By George! Mr. Clooney shocked many an Oscar viewer Sunday night when he was seemingly unamused by hosts Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin's repeated digs at him. But a source close to the "Up in the Air" actor tells us that he was playing along, too.

"It was something George and Alec agreed upon," says the insider, adding that when the cameras weren't on Clooney, he and the "30 Rock" actor were making faces at each other. "It was a 'follow-my-lead' sort of thing."

Sunday's Oscar-cast played it safe with a throwback production number, old-fashioned comedy shtick and retro-glamour.

The 82nd annual Academy Awards telecast succeeded by not trying to break new ground.

Eschewing cutting-edge, this year's history-making show scored by sticking with time-tested Hollywood glam. No postmodern cynicism, it was politely old-school. The orchestra even played winners offstage with "Thanks for the Memories."

Sunday night's 82nd Academy Awards ceremony shook things up with Kathryn Bigelow's Best Director win and the six awards garnered by her film "The Hurt Locker." The show itself made some bold decisions, too, including having two hosts with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, nixing Best Song nominee live performances and keeping the stage fresh with different faces for performance and visual gags.

"In my book, those guys are old pros, and every line they said was good," entertainment journalist Jeff Wells told MTV News about the hosts.

Yes, I know I've said this before. But the Academy keeps coming up with new lows.

That scowl on George Clooney's face during the Academy Awards telecast Sunday night would have said it all, except for one thing: it was completely fake.

Clooney was so obviously in on the lame jokes that hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin kept making at his expense, I'll bet they took him aside before the broadcast and said, "Listen, George, we want you to look angry while we make fun of you. It'll be hilarious!"

It was double the fun for Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin at Sunday night's 82nd Annual Oscars -- as the two stars shared hosting duties throughout the more than three-hour-long ceremony.

"I think it went great!" Baldwin told UsMagazine.com at the Governor's Ball in Hollywood after the Oscars. "I think it went really well. We decided it wasn't about Steve and me, it's about the nominees and the presenters. You don't need to see us!"

some people can do self-deprecation. some can't. some can do ironic self-praise, and keep it ironic and therefore charming. some merely come off smug, or at best clueless. steve carell and cameron diaz, presenting this year's oscar for best animated

ok, maybe "no one wants to do it alone," as neil patrick harris sang last night by way of explanation for the pairing of "it's complicated" co-stars steve martin and alec baldwin as hosts, but if hollywood's winter orgy of self-congratulation isn't

martin, baldwin prove 2 oscar hosts better than 1 new york — steve martin and alec baldwin just might have a future in show biz. teamed up to co-host this year's oscar broadcast, they offered a happy reminder that an often overstuffed, overwrought

Sometimes twice as much can be too much.

In a generous mood, the motion picture academy doubled the number of best-movie nominees - and did the same for the number of hosts, turning the job over to the deadpan duo of Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

The upshot Sunday on ABC was a show that felt a little busier, a lot longer, and at times maybe marginally fresher, but only in those moments where producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman didn't give themselves over to camp excess.

Ready for a full night of Hollywood awards show action, Sandra Bullock turned heads as she arrived for the 82nd annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday evening (March 7).

The brunette beauty sashayed into the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center venue, finding herself among the nominees for Best Actress for her work on 'The Blind Side'.

Sure to be quite the extravagant affair, the 2010 Oscars are set to be hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedy stars Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, the first duo to share the Oscar stage as co-hosts in the television age, traded punch lines and barbs in Sunday's show as they gently roasted this year's nominees.

Working the room like a pair of Hollywood insider insult comics, Martin and Baldwin singled out many of the assembled Oscar contenders for some light, deflationary ribbing, starting with each other.

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin just might have a future in show biz. Teamed up to co-host this year's Oscarcast, they're offering a pleasant reminder that an often overstuffed, cumbersome TV shindig can be lighthearted fun.

That was the early verdict at the ABC-aired Oscar broadcast's midway point, at least, with these seasoned funnymen demonstrating that Hollywood's so-called biggest night doesn't have to be just a big giveaway.

PRINT E-MAIL More Double the Best Picture nominees, double the Oscar hosts. After a jazzy song intro courtesy of Neil Patrick Harris, Martin and Baldwin were lowered down from the ceiling and immediately began roasting the stars in the audience.

"Meryl Streep holds the record for most nominations as an actress, or as I like to think of it, the most losses," joked Martin. They continued to joke about Gabourey Sidibe, the cast of 'Inglorious Basterds,' Helen Mirren. When it came to George Clooney, the pair were speechless. The pair put on 3-D glasses when they spotted James Cameron.

LOS ANGELES — The Academy Awards have gotten under way with some playful ribbing of Hollywood stars by hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

Martin and Baldwin, the first dual emcees at the Oscars since 1987, made light fun of nominees including Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock, Woody Harrelson, James Cameron, Mo'Nique and Kathryn Bigelow.

Before their monologue, the show began with an introduction of lead-acting nominees and a song-and-dance number by Neil Patrick Harris.

It's Oscar day! Looking for Oscars 2010 date and time – or wondering 'what time do the Academy Awards start?' The 2010 Oscars air today, March 7, at 8 p.m. EST on ABC. The Academy Awards 2010 will be hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

Now that you know the Oscars 2010 date and time, how about some extras – like specials and red carpet coverage?

E! Online kicks off coverage of the 82nd Academy Awards at 6 p.m. EST.

There probably aren't two more suave, funny and unflappable hosts to guide viewers through tonight's Oscar telecast than Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin (and, yes, Baldwin, is occasionally Mr. Flappable, but only in his personal life).

Yet the art of hosting requires more than grace under pressure. You also need a thick enough skin to withstand the comparisons to past hosts and the withering reviews earned by those who poke too much fun at Hollywood.

Bob D'Amico/Courtesy ABC/MCTSteve Martin, right, and Alec Baldwin will serve as co-hosts of the 82nd Academy Awards tonight from the Kodak Theatre. It will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 8:30 p.m.. Entertainment's biggest night is almost upon us. The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is set to honor the best films of 2009 tonight from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California starting at 8:30 p.m.

Alec Baldwin is co-hosting the Oscars.

Those words might not sound strange in 2010, but think how far he has come.

Not long ago, his only headlines were about his divorce. His contentious legal battle with Kim Basinger threatened to flat-line his career and ruin his name. He was the funnyman with the scary temper. The nightmare dad who left an irate voice-mail for his 11-year-old daughter.

Even recently, the old drama flared up. Last month, he was rushed to Lenox Hill Hospital in the middle of the night. One source claimed Baldwin had swallowed pills.

When you think back to Academy Awards ceremonies over the years, you might not remember what Julia Roberts wore or who won for best supporting actor, but you probably remember the hosts, particularly if they made you laugh and kept the show moving along.

This Sunday, for the first time in 23 years, the hosting duties will be handled by more than one person. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will share the stage.

Reporting from New York - For many actors, anchoring the Oscars in front of a global audience is a dream come true.

But when Alec Baldwin dreams big, he imagines that he is Elliott Forrest.

"I envy Elliott Forrest," Baldwin has confessed on more than one occasion.

Yes, the award-winning actor, political activist, tabloid fodder, classic movie buff and co-host of Sunday's Oscars would chuck it all to have Forrest's regular gig on a classical musical station. From 7 a.m. to noon on weekends.