Does everyone else love this idea as much as I do? The Academy has announced that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will cohost this season’s Oscar telecast on March 7, 2010. And I for one say Hallelujah! They’re both adept comedians who’ll certainly play off each other well. Their upcoming romantic comedy with Meryl Streep, It’s Complicated, stands to be one of the highlights of the holiday movie season (not to mention a dark horse for a Best Picture nomination). And for telecast coproducer Adam Shankman and the Oscars themselves, they’re a combination of something old and something new: As I mentioned last week when I tossed out a few host ideas, Shankman directed Martin (a two-time previous Oscar host, in 2001 in 2003) in Bringing Down the House. As for Baldwin, he may not have major award-show hosting experience, but he did emcee Elle magazine’s Women in Hollywood event last month, where he clearly enjoyed himself. Oh, and there are the 14 episodes of SNL he’s hosted. So I’m quite optimistic about this pairing. Now if only they’d switch back to five Best Picture nominees…
Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter (@davekarger) for more Oscar updates.
Image credit: Baldwin: RD/Dziekan/Retna Ltd.; Martin: Donna Ward
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I like it!
You like not laughing and being bored? To each his own I guess.
I think Steve Martin has been one of the best, overall, hosts in the past few years. So, I am excited he’s back. We’ll see about Alec…
Apparently, you (Harry) do not know or understand what is funny! The two of them will do a very good job. Even my wife is looking forward to it, and she hates awards show.
Well I was close.
I had Steve Martin and Tina Fey hosting after their they presented the screenwriting Oscars last time. They were fantastic IMO.
WHY NOT NPH!!!
I love NPH too. But the Oscars usually turn to people who either have a body of film work to host or are late-night talk show hosts (like Carson, Stewart, and Letterman). NPH isn’t quite there yet but hope he will be someday.
Because the only people that really care about Neil Patrick Harris are the inane idiots who would actually refer to him as “NPH”. Those idiots have no buying power whatsoever because they are unintelligent and unproductive members of society. The sponsors would drop like flies. Hopefully the idiots will now stay away.
Gee Yogurt, as a college educated female engineer with a salary over $100,000 I’d have to say that I’m exactly who the sponsors want. And I would have been much more interested in NPH then Alex Baldwin
Hey Diane, if you’re so smart, how come you don’t realize it’s Alec, not Alex?
Weird. I’ve never seen virulent anti-Neil Patrick Harris sentiment before. Who would dislike him?
I was just about to ask… WTF is an NPH?
Because NPH hosted everything else. Ex: Emmys,Tonys,ect.
Good stuff. I was kind of hoping for an NPH hat-trick, but this will do nicely.
SURRRRRRE YOU ARE DIANE.
Steve Martin is funny and he has made a good host of the Oscars before and I’m sure he’ll continue to do so this year.
Alec Baldwin has always been a big a$$hole and a jerk! I hope Steve makes up for Alec because Alec is just going to bring the party down.
I agree with you. I won’t be watching though, I can’t stand the “a”
Sounds great! Hooray for Steve Martin’s return and I look forward to seeing what Alec Baldwin will bring to the table.
They both are bringing old, fat, and irrelevant.
I’d hardly say that Alec Baldwin is irrelevant, considering he’s won almost every major award yearly for his role on 30 Rock, which is probably the best comedy on TV. Steve Martin, maybe. But Alec Baldwin is not irrelevant.
No, that’s you.
I guess game recognizes game huh Harry?
I’ve missed Steve Martin as host! Him presenting with Tina Fey last year was one the highlights of the night for me! So hilarious!
Me too, Chelsea. That man is the epitome of an elegant, suave and witty host.
Steve Martin will be fine as long as he leaves the banjo home.
Alec Baldwin is intelligent and witty. “Bible spice??”
If you like Steve Martin DO NOT read his recent autobiography. He comes off as a conceited, hoorible, boorish pig.
I love Steve Martin (and I wish he’d won an Oscar for “All of Me”) and I like Alec Baldwin, so I think this should work out fine. Add Jon Stewart as co-host #3 and I’m totally there.
Agreed, Jujube. The fact that Steve Martin wasn’t even NOMINATED for All of Me still rankles after all these years. And he deserved to win.
I think I would’ve preferred Steve Martin + Billy Crystal instead of Alec, but oh well, I’m sure Alec will be funny…
As far as NPH goes, simply put, I don’t think he’s a big enough name yet to host the Oscars.
Awesome idea. Both will be great together!!!
Kind of an insult to Steve Martin in my opinion, he was a great solo host and should have been asked to do it alone again. Baldwin’s not an “adept comedian” – he’s great in the one show, that’s not quite the same. I think Martin will have to “dumb it down” or slow it up or something, to allow Baldwin to shine a bit or keep pace. Not a brilliant pairing, Martin alone would be better.
I beg to differ. Baldwin, like Steve Martin, has shown great range as host of SNL. This is such an amusing pairing. Think they’ll refer to their SNL “competition” (who has hosted the most often)?
i doubt steve martin would be doing this unless he AGREED to do it…
Yes! I was so hoping for Steve Martin to host again! And with Alec Baldwin joining him, this should be really good.
I think Neil will do it next year. This year it might have looked as overload. Three major award show in the same year would look like a lot. Give it a little time. I suspect Neil will host down the line.
I second that. Hosting the two biggest entertainment events in a row seemed a little tight.
I hope these 2 poppas will present at least one musical number.
Steve Martin I would’ve been excited about alone… Alec Baldwin however… ugh. We’ll see about them together.
Fan of the co-hosts idea, but I wish it was Steve and NPH.
Steve Martin and NPH have no ties. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin however are friends, have been on 30 Rock together and are starring in an upcoming film together. It makes perfect sense. Steve Martin and NPH? That would just be…weird…
This is fantastic! Steve Martin was my favorite presenter last year, and to have him co-host the whole awards show next year is awesome! Alec + Steve = Two Wild and Crazy Guys!
Nah, immediately makes me feel like they’re trying too hard. Actually reminded me of the whole 5 reality show hosts fiasco.
Well…that was the Emmys, but I see your point. They have done multiple Oscar hosts in the past, and they were always horrible. Granted, sometimes they were actors, rather than comedians, ie. Liz Taylor, Jack Lemmon, etc. Two talented, funny men should be OK.
NPH and no one else!!!
Steve and Alec together seems like overkill, though I don’t think Steve could really carry it that well on his own (nor could Alec, certainly). I hope they have funny banter. Why not just have Baldwin and Tina Fey? Anyways, the Martin-Streep-Baldwin movie may be good, but any good writing better carry over to the Oscars, or else these two could be really pretentious and inaccessible.
I would have preferred the return of Billy Crystal or Jon Stewart.
Steve would have been great solo, but Alec is hilarious! Can’t wait to see the Oscars now; it should be interesting!
I know! What is with all this Alec Baldwin hate? Have these people actually seen him act or do any comedy? He’s freaking hilarious! I’m really excited for this pairing
Because Alec Baldwin doesn’t have the brains or the decency as a human being. He is a rude, thoughtless little pig, OK? Oh, wait… that’s the message that he left on his 11 year old daughter’s answering machine. Aside from that and the fact that he is a bloated, alcohol-fueled jackass I am sure that he is just a sweet man. What a stinkbag.
Oh, I thought we were talking about his acting ability and comedic skills. Not his parenting chops. My mistake.
BTW, you act as if parents are always sweet as pie to their kids, especially after their kids have been, I dunno, stuck up little brats. But I’m sure you were there when he and his daughter had their fight and know the whole story right? Right…? *crickets*
I literally just started clapping out loud.
Steve Martin should just do it himself, he doesn’t need Alec. I, for one, am getting sick of Alec. I already think he’s over rated on 30 Rock. And now people will comment me, saying how ‘retarded’ I am because I don’t get the ‘genius’ of 30 Rock or something. It’s ok, I just don’t think it deserves every award imagineable. There are shows that much funnier.
totally agree with you!
You’re retarded. You just don’t grasp the genius that is 30 Rock. That show deserves every award imaginable. There aren’t any shows funnier.
Love Steve Martin….hopefully he will cancel out Alec Baldwin
That’s and odd combination of host and can go either way but most likely bad. Everything about this Oscar telecast reads bad!
Agreed. Steve Martin alone might have been okay-he has no real body of work with Alec Baldwin. Somehow the idea of listening to 4 hours of banter about who is the better host makes my skin crawl
I totally agree with you Dave, this is such an amazing idea. These guys clearly enjoy working together (they’ve done a skit or 2 on SNL as well as this upcoming movie) they’re individually two of the funniest people in Hollywood, and I think this was an inspired choice that will definitely get people to tune in.
Steve Martin’s ok, and I do think Alec Baldwin is funny when he’s on SNL, but I have to admit that it’s hard for me to watch him that often knowing that he loathes people like me – conservatives.
Oh please. Tom Selleck and Kelsey Grammer are conservative, and I’ve never had a problem enjoying their shows.
As for the pairing, I think it’s absolutely INSPIRED. The two are always brilliant together on SNL.
Inspired? Bwaaaaaa Haaaa Haaaaa! Is that how they pick hosts? I thought that they just pulled names out of a hat.
It’s also hard for others to read your comments.
And featuring Neil Patrick Harris…somewhere during the show.
And maybe Tina Fey will appear!
LOVE Steve Martin… I could leave Alec on the sidelines.