Oscars to be hosted by dynamic duo
Brendan Monroe
Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
It was revealed last week that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will co-host next year's Oscar Academy Awards Ceremony. The announcement created much buzz for a telecast that has already gathered plenty of it. Particularly exciting is that this will be the first time in over half a century that the ceremony will have two hosts. In the immediate days following, the choice of the two close friends, and co-stars in the upcoming Nancy Meyer film It's Complicated, has been greeted with overwhelming acclaim. The choice of Martin is a particularly popular one, the famously self-described "wild and crazy guy" having hosted two of the more successful telecasts this last decade. Baldwin, however, is a newcomer to the process, though he has experience, having hosted "Saturday Night Live" an incredible 14 times. This, along with the general high regard in which Hollywood holds Baldwin, helped to cement his chances.
Interestingly, the duo werethe third choice for Academy officials, who reportedly first approached last year's delightful and musically-inclined host Hugh Jackman about taking up the job again. Jackman reportedly was uninterested in hosting the ceremony for a second consecutive year and was too preoccupied with a busy film career to do so anyway. Producers then turned to their second choice, friends and Tropic Thunder co-stars Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. The pair similarly declined, and producers at last turned to Martin and Baldwin. Most view the choice as a safe one, and the two men are expected to bring their quirky, fun antics from film and television to the stage, as evidenced by the duo's comments immediately following the news of their appointment.
"I'm happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy, Alec Baldwin," Martin said, already giving audiences a preview of what to expect in March.
Baldwin echoed the snarky sentiments: "I have always enjoyed watching the Oscar telecast," Baldwin says. "I was excited when I was nominated.
And now, I am thrilled to be hosting with Dean Martin."
Interestingly, the duo werethe third choice for Academy officials, who reportedly first approached last year's delightful and musically-inclined host Hugh Jackman about taking up the job again. Jackman reportedly was uninterested in hosting the ceremony for a second consecutive year and was too preoccupied with a busy film career to do so anyway. Producers then turned to their second choice, friends and Tropic Thunder co-stars Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. The pair similarly declined, and producers at last turned to Martin and Baldwin. Most view the choice as a safe one, and the two men are expected to bring their quirky, fun antics from film and television to the stage, as evidenced by the duo's comments immediately following the news of their appointment.
"I'm happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy, Alec Baldwin," Martin said, already giving audiences a preview of what to expect in March.
Baldwin echoed the snarky sentiments: "I have always enjoyed watching the Oscar telecast," Baldwin says. "I was excited when I was nominated.
And now, I am thrilled to be hosting with Dean Martin."
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