4 November 2009 2:26 PM, PST | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which is doubling the number of films nominated for its Best Picture Oscar, has also doubled the number of hosts of the awards show. It announced Tuesday that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will co-host the 82nd awards presentation. (The two are also co-starring with Meryl Streep in It's Complicated, due to be released on Christmas Day.) For Martin, it will be his third time hosting what is generally the second-biggest TV attraction of the year (after the Super Bowl). In an interview with the New York Times, Oscars co-producer Bill Mechanic said that the two funnymen had been cast because he and co-producer Adam Shankman "liked the idea of contrasting personalities." Commenting on the selection, Los Angeles Times TV writer Mary McNamara remarked, "It's hard to imagine this pair fumbling. With any luck, they will not only shepherd the by-nature unwieldy show through its multiple hours with minimum bumps and dead air, but they'll also do it with the old-fashioned insiders' charm that made the academy want to put the event on television in the first place." »
Similar News Items
Meryl Streep- San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards 2009 (From screeninglog. 15 December 2009, 1:38 AM, PST)
- Up In The Air, George Clooney, Meryl Streep: Southeastern Film Critics 2009 Winners (From Alternative Film Guide. 15 December 2009, 12:33 AM, PST)
- Anna Kendrick Nominated for 2010 Critics' Choice Awards (From Celebrity Mania. 15 December 2009, 12:22 AM, PST)
Alec Baldwin
- Link Time!!! (From Popsugar. 14 December 2009, 1:00 PM, PST)
- John and Emily Tackle the Winter Weather Together (From Popsugar. 14 December 2009, 12:30 PM, PST)
- Buzz Break: Calling Shotgun (From Movieline. 14 December 2009, 12:10 PM, PST)
Steve Martin (I)
- Oscar Nominating Committee Definitely Not on Team Jacob (t) (From E! Online - Australia (t). 11 December 2009, 2:50 PM, PST)
- Oscar Nominating Committee Definitely Not on Team Jacob (From E! Online - UK. 11 December 2009, 2:50 PM, PST)
- Oscar Nominating Committee Definitely Not on Team Jacob (From E! Online - Movies and Television. 11 December 2009, 2:50 PM, PST)
