Now Presenting... The Presenters!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 11:11AM 
If the starry nominee troupes marching towards you later this week and beyond are not shiny enough for you, fear not. Even more celebs will be on hand as well wishers and presenters. Here's what we know so far followed by our annual Oscar badgering. They really need help when thinking about "presenting" honors.
BFCA "Critics Choice" This is happening in just two days. Will you be here as we live blog? Presenters include: Leonardo DiCaprio, Vin Diesel, Kirsten Dunst, Donald Glover, Dustin Hoffman, Ben Kingsley, Diane Kruger, Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Olsen, Patton Oswalt, Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph, Jason Segel and Owen Wilson.
GLOBES Michelle Pfeiffer & Nicole Kidman (!!!!!!!!! I don't mean to imply together... though wouldn't that be something?), Melissa McCarthy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Clive Owen & Natalie Portman (I don't mean to imply together... though wouldn't that be something?), Antonio Banderas & Salma Hayek (I assume together) and Mark Wahlberg.
SAG Ed Helms, Julianna Margulies, Natalie Portman, Armie Hammer, and Southland's wonderful headliner Regina King who, as it turns out is also something called "SAG Awards® social network ambassador". Fancy!
OSCARS Nothing has been announced yet but we assume that Natalie Portman, Colin Firth, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo will be on hand to present the acting awards... unless they screw with the format again.
And once again we would like to remind the Oscar producers that no one wants to see the same people presenting Best Picture every year. Step away from the Spielbergs, Nicholsons, Streisands and Hanks. We PROMISE you they are not the only celebrities everyone recognizes.
Instantly Recognizable Faces / Audience Beloveds Who've Never Had "Best Picture" Honor
- Meryl Streep
- Jane Fonda
- Julia Roberts
- Michelle Pfeiffer
- Liza Minnelli
- Angelina Jolie
- Johnny Depp
- Tom Cruise
- Will Smith
- My three favorite Perfect Duo Suggestions for this particular year. None of them have had the honor...
- KATE & LEO (Consider it. 2012 is the TITANIC centennial. Be a little more creative on Oscar night. Please do not sleepwalk and pull from your standard pool of 5 people.)
- JODIE & ANTHONY (20th anniversary of Silence of the Lambs big winning ceremony)
Just a couple of Dames - DAME MAGGIE SMITH & DAME JUDI DENCH
My #1 suggestion. Hear me out. They're friends. They're Oscar titans. They're both getting on in years. Plus, it'd be a sly nod to Harry Potter as it ends and James Bond as it hits its 50th anniversary. You're always worried about being "relevant" to younger audiences. How about covering all your bases at once with senior citizens who are Academy staples but who are also instantly recognizable and beloved by all generations given their key roles in long running über successful franchises that are having major moments right about now. All that plus the Dames have a new film together in 2012 (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). It's the best of all possible worlds. Plus it's a honor for actresses and you have to admit that you're very actress-phobic when it comes to Best Picture presentations and Honorary Oscars.
Repent of this great sin and let an actress (or two) have the honor this year.
BFCA, Golden Globes, Oscars (11), SAG, precursor awards
Reader Comments (23)
Yes! Please!!
Also, I really hope they get the Harry Potter people to present. I mean hasn't everyone from Twilight presented? Just trying to reach out to us "younger people" doesn't mean we have to see Robert Pattinson and Miley Cyrus every time.
My hunch, sadly, is that it will be Jack in Best Picture-Billy's back and he loves Billy, so he'll likely show up and that means he'll probably present Best Picture. Hanks won't because of Extremely Loud and Spielberg is a possible nominee.
Ohh!
you know you just set the bar impossible high for them with your duo suggestions? Especially the Dames one!
(And I depend on your live blogging, even though time-delayed)
@ John T, I doubt Spielberg will be a nominee after all. WAR HORSE missed out even with the American Society of Cinematography (a well-deserved snub, given how ridiculously over the top it is!). But I don't think Winslet & DiCaprio should present picture. All due respect, but to me they aren't that accomplished to present this award. In the past we had some lesser presenters, but we should expect the best ones. Will Smith and Jolie are very bad possibilities.
To me this list should include:
OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND (why not with her sister, though that's never gonna happen, but imagine what reaction the two would get if they appear on the stage together!)
ANTHONY HOPKINS & JODIE FOSTER are a terrific choice!
EMMA THOMPSON & ANTHONY HOPKINS would be a terrific choice as well, given how much of a movies couple they are!
DIANE KEATON would be a cool choice. She already presented - alongside Jack - but if Woody's and he will be, I'll go with DIANE KEATON, DIANE WIEST and BARBARA HERSHEY, since MIA FARROW will probably say no, thanks.
CATHERINE DENEUVE: a foreigner, but what if.. she's class!
And if they're in a foreign mood, MAX VON SYDOW & LIV ULLMANN!
OR:
(my favorite would be) DE NIRO, PACINO, DUVALL, CAAN - after all this year will mark the film's 40th anniversary! (De Niro was in the 1974 film but anyway...)
I love the #1 suggestion but I don't think it will happen in a million years. I hope Emma, Rupert and Daniel get to present an award together, would be great to see them there. Has Sean Connery ever presented Best Picture, he seems to be MIA at the moment
Rami -- clearly it will never happen in a mmillion years but i feel it is my duty to point out that you could actually get recognizable beloved celebrities that are not Streisand, Hanks, Spielberg or Nicholson. i jsut wish the producers of the Oscars weren't so lacking in creativity.
i mean DUH meryl streep / jane fonda? they're just as famous as jack nicholson who has done it. at least 7 times now.
leslie caron & Louis Jordan - 1958 Best Pic....and they're well-preserved / they can walk / walk, etc. Faye Dunaway & Warren Beatty - 45th anniversary of Bonnie & Clyde. 1. Doris Day. 2. Shirley Temple....should have her on before she passes on. Liza Minnelli & Joel Grey - 4oth anniversary of Cabaret.
JANE FONDA FOR BEST PICTURE ABSOLUTELY!
OR EVEN BETTER: JANE FONDA WITH VANESSA REDGRAVE AS A JULIA REUNION!
TAKE NOTE ACADEMY! OTHERWISE, I'LL HAVE TO SEND YOU TAPES AND BOIL YOUR KID'S BUNNIES "THIS IS WHAT YOU'VE REDUCED ME TO."
Sean Connery presented to Titanic.
i LOVE the idea of the 4 guys from "The Godfather" - supposedly they all like each other very much, too. Please - no Julia Roberts - augh - can't take hearing all about how excited SHE is. i wouldn't mind seeing Ryan O'Nel & Ali MaGraw in a lesser category....maybe that's already been done. have never seen ellen burstyn present either.
I knew you wanted Maggie Smith to present BP, but I didn't expect to see her as part of a duo. That's perfect. Judi makes sense since she was in Jane Eyre, Marylin, and J. Edgar this year. And Downton Abbey fans would be just as pleased as the Potter fans to see Maggie.
Kate and Leo would make the most impact.
But I would personally love to see Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst and Tom Cruise present it.
Shirley MacLaine? stand-alone......been in the movies for 50 years.
After watching My Week with Marilyn I am convinced that Williams and Gosling had some of the best chemistry on screen from the past couple of years. Wouldn't mind seeing the two presenting, although someone is saying that Gosling is out of the country already for his next film? Does it mean that he won't be wearing that pajama top and scorpion jacket to the Globes?
What about Debbie Reynolds? It would be a nice little tie-in for Singin' in the Rain and The Artist, assuming they are confident enough by the telecast that The Artist will win.
I want Angela Lansbury to pay the tribute to the late Elizabeth Taylor and introduce the In Memoriam segment. She actually new Dame Elizabeth and has worked with her twice, first in National Velvet, the film that made her a star and then in The Mirror Crack'd, one of her very last pictures. Ms. Lansbury also presented Taylor with her Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1993.
I think that the Honorary Oscar recipients at the very least deserve to announce Best Picture, instead of awkwardly waving to the audience without have a chance to say a word.
I also would like to see Dames Maggie and Judi to present an award, but from what I've heard Maggie Smith no longer travels. Vanessa Redgrave would be supper cool as well.
I am surprised Meryl has never done it, but I guess they always get people who aren't nominated that year and she seems to be get nominated every year lately. Jane Fonda would be a great choice
Second Jane Fonda/ Vanessa Redgrave...Jane is everywhere right now and she has a couple of movies coming out this year (one with Elizabeth Olsen), and why not Vanessa Redgrave since they are most likely gonna fuck her over out of an Oscar nomination this year...she needs to be there in SOME capacity!
Or Nathaniel, how about Hilary Swank and Renee Zellweger? They could present in their Oscar winning character roles as Maggie Fitzgerald and Ruby Thewes!
How about the reunion of Olivia deHaviiland and Joan Fontaine!?
Actually reportedly Meryl was asked at least a few times, but she always refused to do it. The most recent time I know of is the 79th Oscars and she agreed to present, but backed up in the end. Actually Meryl has NEVER presented a competitive Oscar. She presented Peter O'Toole with the Honorary Oscar. To me she would be a nice choice and they could even pair her with DeNiro. I love it when pairs present awards.
Wouldn't it be nice to have a year with pairs presenting only: they could do a nice trick with that and make it as a tribute to great movie couples. It would be a bit tricky with acting categories, but they could pair last year's winner of the opposite gender category with a famous winner of the actual category, like best actress being presented by Colin Firth and Julie Christie (who loves Meryl and says all the time how big a fan she is!) or Sir Michael Caine joining Mellisa Leo for the supporting actor category or Portman presenting best actor alongside Dustin Hoffman or Daniel Day-Lewis etc. For other categories: go with Redford / Streisand presenting original song (after all they're the movie couple in the movie that includes one of the most beloved movie songs ever), then get attention hungry Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes for a writing category etc etc. And Liv Ullmann & Max von Sydow could do foreign language film.
I love seeing Meryl Streep+Jessica Lange+ Sissy Spacek three Oscar winners born in 1949 to presenting Best Picture!!!
Judi and Maggie as presenters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would pay to see that. There is not a more deserving duo.