Happy 63rd Birthday to Bruce Vilanch!

Now that Billy Crystal has replaced Eddie Murphy as host of the 2012 Academy Awards, it’s a safe bet that funnyman Bruce Vilanch will be asked back as a writer for the Oscars.

I just love this man’s T-shirts and his terrific sense of humor.

Bruce, who turns 63 today, has been coming up with funny lines for Oscar hosts and presenters for decades now.

“I think people have a better time if it’s funny,” he told me in an interview last year about the Oscars. “It’s such a pompous occasion, so much self-importance. These are career-changing moments for people who have a great deal invested professionally so the humor helps to level that a little bit. It’s a show, it’s showbiz.”

Happy birthday to this great talent!