James Franco and Anne Hathaway will be hosting the 83rd Annual Academy Awards ceremony. Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer, producers of the February telecast, say that the two actors “personify the next generation of Hollywood icons— fresh, exciting and multi-talented.”
Many were skeptical when the news first broke, as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences usually goes for older hosts, such as Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, and last year’s duo of Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, but the press release that hit shortly after the buzz was comforting. Their successful stints on Saturday Night Live and appeal to a younger audience influenced the decision.
Making this even more intriguing is that both actors have Oscar buzz: Franco looks to score his first Oscar nod for playing Aron Ralston in the Danny Boyle-helmed biopic/thriller 127 Hours, while sizzling up the screen with Jake Gyllenhaal in Edward Zwick’s Love and Other Drugs could land Hathaway her second nomination. Being closely involved with the ceremony means more exposure for them to members of the Academy, which would in turn prove beneficial to their chances of being nominated.
Whether or not the pair pick up nominations, this should be an interesting ceremony to watch, if not just for Hathaway to (hopefully) sing as she did at the ceremony held in 2009.
