Anne Hathaway And James Franco Announced As Academy Award Hosts

The Academy Awards have announced that Anne Hathaway and James Franco will host the 2011 Oscars, a statement from Oscar television producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer saying that the two “personify the next generation of Hollywood icons – fresh, exciting and multi-talented. We hope to create an Oscar broadcast that will both showcase their incredible talents and entertain the world on February 27. We care completely thrilled that James and Anne will be joining forces with our brilliant creative team to do just that.” Deadline.com first reporting the booking early Monday morning, the website suggesting that the two’s repeated successful appearances on Saturday Night Live convinced Academy Award producers that the twosome could work well in front of a live audience. Each have films currently in release: Franco in Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours in a performance many think will garner an Oscar nomination for best actor, while Hathaway’s work in the tepidly reviewed Love and Other Drugs is thought to be a long shot for a best actress nomination.