Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin to Co-Host the 82nd Annual Academy Awards

Next to the nominations, film fans always are eager to learn who will be hosting the annual Academy Awards Ceremony each year. A combination of court jester and ringmaster, a good Oscar host must be quick on their feet, even when Jack Palance is doing one-armed push-ups in front of millions of viewers.

For the 2010 Oscar Ceremony, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are scheduled to share the hosting duties. The co-stars of the recent romantic comedy "It's Complicated," Martin and Baldwin know enough about teamwork to take the pressure off each other and have some fun.

"Be Gracious, Be Grateful and Get Off"

During the 1987 telecast, the last time that Oscar had more than one host, Paul Hogan demonstrated the comedic benefits of teamwork. Sharing the hosting duties with Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn, Hogan delivered some classic advice to Academy Award winners who give rambling speeches at the podium. "Be Gracious, Be Grateful-and Get Off," Hogan said to a very grateful audience.

At the top of his game, Hogan liked to thumb his nose at authority, and his off-the-cuff remarks added some spice to the proceedings. One host sets a certain tone for the Academy Awards, but two or three diverse hosts can make for a memorable Oscar telecast. Baldwin and Martin are both accomplished comedians, so the opening bits should be "You Tube" worthy.

The "Snow White Lambada" gives Billy Crystal a regular Oscar gig

Speculating about how well Steve Martin/Alec Baldwin will do as hosts, Steve Spears on Tampabay.com also looked back at one of Oscar's most notorious and embarrassing incidents. During the opening of the 1989 Academy Awards telecast, an actress dressed as Walt Disney's version of Snow White performed an odd musical number with actor Rob Lowe. Billy Crystal later referred to the incident as the "Snow White Lambada."

The outrage over that musical disaster forced the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to go back to basics and hire Crystal as host for the 1990 Oscars. Crystal, who now ranks among the most popular Oscar hosts, couldn't resist giving the Academy a dig about Rob Lowe "dirty dancing" with the purest of Disney heroines. Crystal is a great host, though, and knows just how far to take a joke.

Crystal actually works best as a solo act, especially with his "Oscar, Oscar" song tributes that incorporated details about the Best Picture nominees. Still, Crystal caused some angry grumbles, especially when he revealed the cross-dressing secret of "The Crying Game" by saying that "White men really can jump."

The benefits of two Oscar hosts

As witnessed by Billy Crystal's obvious illness during the 1992 Oscar telecast, preparing for the Academy Awards is hard work. Crystal, a real trooper, still came out and did a great show, but he could have used someone to back him up. That's one reason why a good team like Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin can and should share the pressures of the job.

There's also the comedic potential of two egos clashing for the microphone. In a recent Associated Press article, Martin fired the first shot by saying he's happy to be hosting the Oscars with his "enemy Alec Baldwin." As long as Martin and Baldwin don't dirty dance across the stage, the 2010 Oscars should be just fine.

Resources:

Tampabay.com, "Oscar's done worse? Go back to the 1989 show," Steve Spears

Associated Press, "Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin to co-host Oscars"