To American audiences he is Wolverine but Hugh Jackman proved he has much more to offer than sideburns and retractable claws as he opened the Oscars ceremony with a raucous song-and-dance number that earned a standing ovation.
Joking that everything in the broadcast had been downsized due to the recession, a relaxed-looking Jackman told the audience at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles that he'd put together his own tribute in his garage.
There followed a witty musical routine covering the nominated films - Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon and The Reader - that featured what looked like home-made props, cardboard cut-outs and even the Craig's List Dancers.
A highlight was best actress nominee Anne Hathaway joining him on stage for the Frost/Nixon duet, with Jackman singing "Why didn't you burn the tapes?" With Hathaway playing the disgraced former president, Jackson held her in a clinch and whispered a breathy "Oh, Nixon."
The opening number showed Jackman at his singing and dancing best as he finished with "These are the Oscars! This is my dream! I am a slumdog! I'm the reader, the wrestler. I am Wolverine!" and the assembled stars leapt to their feet.
The Australian performer then chatted with some of the nominees in the front row, offering tributes to Meryl Streep and telling Mickey Rourke about the broadcast's 30-second delay. "But if you win we have a 20-minute delay."
It was vintage Jackman, who had proved how well he could work a room when he starred in The Boy From Oz in 2006.
This year's Oscars were given an overhaul by organisers as they seek to bounce back from 2008 television figures that were the worst in history.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Hugh Jackman
Oscars
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