Oscar Hosts Don’t Wear Plaid

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin have been announced as the co-hosts of the 82nd Academy Awards ceremony next March.

Okay this is awesome, not quite the rumoured Neil Patrick Harris presenting the Oscars level of awesome, but awesome nonetheless. Both Baldwin and Martin, who co-incidentally are vying with each other for the Saturday Night Live guest hosting record, are extremely funny guys. Baldwin’s portrayal of Jack Donaghy in 30 Rock is one of the funniest things on TV.

The Oscar producers, Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman are pretty damn happy with their selection too. “We think the team of Steve and Alec are the perfect pair of hosts for the Oscars,” said Shankman and Mechanic. “Steve will bring the experience of having hosted the show in the past and Alec will be a completely fresh personality for this event.”

“I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin,” said Martin.

“I don’t play the banjo but I’m thrilled to be hosting the Oscars. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Baldwin.

The ceremony has had multiple hosts before, but this is the first time, according to The Hollywood Reporter, that two people will have hosted the Oscars while standing in the same room since the very first ceremony in 1929, when Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and William C. DeMille fronted the show. Martin hosted the 73rd and 75th Academy Awards shows. He actually earned an Emmy nomination for his first stint. He has also served as a presenter on the show several times, most recently at the ceremony in February when he appeared with Tina Fey.

The Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday March 7th, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Mark your calendars.