Host Watch: It's been decided! Franco & Hathaway

Host Watch 2010 is now over with 90 days until Oscar Sunday. Nikke Finke's post Monday morning was accurate and less than three hour...

Host Watch 2010 is now over with 90 days until Oscar Sunday.

Nikke Finke's post Monday morning was accurate and less than three hours later, the Academy confirmed it.

"I've just learned that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has asked James Franco and Anne Hathaway to host the Academy Awards, and it 'looks like' both young stars have accepted the offer," Finke reported Monday morning around 7 a.m. PT on her website.

"OFFICIAL: James Franco & Anne Hathaway to host #Oscars - Tweet them your advice! #OscarsHosts," the Academy tweeted around 9:30 a.m. PT., along with sending out a press release.


Analysis
Our thoughts: Does conflict of interest arise when a nominee is hosting the ceremony? Buzz surrounds Franco's performance in Danny Boyle's thriller "127 Hours" and is likely to get a nomination. While a long shot, Hathaway could get a nod for Ed Zwick's romantic dramedy "Love And Other Drugs." Hathaway was nominated for an Oscar in 2008 for her lead performance in "Rachel Getting Married."

The Gold Knight cannot help but feel the Academy, for a second year in a row, looked at current films and asked actors in them to host. The producers pulled Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin from “It’s Complicated” last year. But the blunder here, in our opinion isn’t the aforementioned; it’s how last year’s co-hosts fared. We were not fans of the duo and attempting another duo at the 83rd Academy Awards is risky. The Gold Knight will, however, eat its words if the pair is a success. Our challenge to Franco and Hathaway: Prove The Gold Knight wrong.

Other thoughts: EW's Dave Karger liked the idea: "I applaud Cohen, Mischer, and AMPAS for thinking outside the box and not going with a predictable choice. Both Franco and Hathaway are sharp and funny, and hosting the Oscars should allow them to show off different sides of their personalities."

Hollywood Reporter's Tim Appelo had a similar reaction: "Nobody seems anything but delighted by the new-blood infusion, and the duo's improv skills seem just what the show needs. ... In a race that was starting to feel predictable, this shakeup is just what everyone needed."

Linda Holmes from NPR has another fascinating look: "They've both got exactly the right credentials for this job. And unlike Martin and Baldwin, they don't give off the air of having been put there to make sure that absolutely nothing unexpected happens."


Oscar-winning hosts: The last Oscar winner to host the ceremony was Whoopi Goldberg at 74th Academy Awards, March 24, 2002, along with three other times (71st in March 1999, 68th in 1996 and 66th March 1994). Goldie Hawn co-host the 59th Academy Awards in March 1987 with Chevy Chase and Paul Hogan. She won the Best Supporting Actress at the 42nd Academy Awards for her role in "Cactus Flower." Hawn was nominated for Best Actress at the 53rd Academy Awards for "Private Benjamin."

And list continues back to the 5th Academy Awards in November 1932 with Lionel Barrymore and Conrad Nagel co-hosting. Barrymore won the Best Actor Oscar the year before for “A Free Soul.”

Co-hosts: Similar to the Academy returning to past traditions with 10 nominees for the Best Picture category last year, multiple hosts have shared the Oscar stage before — including last year's co-hosted ceremony by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin (pictured). The first time this happened was on March 15, 1945, when Bob Hope hosted with John Cromwell at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Incidentally, it was the first year the Academy reduced the field to five for Best Picture. There were 21 other times in Oscar history when there was more than one host; most recently was for the March 1987 ceremony, where Paul Hogan, Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn emceed.

83rd Academy Awards
Franco, 32,  will be making his second appearance on an Oscar telecast. His other film credits include "Eat, Love, Pray," "Date Night," "Milk" and "Pineapple Express." Franco is also known for his portrayals of Harry Osborn in the "Spider-Man" trilogy.

Hathaway, 28, will be making her fifth appearance on an Academy Awards telecast. She was recently seen in "Alice in Wonderland." Hathaway's other film credits include "Bride Wars," "Becoming Jane," "The Devil Wears Prada" and "The Princess Diaries."

The Gold Knight started Host Watch on Nov. 8, saying producers should be very close to locking down a host for the 83rd Academy Awards — in theory. Posing that theory to the Academy, we heard Nov. 17 that "each year is different, in regards to announcing." And the LA Times confirmed this Nov. 18, saying: "If you go back to 2006's show, Jon Stewart wasn't hired until January to run the night"; and Academy President Tom Sherak "insists a host will be hired soon. He better hope so. 'It should be announced in the next few weeks, or if not, I'll be announcing the nominees.'"

Thanks for joining The Gold Knight for Host Watch 2010. Share your thoughts via Facebook, Twitter and commenting on this post.