Stand-Up Duo

Martin and Baldwin to Host Oscars

Three-hour telecast might be bearable this year.

The upcoming Oscars will mix a little bit of the old with the new: The Academy has selected veteran host Steve Martin and 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin to co-host the ceremony. Producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman announced the news late Tuesday, hailing the duo as “the perfect pair of hosts for the Oscars.” The actors responded in their typical manner to the plan. “I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin,” Martin said in a news release. “I don’t play the banjo but I’m thrilled to be hosting the Oscars—it’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” added Baldwin. Martin, who does play the banjo, has hosted the telecast twice before. Both actors are starring in Universal’s upcoming comedy It’s Complicated from director Nancy Meyer. Deadline Hollywood Daily’s Nikki Finke had previously reported that Hugh Jackman, Ben Stiller, and Robert Downey Jr. turned down the hosting gig.