Actors James Franco and Anne Hathaway will cohost this season’s Oscar ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced. Telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer have decided to continue the two-host trend from last year’s show, when Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin shared emceeing duties. But they clearly seem to be courting a different generation: Franco and Hathaway’s combined age (61) is less than Steve Martin’s.
I applaud Cohen, Mischer, and AMPAS for thinking outside the box and not going with a predictable choice. Both Franco and Hathaway are sharp and funny, and hosting the Oscars should allow them to show off different sides of their personalities. The only awkwardness could stem from the fact that Franco is a surefire Best Actor contender for his performance in 127 Hours, while after the mixed critical and commercial reaction to Love & Other Drugs, Hathaway is looking more and more like a long shot at best. Or wait…do we now have a good kick-off topic for their hosting bits?
Source: Entertainment Weekly
