Posts Tagged ‘Oscars’

Sunday’s Golden Globes carved out two clear front runners for the upcoming Oscars race:  the black and white silent film “The Artist” and the family drama starring George Clooney, ”The Descendants.”

Each film won it’s category for Best Picture; “The Artist” for Comedy or Musical, and “The Descendants” for Drama.

Each of the films’ lead actors also won their Best Actor category; George Clooney for Drama and Jean Dujardin for Comedy or Musical.

“The Artist” bested everyone by bringing home the most globes, three, with a win  for Best Original Score.

The Globes are looked to as a barometer for what we will see for the rest of awards season, so expect both films to be showered with statues and speeches.

The Oscar nominations will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, and following that both George Clooney and Jean Dujardin are nominated in the same category for the SAG Awards on Sunday, January 29.

Does all of the critical praise movies receive around awards season make you want to go see them?  Leave us a comment and let us know!

The Academy Awards that is!! The funny man has just accepted an offer to host the 84th annual Academy Awards, set to air on Sunday, February 26, 2012.

According to Deadline.com, Eddie and Brett Ratner – the director of Eddie’s upcoming action film, Tower Heist – got along so well on set that Eddie was the only name on Brett’s list of candidates to host this year’s show!

Earlier this summer, Billy Crystal was rumored to be a candidate to host the show for what would have been his ninth time. But after meeting with AMPAS President, Tom Sherak, Eddie sealed the deal. Brett Ratner and Don Mischer, producers of the Oscars, confirmed the news on Tuesday.

Brett says, “Eddie is a comedic genius, one of the greatest and most influential live performers ever. I know he will bring excitement, spontaneity and tremendous heart to the show.”

Eddie expressed his excitement in a statement, saying, “I am enormously honored to join the great list of past Academy Award hosts from Hope and Carson to Crystal, Martin and Goldberg, among others.” I’m looking forward to working with Brett and Don on creating a show that is enjoyable for both the fans at home and for the audience at the Kodak Theatre as we all come together to celebrate and recognize the great film contributions and collaborations from the past year.”

Although Oscar hosts aren’t typically announced so early before the telecast, this is such a huge deal for Eddie’s career that his posse just couldn’t wait to get the word out, and get everyone buzzing.

Not to mention, have we forgotten about Eddie’s pre-Dr. Doolittle days? Saturday Night Live, Beverly Hills Cop…I mean c’mon, the guy is absolutely HILARIOUS, and with a gig like SNL on his resume, he clearly knows how to entertain a live crowd.

What do you think? Will Eddie Murphy steal the show at this year’s Academy Awards?

The newly awarded Oscar statuettes have found homes on mantels and bookshelves, the gorgeous gowns and jewelry have been returned, and our favorite movie stars have all gone back to work. But don’t fret. There’ll be plenty more movies with “Slumdog Millionaire” stars, Mickey Rourke, and Anne Hathaway. Plus, even one more from Heath Ledger.

So what’s next for the winners and nominees? Here’s a Positively sneak peek: 

The once obscure stars from Best Picture winner “Slumdog Millionaire” are now household names and aren’t going anywhere. Dev Patel takes over Jesse McCartney’s role in M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender” based on the popular Nickelodeon kids’ show.

His onscreen love, Freida Pinto, wins her version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” by co-starring in Woody Allen’s next untitled project alongside “Milk’s” Oscar nominee Josh Brolin and Naomi Watts.

Best Director of “Slumdog Millionaire” Danny Boyle has no upcoming projects, but he did tell Variety that he’s thinking of making a movie from a girl’s perspective after all the guys’ movies he’s done. He also may return to his “28 Days Later” horror movie series.

Best Actor Winner Sean Penn just finished “The Tree of Life” alongside fellow Best Actor nominee Brad Pitt. Penn is also in talks to play Valerie Plame’s husband in the biopic about the outed CIA agent.

Best Actress Kate Winslet has not announced any upcoming projects. When we do see her again, however, leave it to the proclaimed “Actress of our Generation” to come back strong.

Best Supporting Actor winner Heath Ledger still has one more movie credit despite his death in January of 2008. His role in “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus” will be completed by Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell who will each play his character as he passes into different worlds.

Best Supporting Actress winner Penelope Cruz will star with past Oscar winners Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren in the musical “Nine” directed by Rob Marshall.

As for our other favorite nominees…  

Best Actor nominees: Richard Jenkins will star in the adaptation of Nicolas Spark’s “Dear John” novel… Frank Langella co-stars with James Marsden and Cameron Diaz in the horror film “The Box”… Brad Pitt goes from fable to war starring in Quentin Taratino’s WWII movie “Inglorious Bastards” … Mickey Rourke’s comeback wasn’t just a fluke. He’s here to stay starring in “The Informers” with Winona Ryder and Billy Bob Thornton, which is scheduled to be released in April. He’s also currently filming “13,” and he is in talks to play a Russian bad guy in the “Iron Man” sequel.

Best Actress nominees: Anne Hathaway will play the White Queen in Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” adaptation… Angelina Jolie is preparing for her upcoming role as Catherine the Great… Melissa Leo is co-staring with Hilary Duff in “Greta” and with Sarah Michelle Gellar in “Veronika Decides to Die”… Meryl Streep will once again reunite with her “Doubt” co-star and fellow nominee Amy Adams in “Julie and Julia,” a movie about chef Julia Child and the wannabe who recreates her recipes.

Best Supporting Actor nominees: Besides that Woody Allen movie with Pinto, Josh Brolin will also star in the comic-book movie “Jonah Hex”… Before the much anticipated “Iron Man” sequel, Robert Downey  Jr. stars with Jamie Foxx in this spring’s “The Soloist” and then as Sherlock Holmes this fall in Guy Ritchie’s movie about the classic detective… Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s voice stars in the animated “Mary and Max,” and you can see him – and his “crazy” hair, which is reportedly to blame for the ski cap he wore to the Oscars – in “Jack Goes Boating,” which he’s also directing…

Rourke’s not the only nominee in “13”; Michael Shannon will be appearing in it as well.

Best Supporting Actress nominees: Before Amy Adams pairs with Streep in “Julie and Julia,” she’ll play Amelia Earhart in “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” this May…

You can currently see Viola Davis in Tyler Perry’s “Madea Goes to Jail,” and she’ll also soon be seen in “State of Play” alongside Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, and Rachel McAdams… Taraji P. Henson will co-star with former Oscar winner Forest Whitaker in “Hurricane Season,” a movie about the ramifications of Hurricane Katrina on a basketball team… Marisa Tomei will trade the heaviness of “The Wrestler” with the silly as-yet-untitled comedy with Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly about a single mother whose son doesn’t like the new guy she’s dating.

The Belles of the Ball

Most improved: After her gypsy-inspired ensemble at the Golden Globes and peach bridesmaid dress at the SAG Awards, Oscar nominee Marisa Tomei finally got it right with her one-shoulder silver, pleated Versace gown.

5. Amy Adams: Sure the Oscar nominee’s Fred Leighton necklace was huge, but it was stunning with 39 carats of diamonds and 630 carats of sapphires, emeralds and rubies. While it could have matched a little better, it still didn’t take away from her red Carolina Herrera gown. The draping fabric in the front and black stitching across the bust and down her back made for some exquisite details.

4. Taraji P. Henson: The best actress nominee didn’t look anything like her frumpy alter ego in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” in her delicately pleated, fitted champagne gown. Her big diamond necklace and train added extra elegance to the Roberto Cavalli gown without overpowering her.

3. Reese Witherspoon: The rich blue and black colors of the former Oscar winner’s Rodarte gown made for a striking contrast. Adding to the beautiful ensemble are the sparkles on the bust area and the draping black fabric.

2. Alicia Keys: We’re not sure why the Grammy-winning singer was at the Oscars, but she sure showed those movie stars how it’s done with her elegant yet young fuchsia Giorgio Armani Prive gown.

1. Natalie Portman: This beautiful actress was a lovely fresh breath of air in her Rodarte orchid-colored gown, which set her far apart from the many other metallic and black gowns on the red carpet. It fit her perfectly, and her simple silver bracelet, rings, and earrings were just enough.

Better luck next year

Least Improved: The “Slumdog Millionaire” beauty turned heads on the red carpet at the Golden Globes with her strapless mustard slightly ruffled gown and at the SAG Awards with her purple whimsical gown (although she could have lost the draped scarf). Yet, her blue John Galliano gown at the Oscars didn’t look like a million bucks with the laced one sleeve.  

5. Melissa Leo.  The Oscar nominee hasn’t had a lot of practice on the red carpet, but she could have used some pointers when it came to her frumpy brown dress with the oddly placed brooches pinned to her cap sleeves. A vibrant gown color and a more polished hair style could have done wonders.

4. Miley Cyrus: The huge volcano-looking skirt on her Zuhair Murad silk tulle gown was just too overpowering for the petite 16-year-old.

3. Beyonce: Hugh Jackman’s dancing partner should have taken a cue from fellow singer, Alicia Keys when picking out a gown. The House of Dereon dress was yet another mermaid-style that we’ve come to see her wear again and again; but, the biggest crime was the gold leaf design. It’s one thing to want an Oscar, but you shouldn’t match it.

2. Sarah Jessica Parker: Her alter ego, Carrie Bradshaw, is a fashionista, but this Dior Couture gown would have been better off on Barbie with its belt and overly puffy skirt.

1. Jessica Biel: You’d think Justin Timberlake could give his girlfriend better fashion tips. It looked like she had some extra fabric left over, so she just tucked it right back into her champagne Prada gown. The stiff round bottom of the gown was no hit either, but at least it hid her black close-toed shoes.

Best surprise: With song/dance man Hugh Jackman as host, surprise presenters, and funny gag bits, the Oscar’s was one of the most entertaining it’s been in a long time. (Ratings were even up 6 percent from last year’s telecast.)

Worst surprise: Chances are you won your office pool because just about no surprise winners threw off our ballots. “Slumdog Millionaire” cleaned up winning 8 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay as predicted, and Kate Winslet, Heath Ledger, and Penélope Cruz won as expected. The biggest upset was Sean Penn winning Best Actor over Mickey Rourke, but really we all knew it was between the two anyway.

Worst use of presenting the Best Pictures:  Up until the last ten minutes of the show, you wouldn’t even know which films were nominated for Best Picture, and isn’t this what the night was really all about? Instead of showcasing clips throughout the night like usual, the clips were only shown right before the award was handed out. Even worse, they were intermingled with previous films that have similar themes making the clips confusing and taking attention away from the nominees.

Best presentation of movies: The montages of film genres recapping the best of 2008 were done so in great pop culture fashion. Coldplay’s “Lovers in Japan” played to the great romance flicks, Wall-E the adorable robot found a tape of the best animation movies, and the hilarious James Franco and Seth Rogen reprised their “Pineapple Express” roles as they watched DVDs of the funniest comedies.

Worst use of presenting the Best Songs: The song nominees, which are usually played in their entirety throughout the night, also weren’t given their full due. The two “Slumdog Millionaire” songs and “Wall-E” song were shortened and played one after the other. We all knew “Jai Ho” was going to win, but “Wall-E” should have been given it’s own set piece rather than making John Legend sing with “Slumdog’s” Indian back-up dancers and drummers.

Best use of presenting awards: Rather than randomly presenting awards, the telecast walked the audience through the making of a movie starting with the screenwriting process to art direction to editing. Stars associated with the category was also a nice touch like action hero Will Smith presenting Best Visual Effects and Sound Mixing and “Religious” filmmaker Bill Maher presenting Best Documentary.

Best presenters: Steve Martin and Tina Fey presented the screenplay awards humorously (“Don’t fall in love with me” Martin stoically told a googly eyed Fey) and controversially (poking fun at Hollywood-favorite Scientology). And don’t forget about Ben Stiller who delivered a dead-on impression of Joaquin Phoenix’s bizarre appearance on the “Late Show with David Letterman” while presenting with Natalie Portman. It would have been even funnier though if it wasn’t just parodied at the previous night’s Independent Spirit Awards.

Best use of presenters: Keeping most of the identities of the presenters top-secret beforehand made for a more exciting show because you never knew who was going to come out next. Hello Will Smith, hello Reese Witherspoon!

Worst use of presenters: While it was fun seeing past winners like Nicole Kidman, Robert De Niro, and Christopher Walken, presenting the nominees, it came off too self-congratulatory. Instead of comments like “You really nailed it” and Marion Cotillard clasping her hands together cooing “Thank you” to Winslet, let’s see some clips instead. Most viewers at home haven’t seen all the movies, so it’d be more interesting to see the performances for which they’re nominated. 

Best acceptance speech: Instead of the director or co-stars accepting on his behalf, the acceptance of Heath Ledger’s Oscar by his family was much more touching. “Tonight we are choosing to be happy and celebrate what he has achieved,” his mother, Sally Bell, said.

Funniest acceptance speeches: Where to begin? First there’s Phillipe Petit, the subject of the documentary, “Man on Wire,” who not only balanced the Oscar on his chin, he also made a coin disappear.  Then the Japanese director of the Best Animated Short, “Kunio Kato thanked Mr. Roboto.” Finally, Best Director, Danny Boyle, bounced up and down in homage of Tigger for his children.  

Worst camera shots: Awkward alert… Not only did Jennifer Aniston have to present an award mere feet away from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the camera cut away to Brangelina twice! At least Jolie and Pitt made nice and weren’t giving dirty looks.

Best use of teeny boppers: While baby faced stars like Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Robert Pattinson, and Amanda Seyfried presented and performed on stage to most likely draw in the younger audience, their presence was downplayed and didn’t make the Oscars feel like the Teen Choice Awards.

Best secret talent: Anne Hathaway showed off her really good voice in her pretend-impromptu song and dance number with Jackman. Look out Beyoncé. Maybe you won’t be needed next year.

Here are the winners of the major categories:

Best Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Actor: Sean Penn, “Milk”

Best Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Best Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Best Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Oscar night is fast approaching – this Sunday – to be exact. Will it be a victory for “Slumdog” or “Benjamin Button?” Which tough guy will win: Mickey or Sean? Which of our best actresses of today is it going to be: Kate or Meryl?

If you don’t have your scorecards filled out yet, here’s Positively Celebrity’s guide to help you out because we’re predicting who’s going to walk away a winner and who we think should really be one.

Best Picture

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Milk”

“The Reader”

“Slumdog Millionaire”

Should and will win: With its nearly unstoppable wins at the Golden Globes, SAG, BAFTA and guild awards, look for “Slumdog Millionaire” to take home the biggest prize come Oscar night and deservedly so. This vibrant, inspirational, romantic, and energetic film will leave you feeling like a millionaire long after you leave the theater.

Best Actor

Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”

Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”

Sean Penn, “Milk”

Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

Should Win:  Langella has already won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Richard Nixon, and he deserves an Oscar too. He pulls off the enormous task of encapsulating the former president’s mannerisms and voice without coming off as a caricature. Just as challenging, he also makes the audience feel empathy for a man who went down in history cast off as a crook.

Will Win: This is close. It very well could be Penn, but I’ll give the edge to Rourke. Academy members love a comeback story and both Rourke and his character are the comeback kids of the year. He also showed us he’s got what it takes physically and emotionally by playing an emotionally complex wrestler with a heart.

Best Actress

Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”

Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”

Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”

Meryl Streep, “Doubt”

Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Should and will win: Winslet for her intricate, dark turn as a tram conductor-turned-Nazi prison guard. She gave heart and emotion to a remorseless woman who was involved in Nazi war crimes and seduced a teenager. It doesn’t hurt either that she’s been racking up awards left and right this season, has five previous Oscar nominations, and stars in a film with the Academy-favorite topic of the Holocaust.

Best Supporting Actor

Josh Brolin, “Milk”

Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”

Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”

Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road”

Should and will win: Ledger for his dynamic, groundbreaking, and humorously creepy performance as the Joker. He stole the show from Batman by keeping our eyes glued to him whenever his chaos-loving sociopath came on screen. Unlike Jack Nicholson’s previous mediocre Joker, Ledger, with his smeared clown make-up, truly made for one darkly twisted clown.

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, “Doubt”

Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Viola Davis, “Doubt”

Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”

Should win: Even though she was only in two scenes, Davis managed to bring a whole movie’s worth of character backstory, emotions, and desires into those few precious moments on screen. Plus, she more than held her own against heavyweight Meryl Streep, which is alone no easy task.

Will win: Now with Winslet out of the running (the Academy chose to nominate her in the leading category instead), Cruz will most likely win for her domineering, vivacious turn as an emotionally unstable, eccentric ex-wife. She also won a BAFTA Award last week, which is a good sign she might win at the Oscars.

Best Director

Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”

David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”

Gus Van Sant, “Milk”

Should and will win: Boyle for delivering the beautifully crafted “Slumdog Millionaire.” He delivered intricate chase scenes, oversaw soaring camera shots over Mumbai, and brought out emotional performances from his young – and even younger, untrained – actors.

The nominees for this year’s 81st annual Academy Awards were announced Thursday with not too many surprises. The top two films slugging it out are “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which leads the pack with 13 nominations, and “Slumdog Millionaire,” which won Best Picture at the Golden Globes and has 10 nominations.

What about the snubs? “The Dark Knight” didn’t get a Best Picture nomination, Clint Eastwood and his film, “Gran Torino,” got shut out, “Revolutionary Road” got no noms including its stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Springsteen’s song from “The Wrestler” didn’t get nominated even after it won the Golden Globe, and Sally Hawkins didn’t get a Best Actress nom fresh off her Best Actress Golden Globe win.

But the biggest surprise? Who would have ever thought Robert Downey, Jr. would get a nomination for his role as “a dude playing a dude, disguised as another dude”? 

Find out who wins on Feb. 22 at 8 pm EST on ABC, and in the meantime the nominees are:

Best Picture

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director

David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon

Gus Van Sant, Milk

Stephen Daldry, The Reader

Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionare

Best Actor

Richard Jenkins, The Visitor

Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn, Milk

Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Best Actress

Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

Angelina Jolie, Changeling

Melissa Leo, Frozen River

Kate Winslet, The Reader

Meryl Streep, Doubt

Best Supporting Actor

Josh Brolin, Milk

Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt

Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, Doubt

Penélope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona

Viola Davis, Doubt

Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin

Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

Best Animated Feature

Bolt

Kung Fu Panda

Wall-E

Best Original Screenplay

Dustin Lance Black, Milk

Courtney Hunt, Frozen River

Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky

Martin McDonagh, In Bruges

Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, Wall-E

Best Adapted Screenplay

Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, The Curious Case of Benjamin

John Patrick Shanley, Doubt

Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon

David Hare, The Reader

Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

There’s a running joke that there’s more award shows than there are days in a year. That is a lot. Plus, with that many it might be hard to keep track of what’s the difference between the Golden Globes and the Oscars.  What does SAG stand for? Or is the Oscars the only award show worth paying attention to?

If you don’t know the answer to these questions but love award shows, read on. Here’s Positively Celebrity’s A – Z guide to the awards show season.

Academy Awards aka. the Oscars:

Widely considered to be the most prestigious awards show, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selects winners in the film industry. Major categories include best director, actor and actress, supporting actor and actress, writers, and picture.

Hugh Jackman hosts the 81st annual show on Feb. 22, 2009 on ABC. The nominations will be announced on Jan. 22, 2009.

The Golden Globe Awards:

Unlike the Academy Awards, this show honors the best in movies and television. Whereas the Academy Awards honors just one best picture, actor, actress, etc., the Golden Globes honors the best picture, television show, actors, and actresses, etc., in both the drama and comedy categories. The winners are selected by The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which is made up of a group of 90 international journalists. 

This show is also unlike most other awards shows because there is no host. The nominations were announced Dec. 11, and the show airs Jan. 11, 2009 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Visit this site for the complete list of nominations.

The SAG (Screen Actors Guild Awards):

In this awards show, actors award other actors. This show is unique because only actors and actresses are honored. Like the Golden Globes, this show honors peformances in both movies and television. Besides individual awards, the SAG Awards also honor ensemble casts in a TV drama, TV comedy and movie. 

Nominations were announced Dec. 18, and the 15th annual show will air on TNT and TBS on January 25, 2009.

Visit this site for the complete list of nominations. 

Independent Spirit Awards:

This awards show differs from the others because It is generally laid back and only honors independent movies and performances in independent movies. The awards are presented by Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. 

It takes place in a tent on a Santa Monica, CA beach the day before the Academy Awards and airs on the Independent Film Channel. The nominations were announced Dec. 2, and the show will take place on Feb. 21 at 5 pm ET.

Visit this site for the complete list of nominations.

Broadcast Film Critics Awards aka Critics’ Choice Awards:

Like the Academy Awards, this show just honors the best in filmmaking. The winners are selected by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, which is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada and is made up of 199 television, radio and online critics.

The nominations were announced Dec. 9, 2008, and the 14th annual show airs Jan. 8, 2009 on VH1 at 9 p.m. ET.

Visit this site for the complete list of nominations.

People’s Choice Awards:

This is your awards show because everyday people like you get to vote. So instead of films like “The Reader” and “Slumdog Millionaire” going at it for Best Picture, films like “The Dark Knight” and ”Iron Man” are the leading contenders. 

This year, Queen Latifah hosts the 35th annual show on Jan. 7 airing on CBS from 9-11 p.m., ET.

The People’s Choice don’t just honor movies or TV – they also award your favorite talk-show host, rock song and on-screen matchup. New categories include favorite movie cast, TV drama diva and superhero. Vote at PCAvote.com. The nominations were announced on Nov. 10. 

Visit this site for the complete list of nominations.

It’s official. People magazine’s Sexiest Man, Hugh Jackman, will host the 81st Oscars ceremony on February 22, 2009.

The producers were gracious enough to validate why Jackman was chosen by saying Jackman, “has style, elegance and a sense of occasion,” and while all that might be true, let’s get to the heart of the matter: He’s HOT!

Ever since we laid eyes on him in the 2001’s corny-but-sweet “Kate & Leopold” (which I’ve watched on several occasions – and yes! I DO have a life, thank you very much!), we were sold.

The voice, the facial bone structure, the man! Maybe I’m bordering on obsession here, but that doesn’t mean it’s not warranted. (Stalkers need love, too.)

Jackman will join an impressive, ever-growing list of “who-on-earth-will-be-next?” hosts, such as Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, and others.

So Jackman is far from the first to host the prestigious event…but he’s certainly the hottest. And that alone is reason enough for me to watch. I’m in.