Two Oscar hosts for the ages -- mainly, younger viewers
11/29/10 12:51 PM
By ED BARK
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences again has chose dual hosts for the latest Oscar-cast on ABC.
But this twosome may be less known to the general public than any in Oscar's history. Film actors Anne Hathaway and James Franco were announced Monday, succeeding last year's duo of Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.
It's a notable demographic shift, which co-producers Don Mischer and Bruce Cohen readily acknowledge in an accompanying publicity release.
Franco and Hathaway "personify the next generation of Hollywood icons -- fresh, exciting and multi-talented," they say.
Hathaway, 28, probably is best known for her co-starring role with Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. She also received an Oscar nomination for the far less seen 2008 film Rachel Getting Married, and currently is starring in Love and Other Drugs.
Franco, 32, has three Spider Man films under his belt as the character Harry Osborn. His latest movie is 127 Hours.
The 83rd annual Oscars ceremony will air on Feb. 27, 2011 from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. The Academy had relied on a long list of comedians to host the show until Hugh Jackman was tabbed for the 2008 edition. Martin and Baldwin typified Oscar's long-established comedic bent. But Hathaway and Franco, both a generation younger than their predecessors, are not at all known for telling jokes. That should make it interesting -- or possibly disastrous.