Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin to host Oscar show
Photo credit: NBC | Alec Baldwin
Two wild and crazy guys will host the Oscars - and apologies to both, but just couldn't resist: Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were picked Tuesday to headline TV's biggest awards show, the 82nd, to be telecast March 7 from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.
"We think the team of Steve and Alec are the perfect pair of hosts for the Oscars," said co-producers Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic in a statement late Tuesday. "Steve will bring the experience of having hosted the show in the past and Alec will be a completely fresh personality for this event."
And in a pair of statements that offer just the slightest hint of what viewers might expect next year, Martin said, "I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin."
"I don't play the banjo but I'm thrilled to be hosting the Oscars - it's the opportunity of a lifetime," Baldwin said.
A surprise? Your answer is of the yes/no variety: Martin was an esteemed host for the 73rd and 75th shows (and got an Emmy for the first outing) while Baldwin is, obviously, a favorite of that other big awards show, the Emmys. But, the Academy also seemed to have found an ideal singing-dancing host in Hugh Jackman last year, and a sly, dry, wry one in Jon Stewart the year before that. This pair is a distinct - and oddly, traditional - departure.
Moreover, the Academy has gone with solo hosts all the way back to 1986, when a trio (Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn, Paul Hogan) hosted.
