Our long national nightmare is over ... Billy Crystal is back as the host of the Academy Awards!

In his ninth time at the helm (only Bob Hope has more with 18), the funnyman steps back up after seven years in which hosting responsibilities were given to other comics overtaken by the big moment. And then there was last year’s James Franco and Anne Hathaway debacle. (Though we’ll admit the Hugh Jackman year wasn’t bad.)

In celebration of Crystal’s return, NextMovie looks back at nine of his best moments emceeing Hollywood’s biggest night.

Presenting Best Sound Mixing

The ’80s were certainly a different time, specifically in 1988. Back then Pee-wee Herman and Steve Guttenberg were big enough stars to present at the 60th Academy Awards, and Chevy Chase was the host. But one shining moment was when Crystal presented Best Sound Mix. Doing it overdubbed and with impersonations, it launched the conversation to consider him as host, which transpired two years later.

First Time Hosting the Oscars

After years of passing the hosting gig to flavors of the moment -- including 1987 when the hosting duties were split between Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn and Paul Hogan (aka Crocodile Dundee) -- the Academy finally landed a worthy performer in Crystal for the 62nd Academy Awards in 1990. In what would be the first of four straight times Crystal would host, we got a lot of “Driving Miss Daisy” jokes (which led the field with nine nominations that year) and the first time Crystal would sing a song about the Best Picture nominees; the medley would become one of his trademarks.

Hannibal Crystal

1992 was the year of “Silence of the Lambs,” and you were either talking about how frightened you were of Buffalo Bill or doing Hannibal Lecter’s famous “fava beans and a nice chianti” line. Crystal didn’t miss out as he opened the 64th Academy Awards as Lecter, being rolled out onto the stage while wearing a mask similar to the one Anthony Hopkins wore in the film. "Lambs" went on to win Best Picture that year, along with Best Director for Jonathan Demme, Best Actress for Jodie Foster and Best Actor for Hopkins.

The Comeback Kid

After hosting for four straight years, Crystal stepped down as Oscars host. Taking his place were Whoopi Goldberg in ’93 and ’95 and David Letterman, with his dreaded “Oprah, Uma” joke, in ’94. Crystal’s return for the 69th edition in 1997 was a relief for the Academy, but the movie landscape had changed since he was there last. In his opening, he dubbed these Oscars “Sundance by the Sea” as so many nominees were produced outside of the major studios. Crystal also had a new bit, plugging himself into existing films to figure out if he should host the Oscars.

What Are the Stars Thinking?

One of Crystal’s best bits was in the 72rd Academy Awards in 2000, when he told all of us what audience members were thinking. From Arnold Schwarzenegger to Jack Nicholson, Crystal went off the cuff with some great one-liners. He did it again for the 76th edition. We hope he does it this year.

This One’s For You, Babs

One of Crystal’s Oscar-hosting calling cards is his use of funny songs. A favorite was his celebration of the hard work Barbra Streisand put into making Best Picture nominee “The Prince of Tides” in 1992.

Back Again

After Whoopi Goldberg took the hosting reins in 1999, Crystal returned for the 72nd Oscars in 2000. And once more he turned to famous movie characters from the past to find out if he should host.

The Return of the Host

Playing off the popularity of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Crystal embodied the famous Tolkien characters and some of the other nominees for the 2003 Academy Awards, in his eighth time as host.

Remember Me?

Though most of last year’s Oscars telecast was a bust, one prized moment was when Crystal graced the stage. After a few jokes to show he still had it, he introduced the only other person who has hosted the show more than he has: Bob Hope.