Hugh Jackman will host the Oscars on Feb. 22, but before he dons a tuxedo for that job, the multi-talented actor will hit television screens as comic book favorite Wolverine.

Jackman will star on the Fox channel in a series of three, 60-second spots that together form a storyline tied to the movie “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” Fox said on Thursday. The movie comes out on May 1.

The first spot in the unconventional movie teaser will run Sunday on “Family Guy,” the second will appear Monday on “House” and the third will run Tuesday on “American Idol.” After that final broadcast, all three spots will run together on the Web site Yahoo!

Jackman played Wolverine in three “X-Men” movies, starting with the first installment of the franchise in 2000. The Australian actor’s upcoming job hosting the Oscars has garnered attention, because the movie industry’s top awards show traditionally has been hosted by a comedian, and Jackman is more of a dramatic actor and song-and-dance man than a joke slinger.  Just as movie industry watchers will be looking to see if Jackman can save the Oscars from slumping viewership, it remains to be seen if Fox viewers will tune in on three separate days to see him as Wolverine or, for that matter, remember the storyline from day one to day three.

It is a certainty that Oscar nominees like Sean Penn, Penelope Cruz, Robert Downey, Jr., and Brad Pitt will garner the major media spotlight at the world’s top film industry awards on Feb. 22.

But on Monday, at the annual Oscar nominees luncheon, a few of the lesser known stars got the chance to share their thoughts and feelings with reporters about being nominated, and they are some of the best stories to tell.

When asked about his first nomination, Michael Shannon, who earned an Oscar nod for his turn as a voice of reason in suburban adult drama “Revolutionary Road,” related this story. He said when he first started to get steady acting jobs about 10-15 years ago, he received a letter from another actor named Michael Shannon who lived in the United Kingdom. This other actor told him they should talk because Shannon really couldn’t use his name if he planned on having a career. “I’m just so glad I’ve gotten to a point where I can write him back and say, ‘you can’t intimidate me, man.’”

Taraji P. Henson, nominated for her role as a caretaker in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” said it was only at the Oscar nominee luncheon that she finally believed she was really nominated. “Clearly, they’re not going to ask for a recount,” she said. “My insides are crazy, my heart is pounding.” She added that for her, the nomination truly was a dream come true and added, “In my opinion if you’re not dreaming, your not living because dreams can come true.”

But the newcomers weren’t the only ones who were overjoyed or, for that matter, had funny stories to tell. Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, nominated for best supporting actress playing a fiery painter in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” said that when she was nominated she received so many congratulatory calls that her cell phone simply “collapsed.” It quit because it was overloaded. ”I took it to repair and they said they couldn’t fix it because they’d never see that happen before,” she said.

Oscar organizers are promising a show filled with “risks” by changing the old formula of a comedian telling jokes and film award winners getting all teary when they accept the world’s top film honors. But will ”risk” be enough.

Stung by competition from other awards shows and simply more channels on TV, the Oscars in recent years have seen an almost steady decline in viewership to 32 million last year — the lowest audience ever — from 39.9 million in 2007.

Some have blamed not only the competition, but the movies that get nominated. Last year, the nominees included films such as dark dramas “No Country for Old Men,” which were little seen by audiences.

By contrast, the most recent telecast with huge viewership came when 2003’s box office smash hit, ”The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” swept through many categories and won 11 awards. Oscar watchers had believed that popular Batman movie “The Dark Knight” might land a best film nomination and lure fans to the telecast this year, yet in it’s place is little seen drama “The Reader.”    Hmmmmmmm.

Nevertheless, producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon (”Dreamgirls”) promise a show with a lot of risk-taking and they’ve hired song-and-dance man Hugh Jackman to lead the way. But we wonder whether that will be enough? Or are Oscar voters simply out of touch with mainstream moviegoers who thrill at movies like “Dark Knight” and “Gran Torino”? Put more simply, will you tune in on Feb. 22?

Six months ago, most of Hollywood’s actors had probably never heard of the all-Indian cast members in the rag-to-riches tale “Slumdog Millionaire” by British director Danny Boyle. And then, on Sunday, the Screen Actors Guild chose them as the best film ensemble cast of the year — an award that is dear to actors because it comes from actors, arguably the toughest critics of their own craft.

Although “Slumdog” is a favorite to win best picture at the Oscars next month after winning at SAG, the Producers Guild and the Golden Globes, the SAG award came as a surprise to the four Indian actors who collected it. Anil Kapoor, a veteran Bollywood actor, said “it was overwhelming to be nominated, but to win this is unbelievable.”

Backstage, Kapoor said one of the highlights was meeting Angelina Jolie, courtesy of his “Slumdog” co-star Irrfan Kahn, another Bollywood big name who played opposite the actress in “A Mighty Heart.”

And Dev Patel, the 18-year-old who plays the slum dweller that triumphs on India’s version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?,” said his golden moment at SAG was running into Kate Winslet on the red carpet. “She was like my first love…and she knew who I was!”

“People who I grew up watching or hearing, they know who we are,” said Patel. “The crazy thing is that everyone has really embraced the film.”

Expectations are now high that the international success of “Slumdog” will catapult not only these actors, but also the prolific Bollywood film industry. The female lead and Patel’s on-screen love, Freida Pinto, said “this film means an opportunity now, not just for me but for many back home, many people around the world trying to make this crossover.”

British actress Kate Winslet keeps picking up awards for her 2008 film roles and admits she is struggling with her acceptance speeches.

On Sunday, she won best supporting actress from the Screen Actors Guild for her role as a German woman with a Nazi past in “The Reader,” adding to her double win at the Golden Globes a few weeks ago.

“I’m a bit lost for words, I’m sorry,” she said in her speech on Sunday. But she actually came off better than at the Globes, where she gushed her way through her speeches, especially after winning best actress for her role as a frustrated suburban wife in “Revolutionary Road.”

Backstage on Sunday, she joked with reporters: “I don’t have to make another speech do I? I am so bad at this..Clearly I am still learning.” She said that winning comes as a shock and “just takes her breath away.”

For the Oscars on Feb. 22, Winslet will by vying for best actress for her “The Reader” role, in which she has an affair with a teenage boy and bares herself in several intimate scenes. But her breath will really be taken away if she wins the Academy Award over multi-award winning actress Meryl Streep, who took best actress from the Screen Actors Guild for her role as a vindictive nun in “Doubt.”

Winslet has never won an Oscar despite many nominations. So can she win the Oscar and make a decent speech?

It was perhaps the biggest snub of the Oscar nominations, actor/director Clint Eastwood’s “Gran Torino” was overlooked by voters at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with no — zero — nominations. Or, was it?

(For a slideshow of nominees, click here, and for a list of nominees, click here.)

For weeks, as the road to Oscars’ Feb. 22 ceremony in Hollywood has laid out in front of award watchers, critics and industry groups have continually turned their heads as “Gran Torino” drove by — no Golden Globes or Broadcast Critics Choice awards, no nominations by producers, directors, actors or writers guilds. You could see the roadkill on the highway.

Yet, Eastwood is a favorite of the Motion Picture Academy voters. He has won two best director and best film awards (”Unforgiven” and “Million Dollar Baby”), but never won for acting. He was the star of “Gran Torino,” and the movie and his performance have earned mostly good reviews. Moreover, the film has been a hit with moviegoers who vote with their dollars at box offices ($78 million and climbing). As a result, many award watchers believed Academy voters would make Clint’s day. But they didn’t. And the question is, did they get it right or wrong?

“The Reader,” which has been seen by few people, earned a nomination for best picture over “Gran Torino” and Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” – a well-respected actor but hardly a household name — was nominated over Clint for best actor. Was that right?

In other surprises, Leonardo DiCaprio was shut out of the best actor category after turning in a strong performance in dark drama “Revolutionary Road,” and that film, which also starred Kate Winslet, also failed to make it in the best film and best director category with its filmmaker Sam Mendes (Winslet’s husband). Winslet did, however, land in the best actress race for “The Reader.”

And what about Batman movie “The Dark Knight.” It was 2008’s No. 1 movie at box offices, but was shut out of best director (Christopher Nolan) and best picture. The movie’s nominations — except for supporting actor for Heath Ledger – came mostly in technical categories like makeup, visual effects and sound-editing.

So, the race for Oscars is on, and the checkered flag will wave on Feb. 22, but now is your chance to get in your own votes on Fan Fare: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” and so on. Let us know what you think were Oscar’s hits and misses.

The studio behind Batman movie “The Dark Knight” has set Jan. 23 as the date for the movie’s re-release in IMAX and conventional theaters.

Studios often re-release movies in the lead-up to the Oscars, and “The Dark Knight” has been talked about for a number of trophies.

The biggest buzz surrounds the late Heath Ledger, who played Batman’s Machiavellian arch enemy The Joker and died last year of an overdose of prescription drugs. His performance already won him a posthumous Golden Globe award for best supporting actor, and Ledger could get an Oscar nomination as well.

Industry watchers expect the re-release of “The Dark Knight” to push the film past the $1 billion mark in worldwide box office sales. The film is already the second-highest grossing movie behind the 1997 film “Titanic.”

“The Dark Knight” will play in 255 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, including 142 IMAX theaters, said studio Warner Bros. The movie will play in about 32 IMAX locations internationally, the studio said.

Segments of the film were shot in IMAX, a giant screen format that Hollywood has increasingly turned to in recent years. “The Dark Knight” last year made more than $48 million in U.S. and Canada box office sales from IMAX showings.

(Writing and reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis)

PHOTO:REUTERS/Danny Moloshok

“Slumdog Millionaire” walked away with four Golden Globe Awards on Sunday night, including best film drama, setting it on a solid path to Oscar glory. But there is still a long way to go. It was only three years ago that “Crash” was shut out of many Golden Globe nominations, but it made a comeback at the Screen Actors Guild awards and went on to claim that year’s best picture Oscar.

Why? One reason is because actors make up the biggest branch of voters at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and they loved “Crash.”

Will the same thing happen this year.? Can movies like “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” or “Frost/Nixon” or “The Wrestler” make a comeback? Oscar nominations are due at the Academy on Monday, Jan. 12. On Jan. 22, when Oscar noms are handed out, we will see.

But for now, we’re curious about our readers’ choices for  best film, actors and actresses. Sure, “Slumdog” was the top dog on Sunday night, but will it be best in show at the Oscars? Tell us your favorites.

(Writing and reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis)

 It’s a tough job hosting the Academy Awards. It’s supposed to be entertaining, but it’s also a night for the stars to revel in the glory of an Oscar win. And the host has to be edgy and funny, without going over the line and insulting the honorees.
    
But when it works, as it did in 1992 when tough-guy actor Jack Palance did push-ups in front of comedian and host Billy Crystal, only to become the butt of Crystal’s jokes for the rest of the night, it makes for memorable moments. 
    
On Friday, the organization behind the Academy Awards named Australian actor Hugh Jackman as the host of February’s annual show. Jackman is the first non-comedian to single-handedly host the show in recent years. The last time an Australian hosted the show was in 1987, when to “Crocodile Dundee” star Paul Hogan shared the stage with actress Goldie Hawn and comedian Chevy Chase. 
    
Coming off starring in “Australia,” which has had only limited box office success since its Nov. 26 opening with a total box office take of $43 million, Jackman will rely on song and dance instead of just jokes to entertain a worldwide audience on Oscar night.

He has done well hosting the Tony Awards, the Broadway version of the Oscars, but the Oscars’ audience is used to comedians on the show. On a night where hype and pomp rule, the comedian’s role is often to keep the show grounded by injecting a jester’s dose of realism.

Jackman’s naming as host prompted a “love it or hate it” reaction here on our news floor in Los Angeles. There didn’t seem to be much in between, so we thought we’d leave it to readers to weigh in with their own thoughts. Hugh Jackman: an Oscar hit or miss?

Hollywood’s movie awards season got seriously underway with the Golden Globe nominations on Thursday. But have those who pick the best movies and actors of the year got it right?

Some pundits are already crying foul over the absence of Australian actress Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt’s co-star in ”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”,  from the Golden Globe contenders, not to mention the fact that the San Francisco gay drama “Milk” got just one nomination, for actor Sean Penn.

And how about “The Dark Knight” –  the biggest box office success of the year — which picked up a single nomination for the late, beloved actor Heath Ledger but came away empty-handed otherwise?.

Since several of the movies, including “Benjamin Button” and “Revolutionary Road” haven’t been released in theaters yet (awards voters get sneak previews of those arriving at the end of the year), it’s hard for regular movie goers to make a fair assessment at this stage of the game.

This year’s list of Golden Globe nominees is top-heavy with A-list stars. Everyone from Brad and Angelina to Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway will likely be walking the red carpet when the awards are handed out on January 11.

But who do you think got unfairly shut out,  and which nominations were most surprising? Most importantly who deserves to win the top Golden Globes, or Oscars, for 2008?