MARTIN AND BALDWIN TO HOST OSCAR® SHOW

Actors Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will serve as co-hosts of the 82nd Academy Awards®, Oscar® telecast producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman announced yesterday.

Martin hosted the 73rd and 75th Academy Awards shows, earning an Emmy nomination for the first stint. He has also served as a presenter on the show several times, most recently at the ceremony in February when he appeared with Tina Fey. He is currently 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.

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

There will be no honorary awards given at televised gala on 7 March. They have been moved to a new event, the Governors Ball, which will be held in the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center® 14 November. The event is by invitation only, and the event will not be televised. However, look for a quick filmed nod to the recipients on the Oscar broadcast.

The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award will be presented to John Calley for a consistently high quality of motion picture production. Actress Lauren Bacall will receive an Honorary Award in recognition of her central place in the Golden Age of motion pictures. Other Honorary Awards will go to filmmaker Roger Corman for his rich engendering of films, and Gordon Willis for unsurpassed mastery of light, shadow, color and motion.