The Vegas oddsmakers were wrong about Billy Crystal. He isn't hosting the Oscars. Neither is Hugh Jackman. No, today it was announced that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will serve as cohosts of the 82nd Academy Awards. Interestingly, Martin and Baldwin are costarring -- with Meryl Streep -- in the upcoming romantic comedy, It's Complicated.Choosing these two guys, however, is not complicated. It's actually pretty damn clever. Both men are very funny, very comfortable in the moment -- a necessity for a complicated show like the Oscars when anything can go wrong -- and they bring a lot of good will and star power to the proceedings.
Both guys are also well-known for their Saturday Night Live hosting experiences. If you can handle multiple gigs on SNL, the Oscars shouldn't be too terrifying.
Steve Martin has been the host of the Oscars in the past. He hosted the 73rd and 75th Academy Award ceremonies... and he didn't do anything to disgrace himself. 30 Rock's Baldwin has been a presenter a few times.
Since choreographer Adam Shankman is co-producing the show, you might wonder if song and dance might be part of the hosts role. If so, Steve Martin is perfect. He can dance and sing... and play the banjo, too.
The Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre and televised live by the ABC Television Network.
The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more
Let's talk about spoilers ...
The Prisoner -- An early look
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-03-2009 @ 10:25PM
MCW said...
"Both men are very funny, very comfortable in the moment."
Eh, only if they're having the 30 Rock crew, or they themselves write their own material. Every awards show is ruined by poorly written comedy that doesn't match the person presenting. Every time I've seen Alec on stage at these awards shows, he's glassy eyed and serious. Don't know if he can play different for a crowd anymore.
Reply
11-03-2009 @ 11:14PM
Jimmy said...
Good choice(s). I'm so tired of Billy Crystal.
Reply
11-19-2009 @ 7:29AM
Dan said...
It should be good. Steve Martin has had some hits and misses when he's hosted the Oscars before but I always like seeing him. Baldwin and Martin should make an interesting double act. We've just compiled our Top 10 Steve Martin films here: http://www.top10films.co.uk/archives/146
Reply