"Sexiest man" chosen as host for Oscar Awards ceremony

Hugh Jackman, People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" for 2008 and an Emmy winner for hosting the 2004 Tony Awards ceremony, has been chosen as the host for the Oscar Awards Ceremony Sunday night, organizers said.

His selection indicates that after using a rotating roster of comedians for the past few years, Oscar producers opted this year for sexy over comedy, analysts said.

"Hugh is the ideal choice to host a celebration of the year's movies -- and to have fun doing it," producer Laurence Mark and executive producer Bill Condon said in a joint statement when they announced Jackman as the host.

"Hugh Jackman is a consummate entertainer and an internationally renowned movie star. He also has style, elegance and a sense of occasion."

The 40-year-old Australian native, who starred last year in his homeland tale "Australia", said he knows he isn't as funny as Oscar-hosting-favorites Billy Crystal, Bob Hope or Johnny Carson. But he said he's getting advice from some top comic talents, including Steve Martin, Whoopi Goldberg and Ricky Gervais.

"I hope I'm funny, but there's not the same pressure on me to be knocking them out," he told the Los Angeles Times. "I don't think anyone is expecting seven minutes of stand-up."

Jackman was tight-lipped about plans for the ceremony but said only he would be making use of his singing ability. He won a 2004 Tony Award for best actor in a musical for his work in "The Boy from Oz." He has also appeared in stage productions of "Carousel," "Oklahoma," "Sunset Boulevard" and "Beauty and the Beast."

On the big screen, Jackman will next be seen this summer in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," his fourth turn as the comic book hero. His other film credits include "The Prestige," "Happy Feet" and "Swordfish."