Oscar season has begun, and while it's fun to look through festival guides and fall movie previews and speculate about the awards contenders, first there has to be a ceremony. Well, there will indeed be a show, and the Academy has just announced its producers: Reginald Hudlin (director of House Party and an Oscar-nominated producer of Django Unchained) and David Hill, a former Fox exec behind the launch of Fox Sports.
As their first order of business, Hudlin and Hill announced there will be two hosts for the 2016 Academy Awards. “There will be multiple hosts for sure – there will be two,” Hill told Entertainment Weekly. Of course, they don't have anyone in mind just yet. Or they're not offering up any names, anyway. Hill did joke that if they run out of options then it'll just be him and Hudlin up onstage as emcees. He also joked about their reasoning for going with a pair:
"Two is better than one,” he said. “Just imagine, you’re in there. One of your hosts drops dead from cardiac arrest. What do you do? Second host goes on! And you keep going ... Note to self. Check out their heart rates.”
That sounds a bit like what happened with James Franco and Anne Hathaway, who shared hosting duties in 2011. Franco didn't die, but he did seem to sort of drop out. That ceremony is a good example, though, of why it's surprising the Academy would go for two hosts again. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin together in 2010 wasn't great, either. Could any pair make it work, though? Let's look at eight great possibilities:
Kid 'n Play: Hudlin did work with the rap and acting duo on House Party, and everyone is nostalgic for the '90s... Okay, we're kidding with this one. Sort of.
Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele (pictured at top): These Comedy Central stars, who are about to make a big leap from TV to movies, would be a great choice to host. Maybe they could do it while dressed like Kid 'n Play.
Kevin Hart and Ice Cube: Ride Along 2 hits theaters more than a month before the Oscars, and if it bombs that could turn this otherwise good idea into a bad one.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler: They're not doing the Golden Globes again, so how about they make the leap to the more prestigious show? Probably because they'd want to be sure their new movie Sisters is a hit before committing.
Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence: The Oscars haven't ever had just two women host before, and if not Fey and Poehler, we suggest these new creative partners and publicly delightful BFFs.
Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart: Or these older BFFs are an option, especially if they can bring the X-Men fans.
Kanye West and Taylor Swift: What better way to boost their presidential campaign early than by sharing the ticket on the Oscar stage? And it would certainly bring in the desired younger audience.
Batman and Superman: The Oscars happen a few short weeks before the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. We propose this promotional tie-in, and we don't mean Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill as hosts. We mean Batman and Superman.
