Martin, Baldwin to co-host Oscars

Actors Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will co-host the 82nd Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.

"Steve will bring the experience of having hosted the show in the past, and Alec will be a completely fresh personality for this event," Oscar telecast producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman said in a news release.

"I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy, Alec Baldwin," said Martin.

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

Martin hosted the 73rd and 75th Academy Awards shows, earning an Emmy nomination for the first stint.

Baldwin was nominated for an Oscar in 2003 for his supporting role in The Cooler.

The 2009 Academy Awards will be presented March 7 at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre.

Giving the hosting gig to two people is a change of pace for the Academy Awards, who haven’t used multiple hosts since 1987, when Paul Hogan, Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase shared the stage. Of course, the Oscars are looking to change their reputation as an overly long, insider-only affair, so hiring comedy kings Martin and Baldwin is a pretty good move. And it doesn’t hurt that the two star in It’s Complicated with Meryl Streep, due out this Christmas.