The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences , which hands out the world 's top film honors , said Jackman , 40 , star of the romantic epic `` Australia , '' will host the televised ceremony for the first time .
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The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences , which hands out the world 's top <m> film </m> honors , said Jackman , 40 , star of the romantic epic `` Australia , '' will host the televised ceremony for the first time .
Australian actor Hugh Jackman was named on Friday as host of February 's Oscars in a departure from the tradition of picking U.S. comedians on Hollywood 's most prestigious night .
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences , which hands out the world 's top <m> film </m> honors , said Jackman , 40 , star of the romantic epic `` Australia , '' will host the televised ceremony for the first time .
The actor , who also starred in the three `` X-Men '' movies and is an award-winning musical theater performer , has hosted Broadway 's Tony awards three times and last month was named 2008 's `` sexiest man alive '' by People magazine .
`` Hugh Jackman is a consummate entertainer and an internationally renowned movie star , '' said Laurence Mark and Bill Condon , the new producers of the televised show .
`` He also has style , elegance and a sense of occasion .
Hugh is the ideal choice to host a celebration of the year 's movies -- and to have fun doing it , '' the pair said in a statement .
Oscar nominations for the best movies and performances of 2008 will be announced in January .
The awards will be handed out on February 22 by the Academy at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood and will be televised in the United States by the ABC network .
Jackman 's choice heralds a new direction for the 81st Oscar ceremony after recent years of falling TV ratings .
Typically , the program has been hosted by U.S. comedians , and in recent years , show organizers have experimented with a variety of hosting styles ranging from political satirist Jon Stewart , to edgy Chris Rock and popular Ellen DeGeneres .
Mark and Condon have axed the famous opening monologue for the February 2009 show , hoping for more spontaneity overall .
They said there may be a stronger element of music and dancing than previously .
`` We want it to be more of a party and a celebration and a departure from the late-night talk-show format , '' Mark told Reuters .
Mark and Condon have a background in musicals and worked together on the 2006 film hit `` Dreamgirls '' .
Jackman , who can sing and dance , was `` genuinely thrilled '' at the offer , Mark said , but `` he wanted to make sure the format would mesh with his skills . ''
The February 2008 three-hour plus broadcast , hosted for the second time by Stewart , hit a low 32 million U.S. viewers and entered the record books as the least-watched Oscars ever .
Still , even an audience of that size makes the telecast annually one of the most-watched U.S. TV shows .
The broadcast also is televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide .
Mark said he and Condon planned to get the telecast under three hours , yet still keep the live presentations of awards and acceptance speeches .