Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin to host Academy Awards

November 4, 10:15 AMCable TV ExaminerChristine Nyholm

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Cable TV Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

In this combo made from 2009 file photos shows actor Steve Martin, left, and Alec Baldwin. Both Martin and Baldwin will co-host the Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says the two Hollywood veterans will share hosting duties at the 82nd Academy Awards ceremony

(AP Photo/Peter Kramer and Andy Kropa File)

The Academy of Arts and Motion Pictures announced on November 3, 2009 that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will serve as co-hosts of the 82nd Academy Awards®. Oscar telecast producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman stated in a press release that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will share the dutuies of hosting the Academy Awards ceremony. The 82nd Academy Awards will be held in Hollywood on March 7, 2010 and televised live on ABC.

“We think the team of Steve and Alec are the perfect pair of hosts for the Oscars,” said Shankman and Mechanic in a press statement “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 Steve Martin.

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

Steve Martin
Steve Martin hosted the 73rd and 75th Academy Awards shows, earning an Emmy nomination for the first stint. Martin has also served as a presenter on the show several times, most recently at the ceremony in February when he appeared with Tina Fey. Steve Martin has been touring with the bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers in support of his latest album “The Crow: New Songs for the Five String Banjo.” In 1977 and 1978 Martin won Grammys for Best Comedy Recording. He earned a third Grammy in 2001 in the Best Country Instrumental Performance category. In 2007 Martin earned a Kennedy Center Honor.

Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003 for his supporting role in “The Cooler.” 2003 also marked Baldwin's most recent appearance as a presenter on the Academy Awards. Baldwin currently stars as Jack Donaghy on the Emmy winning comedy “30 Rock,” a role for which he has won two Emmy Awards (in 2008 and 2009). Baldwin earned a Tony nomination in 1992 for his performance in “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.