Oscars: Hugh Jackman
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Hugh Jackman may be funny, but he’s no comedian

So what do we think of Hugh Jackman as the host of this year’s Oscars?

It makes sense.

Excluding beloved presenter Billy Crystal, who hosted in 2004, a cadre of comedians — Jon Stewart, Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock and Steve Martin — have MCd the show for the past six years, and while their often erudite and sarcastic humour was a hit with some, they didn’t exactly speak to the worldwide masses who want the show to be an entertaining and upbeat celebration of Hollywood. (Of course, that’s not easy to do when art-house flicks such as No Country for Old Men, Crash and Million Dollar Baby keep winning Best Picture.)

That’s why the sexy, effervescent — yet manly, don’t forget manly — Jackman fits in. Here’s a guy who has hosted the Tony Awards three times, he’s a Broadway veteran who can sing and dance, and, most importantly, viewers from around the world know who he is, as opposed to, say, the host of a late-night American cable comedy show (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

What’s really interesting is that the Academy has continually shied away from having someone like Jackman host the show. The Oscars have traditionally been hosted by funny men — Bob Hope did it 16 times (alone or with co-hosts), Billy Crystal got the call eight times and Johnny Carson handled the duties five times. The last time a bona fide movie star, in his prime, hosted the event by himself was way back in 1949 when then-box office star Robert Montgomery did the honours.

—Ingrid Randoja