The Oscars have been agonizing over a new host. Jon Stewart didn’t work out. Whoopi Goldberg was too ethnic. And Billy Crystal didn’t need the grief.

According to Nikki Finke‘s, DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com, the Oscars movers and shakers offered the hosting job this year to Aussie actor Hugh Jackman.

Yes, he’s a song and dance man, but can he handle that tough Oscar crowd. They can tear you apart. They may be wiping that cheshire cat grin right off of his shining visage. Tough crowd.

The people whose jobs it is to give you the most up-to-date information possible about meaningless awards shows watched the sun rise this morning as the 59th Annual Emmy nominations were announced. Here’s a sampling of their work.

Tom O’Neil posts at 6:16 a.m. that the academy “showed a sense of saucy humor,” in nominating the Justin Timberlake’s SNL skit, Dick In A Box. Except he wasn’t allowed to print the name of the skit.

Zap2It didn’t time stamp its offering, and we have a feeling more coverage from them is TK. The site, so far, offers the recognition that 15 Emmy nominations means The Sopranos finally have a shot at getting “a more definitive ending,” than they gave viewers.

Deadline Hollywood Daily offers some thoughts, like this one written at 5:13 a.m.: “I always find it ridiculous how year after year the Emmy voters tend to favor the tried and true (and, therefore, stultifying) shows over new series that haven’t passed their expiration date and still try to push the envelope. It’s like an episode has to jump the shark before the voters will give it a modicum of respect.”

E!’s 7:10 a.m. posting declares The Office can repeat, 24 won’t.