They'll put on a show, rather than just another awards ceremony, organizers say. Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer, producers of the Feb. 27 telecast, said Monday they had chosen Franco and Hathaway as hosts because the two are rising stars with broad talent that will help turn the night into a celebration of film. "What we have here are two really emerging talents who are very respected and are going to have, I think, magnificent careers," Mischer said.
"They deserve to be there, they've got the chops to be there, they want to be there, and I think that's going to make the audience really relate to them." Both have done serious drama and comedy. Hathaway earned a best-actress Oscar nomination for 2008's "Rachel Getting Married" and starred in such comedies as "The Princess Diaries" and "The Devil Wears Prada."
Outside the Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York, where she was presenting an award, Hathaway said she couldn't yet discuss her Oscar night duties. "I can probably let it slip that I'm terrified and exhilarated and excited," she said. Franco had an Emmy nomination for the title role of 2001's "James Dean," costarred in the Oscar-winning "Milk" and delivered a memorable comic turn as a spacey pot dealer in "Pineapple Express."
Hathaway also showed off her musical talents in a duet at the 2008 Oscars with the show's host, Hugh Jackman. Oscar producers were uncertain whether Franco can sing.
