By now you’ve probably heard the news that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will be co-hosting the Oscars on March 7, but have you heard who was considered for Baldwin’s role before he was? Apparently, the big guns were so impressed with the pairing of Steve Martin and Tina Fey as co-presenters earlier this year, they first approached Fey about hosting with Martin at the next ceremony. Oscar producer, Adam Shankman, tells EW.com:

“It was a really quick discussion and it was mostly about “do you think that could work?”‘ It wasn’t that she turned us down but her work schedule right in that time, she’s writing the last of her shows, and we realized then that it wouldn’t work. But they were so great on the show together (the Oscars last year) and he’d done “30 Rock.”

Too bad you weren’t released last year, “Star Trek,” because the Best Picture Oscar is going to be twice as hard to win at the 2009 Academy Awards ceremony. From now on, 10 movies will be nominated for the Academy’s top nod. Why? So that any type of film—be it a drama, a comedy, a documentary, or a cartoon—has a better chance of being recognized for its greatness. This is something of a return to old Hollywood—from 1931 to 1943, anywhere from 8 to 12 movies battled it out for the statue.

Beyonce tells Self that her dream of winning an Oscar is what keeps her in shape. She has a painting of the golden statue in her gym, she explains. “I look at it, and I’m like, OK, I have to stay in shape,” she said. I don’t get the connection between winning an Oscar and staying in shape. Jennifer Hudson proved that smaller sizes aren’t the ones winning Academy Awards. Maybe Beyonce was trying to take a dig at Hudson, who didn’t look her best when she won the Oscar for her role in “Dreamgirls,” which costarred Beyonce. Let’s face it, B. isn’t a great actress—she’s slightly better than mediocre—so she should probably give up her dream or at least stop talking about it. Her performances as a singer/dancer to be more entertaining. Saying her love of unitards forces her to stay in shape would have made more sense. [E! Online]

No need to freak out: Sean Penn purposefully didn’t mention wife Robin Wright Penn in his Oscar acceptance speech. Penn told Access Hollywood that they had discussed it ahead of time and Robin knows how he feels about her. Wright Penn went on to say that they knew there wouldn’t be “enough time.” Pretty cool that the couple thought Penn’s time in the spotlight would be better used raising awareness about important issues, especially if they feel that secure about their relationship.

The movie business holds the Academy Awards in such high regard it can make or break a distribution deal.  Luckily, actors don’t (always) take themselves so seriously. Aside from the over-the-top gushing that came when past winners introduced the nominees for the acting awards, there were plenty of LOL moments from last night’s Oscars (not including the moment when the camera caught Angelina Jolie laughing at Jennifer Aniston[‘s joke], above). From Styx lyrics in speeches to Steve Martin’s ego mania, here are our five favorite funnies…

At last night’s Academy Awards, Sean Penn won Best Actor for his performance in “Milk.” In his acceptance speech, he thanked everyone from screenwriter Lance Black to Harvey Milk, but he didn’t thank his wife, Robin Wright Penn. The two have had a rocky relationship, even filing for divorce in 2007 before reconciling in the spring of last year, but was his omission more than a simple mistake? After the jump, we look at four other Oscar speeches and their effects on the winner’s relationship.

But when Jen presented, the camera cut to Angelina Jolie. Check one off your bingo cards!

Starting tonight at 7:30 pm EST, some very Fetching ladies, Jessica, Robyn, and Sasha will be live blogging the Academy Awards’ Red Carpet pre-show on ABC. Let’s face it—aside from the initial few big awards given away at the beginning, and the big awards handed out at the end, don’t we all tune in for this nonsense to see what the ladies are wearing? Oh, and remember, if you decide to stick it out for the entire Oscars, you can play Frisky Oscar Bingo when you get bored…  Anyway, check back with this post at 7:30 to get the lowdown on the red carpet happenings as they occur.—Editor

When we first heard that Hugh Jackman was hosting tonight’s Academy Awards, we were confused. Don’t they always have comedians host? In the past 20 years, the hosts have all been well-known funny people, i.e., Billy Crystal, David Letterman, Steve Martin, Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart. But even if Jackman isn’t a stand-up comedian, he does have credentials that seem to make him qualified. He’s hosted the Tony Awards three times, even winning an Emmy for the 2004 Tonys, and he can sing and dance better than Billy Crystal. And he has one more thing going for him: He’s lovely to look at. Not to put down Crystal, our favorite Oscar host, but Jackman is what we’d call “dashing.” We shall see if good looks, charm, and musical theater experience are enough to make our Sunday night enjoyable. Above, a video of Jackman hosting the Tonys to give you a taste of what to expect.

Oscar time and Hollywood goes all highbrow on us, taking cues for Tony Award nominated, dramatic the-a-ter. Sure, you saw the movie, but what do you know about the play?

In “Frost/Nixon,” Richard Nixon and David Frost (British satirist-slash-serious-news-guy who used to be huge in the ‘70s) face-off on national TV after Dirty Dick’s fall from grace. Adapted by Peter Morgan from his own play, the flick is up for five Oscars including Best Pic and Best Actor for Frank Langella, who actually makes you feel sorry for the former crook/prez in a weepy Shakespearean tragedy sort of way.