Hugh Jackman To Host Oscars

Hugh Jackman is to host the 2009 Academy Awards organisers of the ceremony have announced.

The Australian actor is a surprise choice after British funny man Ricky Gervais has been linked to the job for months.

Despite having never hosted the ceremony before the actor he did host the Tony Awards between 2003 and 2005.

The actor shot to fame as comic character Wolverine in the X-men trilogy. He reprises that role this summer as Wolverine gets his own spin off movie.

The forty year old Australian actor is currently starring in Baz Lurhmann's sweeping epic Australia with Nicole Kidman, set during the Second World War and the bombing of Darwin.

However the film has been met only with a luke-warm response and has struggled at the American box office. The film has grossed just over $52 million worldwide which is drastically short of it's $130 million budget.