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Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin chosen as Oscar co-hosts
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Baldwin and Martin on the set of their movie "It's Complicated"
One of the more interesting parlor bets that come along as we approach Oscar season is who will the Academy Awards production team select as the host and one thing is a sure bet: Whoever is chosen will be seen as a disappointment by a lot of people. It’s traditional for Oscar-enthusiasts to be critical of practically everything about the ceremony (including the host) year-in and year-out. While most pundits talk about how badly in need of reform the ceremony, they are usually back on there couches tuned into the ceremony anyways.
With that being said, Oscar hosts usually have a lot working against them. Aside from emceeing an event that’s traditional to criticize in the first place, they are also being judged against Bob Hope, Billy Crystal, and Jonny Carson rather than by their own merits.
In reality, it’s not that big of a deal. The ceremony is already fixed and it is what it is. The host won’t magically change events. Even though they all drew mixed reviews, recent hosts Chris Rock, John Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, and Ellen DeGeneres have all handled the ceremony as ceremony as just another gig and they all admirably took their regular shtick and didn’t change a thing about it when Oscar night came.
However, this year’s choice of hosts, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, have drawn criticism because some say that they were chosen with an ulterior motive to promote their film It’s Complicated. I’d have to point out, however, that a romantic comedy released during Christmas would be on its last legs by the time the Oscar ceremony rolls around.
The main issue, however, is the integrity of the ceremony if the selection of hosts involves such blatant commercialism. To this, I’d have to say “Wake Up!” The entirety of the Oscars is commercial in this day and age. The choice of presenters reflects upcoming movies and the awards are designed to boost the box office revenue of films that might not otherwise have large box office receipts. At the same time, most of us watching the Oscars find them to be enjoyable to follow anyways. The main question here is whether Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will be capable of hosts and the answer is a resounding yes. Steve Martin was a terrific host for two past Oscar ceremonies. He appeals to the young and the old, alike. Alec Baldwin is widely acknowledged to be one of the most charismatic movie personalities out there and putting him in an emcee role is bound to take him out of his comfort zone in a most interesting way. The two have also displayed excellent chemistry together in bits on Saturday Night Live as well as the TV show 30 Rock.
Baldwin and Martin on SNL together
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