only to later reflect, and come to a satisfactoy place with an event. Sounds kind of mature.

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  6. Stein is an idiot and a hack. Don’t believe a word of it.

    Another hatchet job on Murphy. Ho-hum. The worst sin in this town is to be successful.

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  7. Yes, Joel Stein is hack. This is the same Joel Stein who claimed to write Hugh Jackman’s oscar opening while disparaging the actual writers: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1879177,00.html

    Funny how he was nowhere to be found when that opening won an emmy.

    If Murphy doesn’t like sitting through award shows, why does he have to be bitter to bolt as soon as he’s not needed? It’s not like he attends when he’s not nominated.

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  8. Was pretty disappointed by the Letterman interview… Dave was trying to get Eddie going, trying to trigger some stories, jokes or anecdotes (old movies, SNL, stealing hubcaps, Pryor, Redd Foxx) but Murphy pretty much just laughed politely and acted agreeable, never really saying anything funny.

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  9. Yeah, Murphy just seems to not enjoy the awards circuit thing (which — given all the Hollywood navel-gazing — may actually be a big contributing factor to him not winning).

    I see nothing wrong AT ALL with leaving a ceremony after your category has already been announced; in fact, this strikes me as one of the few remaining down-to-earth qualities Murphy possesses. After all, who wants to be stuck in a room full of smug douchebags for even a minute longer than he/she has to, let alone a full-on torturous 4 hours?

    I’m really not sure why you have such an overwhelmingly strange obsession with this subject, Jeff.

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  10. When that limo driver is driving Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock together is he allowed to go below fifty miles per hour?

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  13. I will repeat previous sentiments. Is it so bad for a performer to feel bad about not winning/getting recognized as the BEST in their field?!

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  14. Eddie’s been on auto-pilot for years.

    He does seem a lot more humble and ‘everyman-ish’ now than he’s ever been .

    50 years old. Already 30 years in the business. Unbelievable.

    I hope he’s got one great comedy left in him. I wouldn’t bet on it, though.

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  15. CitizenKaned4Life wrote;

    I’m really not sure why you have such an overwhelmingly strange obsession with this subject, Jeff.

    Presuming it has to do with DREAMGIRLS being an exception to Eddie basically wanting to emulate Elvis Presley’s movie career in recent years.

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  20. The fake story is funny and is making a good point as they always do.

    Anyone claiming this was “too far” is being politically manipulative. This is playing the “offence” card to bully people into shutting up once again. This isn’t in poor taste at all, it’s a very valid and important point that isn’t being made enough.

    It’s like Americans have forgotten that a government is a group of public servents.

    Maybe the Onion needs to do a story on how republicans are laughing at republican voters…

    bowlingforcongress

    Reply ↓

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