Here’s an Eddie Murphy observation from someone who was at the Kodak. I’m not trying to beat a dead horse — it’s just that this person doesn’t agree with the descriptions about Murphy bolting in some kind of fuming, petulant fashion.

“I was at the Oscars, sitting towards the front in the orchestra, and I watched Eddie Murphy leave the auditorium. He passed less than twenty feet away from me and I watched him very carefully because I knew the loss for Best Supporting Actor had to sting and was hoping he was just taking a short break and would return soon.

“For the record, he did not ‘storm out’. He did not ‘leave in a huff’. Those phrases imply a mien of anger and agitation that were simply not present. To the contrary, Eddie was composed and polite and waited patiently for those in front of him to exit the theater first. He was as cool and gentlemanly as a person could be under those circumstances.

“The phrases ‘storm out’ or ‘leave in a huff’ may be figuratively true (it’s arguable), but they are absolutely false in any literal sense. Anyone who repeats those phrases is misrepresenting what actually happened at the moment when Mr. Murphy left the auditorium, and perpetuating a falsehood. There are enough lies in Hollywood. Let’s not add one more to the pile.”