I don't want to get fined: Hugh Jackman's frantic search for somewhere to vote

He's rarely ruffled, but Hugh Jackman was in a bit of a flap trying to find somewhere to vote while in Toronto promoting his new film. File image Source: Getty Images

 

 

Peter Mitchell, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Like a scene from one of his Hollywood action movies, a frantic Hugh Jackman has found himself in a race against time.

But he isn't trying to save the world.

He's just trying to vote in Australia's federal election.

The Sydney-born movie star, who was at the Toronto Film Festival on Friday afternoon (Saturday morning AEST) to promote his new thriller Prisoners, said he was frantically trying to find out if he could cast his ballot in the Canadian city.

"I have to find a place here to do it,'' a desperate, but smiling, Jackman told AAP.

"I missed the postal vote date.

"Do you know where to do it here?''

When it was suggested the Australian Consulate in Toronto could help, Jackman appeared relieved.

"I have to duck out to do it,'' Jackman said.

"Not only do I get fined, there will be an article about me getting fined.''

The fine wouldn't do too much damage to Jackman's bank balance, with the actor earning an estimated $A60 million last year from the Wolverine franchise and the hit musical Les Miserables.

It would also probably take a little more to tarnish his good guy image than a fine for not voting.

Jackman is expected to have a golden period early next year when the Oscar nominations are announced.

His performance in Prisoners, where he plays the father of a six-year-old daughter who is abducted, has been tipped to earn him one of the five best actor nominees.

Hugh Jackman to play Harry Houdini on Broadway with music by Stephen Schwartz

Hugh Jackman will play famous escapologist Harry Houdini in a musical on Broadway. Source: DailyTelegraph

The Daily Telegraph reports

Acclaimed Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz says he's hard at work on a full draft of the musical Houdini, starring Hugh Jackman.

"I'm specifically writing for Hugh in terms of what I think will sound good in his voice and what sorts of things will really help him to do the things that he does," Schwartz said during the Dramatist Guild of America's conference in Chicago. He is the group's president.

The Academy Award- and Grammy Award-winner - famous for Wicked, Godspell and Pippin - said a reading of the new full show is scheduled for December and he's been "writing away on it" with a collaborator. So far, he said, they have a full first act of Houdini.

"As soon as we finished it, of course, we immediately said, 'We have to rewrite this entire thing,'" Schwartz said. "But nevertheless we're moving on to try to get a complete draft of the show."

Houdini is scheduled to reach Broadway during the 2013-2014 season. Schwartz said he hopes the show will make an out-of-town debut in Chicago before it premieres on Broadway.

So far, the fun, he said, has been writing music and lyrics with Jackman in mind. Schwartz said he's considering "Where does he want to stretch himself? Where does he want to do something that he feels he has and we feel he has that he hasn't really shown before?"

In April, admirers of the composer packed Carnegie Hall in New York for a tribute marking both Schwartz's 65th birthday and the 10th anniversary of Wicked, which is still a tough ticket. But that show's success doesn't amount to pressure, he said.

"It sort of makes you feel, 'I have this big hit running, well if this doesn't work out, it doesn't work out," Schwartz said.

Schwartz's work on Houdini could serve to counteract what he calls a recent "artistic slump" in commercial musical theater with shows that he says are safe and formulaic."I've found the last couple of Broadway seasons pretty disappointing from the point of view of musicals," Schwartz said. "Though from the point of view of plays it's been pretty exciting."

Besides Houdini, Schwartz has been focusing on his role as president of the dramatist guild. He cited censorship at schools and theaters as one threat that is proving stifling and discouraging for playwrights. He said his own 1971 work, Godspell, has become more controversial recently. The guild has a legal defense fund that can help writers with censorship, copyright and other issues, he said.

"Really that's what theaters should be doing, is causing audiences and people to think about things and look at things in a different way," Schwartz said. "Not flag-waving for whatever the prevailing point of view is at that point."

Twit-pic begs the question is Hugh Jackman Wolverine? Or is Wolverine Hugh Jackman?

Hugh Jackman lifted an estimated 210kg in this photo. Picture: Twitter Source: Supplied

 

The Daily Telegraph reports

Hugh Jackman's latest Twit-pic is INSANE, so much so that it's been labelled "the most terrifying selfie of all time."

The X-Men star tweeted a picture of himself dead lifting an almost humanly impossible amount of weight, leading many to lose their mind over it.

"If the bar ain't bendin, then you're just pretendin #xmen #daysoffuturepast," Jackman wrote alongside the pic.

By examining the colours of the weights on the end of the bar, it has been estimated that Jackman is lifting 210kg or "roughly the equivalent of four Shakiras".

Closer examination of the pic reveals he is exerting so much effort that his "body is the colour of a summer ripe tomato".

And that protruding vein in his arm isn't in fact a vein at all, "it's a tunnel the government built that allows his awesomejuice to travel throughout his body."

Buzzfeed also pointed out that he is wearing neon "toe shoes" in the pic. "Just perfect", they added.

So with this superhero-esque effort on show, it begs the question "is Hugh Jackman Wolverine? Or is Wolverine Hugh Jackman?"

We're not so sure anymore.

Film of the week: The Wolverine

Hugh Jackman and Famke Janssen in The Wolverine. Source: Supplied

Leigh Paatsch, The Daily Telegraph, reports

FILM OF THE WEEK: Let's be frank here. With its Marvel franchise stablemate The Avengers breaking box-office records on a regular basis, the X-Men series feels a bit like yesterday's news.

Therefore another solo outing for that metal-clawed, mutton-chopped mutant Wolverine (aka Logan) is hardly the hottest ticket of the US summer blockbuster season.

Especially if Wolvie's dull origin-story movie in 2009 left you cold.

Well, it is a pleasure to report that The Wolverine is something of a return to form. Never absolutely essential, but never a waste of your precious time.

The tentative dithering of the last instalment is gone. The Wolverine means business from the get-go. The storyline has a whole new direction to navigate.

So don't go missing the first few minutes here, or you could find yourself playing catch-up for the rest of the movie.

An enjoyably over-the-top prologue finds Logan (Hugh Jackman) bracing himself for the drop of an atomic bomb at Nagasaki in 1945.

Just before the fateful moment of impact, Logan uses his self-healing superpowers to save the life of a Japanese soldier.

One mushroom cloud and many decades later, and that soldier has become the richest man in Japan. On his deathbed, the elderly industrialist Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi) wants to do one last deal.

Only Logan can deliver the goods Yashida wants to acquire. So the businessman sends a scarlet-haired, schoolgirl-outfitted emissary named Yukio (Rila Fukushima) to retrieve Logan from a self-imposed exile in the Canadian wilderness.

Freaky story, huh? Well, The Wolverine is only getting started with its weird departures from the norm.

Yashida wishes to purchase and extract Logan's immortality. Tired of the burden of everlasting life, and pining for his dead true love Jean Grey (Famke Janssen in flashback mode), Logan is tempted by the offer.

Nevertheless, he turns it down, and the old man dies. However, if Logan thinks he can leave Japan and go back to hanging out with bears in the Rockies, he is sorely mistaken.

The rest of The Wolverine? Pretty much Logan versus the Yakuza, Logan versus a gang of black-clad ninja archers, and Logan versus every freelance hitman in Japan.

Yep, it is mostly a fight movie, occasionally a chase movie, and that it is all.

Set-piece action sequences range from quite good to truly great. Though a few of the combat sequences are slightly unwieldy in their construction, a ripping five-minute scrap on the roof of a bullet train is one of the great stand-alone scenes of 2013.

--

THE WOLVERINE [M]
Rating: 3/5
Director: James Mangold (Walk the Line)
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Hal Yamanouchi, Rila Fukushima, Famke Janssen
"Hell hath no furry than a Wolverine returned"

Hugh Jackman to take new movie 'The Wolverine' to fans at Comic-Con

Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine in a scene from new film The Wolverine. Picture: AP Source: AP

 

 

AP reports

Hugh Jackman is ready to sink his claws into Comic-Con again.

The 44-year-old Australian actor is returning to San Diego this week for the 44th annual Comic-Con International pop-culture convention to hype The Wolverine, his Japan-set X-Men spin-off opening July 25 that marks the actor's sixth time playing the iconic comic book character that catapulted him to stardom in 2000.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, the versatile Les Miserables star talked about returning to Comic-Con to face fans enraged by 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, teaming up with the original X-Men cast for the upcoming time-bending sequel X-Men: Days of Future Past and getting naked again as Wolverine on the big screen:

AP: It took four years for The Wolverine to come to fruition. How do you feel about finally being able to show it off at Comic-Con?

Jackman: I love it. I love the title. It was actually (former director) Darren Aronofsky's idea, but it's one we - including the studio - stuck with because it sends a signal that we're not making a movie that's loaded with a lot of other mutants. You're actually gonna get to know this one. I think it's time. This story is one of the greatest, and that's the reason it's one of the fan favourites.

AP: As much as fans can be passionate at Comic-Con, they can also be equally critical. They didn't love X-Men Origins: Wolverine. How do you feel about hearing from them this week?

Jackman: I'm never afraid of that. I think the fans know I'm so grateful and very blessed to play the part. I love them. We try our hardest to get everything right, and I'm happy to hear from them. I learn from them. One of the main things I hear from fans all the time is we don't see enough of the berserker rage, and I really took that to heart because, to me, that is one of the key things I love about Logan.

AP: For everything that's different about this Wolverine film, there's once again a scene that finds Logan naked in a giant tub, even though the circumstances this time are very different from past X-Men movies. Is this something you're stipulating in your contract now?

Jackman: Look, all I say is it has to be a minimum of a minute. It's only a minute. That's all. I love a bit of nudity. It's a funny scene. The movie is darker in tone, and more restrained in a way. As long as we can get away with it, it's nice to have those fun moments. In all seriousness, no, it's not in my contract.

AP: X-Men: Days of Future Past will be your seventh time playing this character. How long do you think you can keep going as Wolverine?

Jackman: You may find it surprising to hear, but I'm loving it and feeling rejuvenated by it. For me, and I'm well aware there's way greater powers at play than me and my decision, it's more about: Do I still have something to offer to it? Is there something different we can explore? Is there a reason to tell another story? Without that, I won't do it. Secretly, I know it'd be like achieving peace in the Middle East, but I would love a way for all the Marvel characters to come together.

AP: What's it been like reuniting on Days of Future Past with everyone from the original film? You filmed it in the '90s!

Jackman: I think (original X-Men director) Bryan (Singer) really configured the image of comic book movies with that thing. Having him back is really exciting. The first month of shooting, because Patrick (Stewart) and Ian (McKellen) were off doing a play, was literally all the old actors all together. It was like a reunion, and then all of a sudden it shifted, and in came this younger ensemble of incredible actors (from X-Men: First Class). I just get to be there every day working opposite all of them.

AP: Do you ever see yourself passing on the role of Wolverine to a younger actor?

Jackman: Sure, Wolverine is like Bond. These roles are greater than I am as an actor. It will always live on and outlive me. It'll be passed on, and I'll be in the old people's home, showing my old movies and telling anyone who will listen that I was much better than whoever is playing it now. In all seriousness, it's the way it should be. I would be sad to think if I stopped playing it, Wolverine wouldn't be seen. It's too good a part.

Wolverine stunt goes wrong: Hugh Jackman 'nearly broke his neck' on set

Actor Hugh Jackman gives a thumbs-up to his fans. Picture: AP Source: AP

 

 

AAP and GQ report

Hugh Jackman has revealed he is cutting back on his movie stunts after a terrifying accident on the set of his new superhero blockbuster The Wolverine.

The Aussie star feared he had broken his neck during a daring scene in which his character swings out of a train carriage.

Jackman's injuries weren't severe, but the incident was enough to scare his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, who made him reassess the amount of dangerous work he does on set in future.

"In the film, there's a scene where I swing from inside to outside a train and my neck got caught. I thought I had broken it.

"It was one of those moments when my wife looked at me and said, 'What are you doing? Enough playing in the schoolyard! You are not invincible!'"

Jackman says he is now smarter about using a stunt double.

The 44-year-old hunk also revealed in a recent interview with GQ magazine that his famous Adamantium claws are just as dangerous in real life as they appear on screen.

"They've cut deep more than once. And not just me", he said of Wolverine's weaponry.

The Oscar-nominated actor also revealed that Robert Downey Jr reached out to him for diet tips after landing the lead role in Iron Man.

Jackman famously bulks up for his role as Wolverine and Downey Jr was keen to take advice on how to improve his physique.

"He knew I wasn't in shape before it [Wolverine], so there's a little bit of that [sharing that goes on between actors].''

Australian actor Hugh Jackman tops the 'which-famous-person-would-you-invite-to-dinner' list

Hungry Hugh? Jackman has been chosen as the celebrity we'd most like to have dinner with. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph reports

It is the question that pops up constantly (even if it's just in your imagination) - when planning a dinner party, who is the most fabulously famous person one could invite over?

And, as it turns out, Australians are after a mix of good looks, witty banter and talent, which explains why triple threat Hugh Jackman has topped a new survey endeavouring to find the nation's most loved and engaging star.

The list, called the Australian Celebrity Report and set to be released today, has been compiled by Southern Cross Austereo and Nine Rewards over two years.

While Nicole Kidman and - surprisingly - Delta Goodrem came close, Jackman says he was chuffed to claim the inaugural title.

"Just to be clear ... is this as a guest or the waiter?" Jackman joked.

"As an actor the idea of lots of great food thrills me to no end."

Kidman's hubby Keith Urban, actor Russell Crowe and model Miranda Kerr are also hot property at the dinner table according to the 40,000 Australians surveyed.

The report also featured a separate list of our favourite comedians, naming Hamish Blake, Adam Hills, Andy Lee and Rebel Wilson, as well as sporting stars, with Shane Warne, Eddie McGuire, Mark Webber and Ricky Ponting making the cut.

Australia's Top 10 dinner party guests:

1. Hugh Jackman 2. Nicole Kidman 3. Delta Goodrem 4. Kylie Minogue 5. Miranda Kerr 6. Russell Crowe 7. Hamish Blake 8. Keith Urban 9. Jennifer Hawkins 10. Adam Hills

Hugh Jackman says three hours a day in the gym and right food sculpted Wolverine’s body

Aussie heart-throb Hugh Jackman shows off the three hours a day he spent in the gym preparing for The Wolverine Source: Supplied

Elle Halliwell, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Hugh Jackman has revealed his sculpted body on upcoming film The Wolverine was the result of three hours of training every single day.

The Australian actor said he fit in two workout sessions a day to create his character Logan’s muscular physique in the action flick which hits cinemas later this year.

``I basically work out for three hours a day; two hours in the morning and then wherever I can in the day I fit in another hour,’’ he told fans in a live video chat yesterday [Friday].

The 44-year-old said his diet, which included supplements, low fat protein and six small meals a day was crucial to his preparation.

`` I’ll be honest with you the most important thing about the training is the eating,’’ he said.

``Seventy per cent of how you look is how you eat, and thirty per cent is the training, so that’s the more vital thing.

The film, which was shot in Japan and stars Famke Janssen and Japanese star Noburo Mori is set for release in Australia in July.

Follow Elle on Twitter @Elle_Halliwell

Stalker targets Hugh Jackman in New York gym

Hugh Jackman and wife Deborra. Picture: Hugh Jackman / Twitter Source: news.com.au

The Daily Telegraph reports

A female stalker burst into Hugh Jackman's New York gym and threw an electric razor filled with her pubic hair at him on Friday morning.

The New York Post reported yesterday that the bizarre incident happened during Jackman's morning workout and that the woman, identified as Kathleen Thurston, 47, screamed; "I love you" as a staffer dragged her away from the Aussie star.

The actor was exercising about 8am when the woman slipped past the check-in desk at the tiny gym and made a beeline for the actor, said trainer Mike Castle.

"She was crying," said Castle, who was in the facility's boxing ring.

"I physically removed her from the place, then I called the cops."

Thurston then reached into her waistband and launched the dirty razor at Jackman who, according to police, thought the woman was reaching for a gun or knife and backed away as soon as she made a move for her nether regions.

Police later apprehended the woman nearby.

Forensic officers recovered the razor and had to pick the hairs out of it to match them with her DNA.

Thurston, whose listed address is a Harlem shelter for the mentally ill, was charged with stalking and taken to court, where she was awaiting arraignment last night.

It wasn't the first time Thurston has stalked the 44-year-old Australian actor the sources said, having reportedly once showing up at the New York home he shares with his Australian actress-wife Deborra-Lee Furness.

Jackman told police he also has seen her outside his seven-year-old daughter Ava's primary school in Manhattan.

It's understood Jackman is preparing for X-Men: Days of Future Past and is yet to comment on the incident.

Hugh Jackman misses out on Best Actor award to Daniel Day-Lewis at Oscars

Hugh Jackman loses out to Daniel Day-Lewis despite his stellar performance in Les Miserables. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

The  Daily Telegraph reports

Our last Aussie hopeful Hugh Jackman has narrowly missed out on the award for Best Actor, pipped at the post by Daniel Day-Lewis.

Day-Lewis took out the top award for his leading role in Steven Spielberg's biopic, Lincoln, also beating out Bradley Cooper, Joaquin Phoenix and Denzel Washington.

Jackman was one of the hot contenders tipped to win the award for his leading role in Les Miserables.

Fans took to Twitter to express their thoughts on the result:

"Biggest upset: Hugh Jackman did not win the Best Actor. :(" Twitter user @aMrazing posted.

"What the hell! Hugh Jackman should have won that! Rigged. The Oscars are rigged!" another user fumed.

"I feel bad for Hugh Jackman - delivers the best performance of his career - any other year, he would have won with that amazing performance!" a fan Tweeted.

This marks Daniel Day-Lewis' third Oscar win, becoming the first actor in history to win three Best Actor Oscars.

It's been a less than successful night for Aussie nominees, with Naomi Watts missing out on Best Actress to fan favourite Jennifer Lawrence.

Jackman stars in 'worst film ever made'

Actor Hugh Jackman in Sydney. Picture: Cameron Richardson Source: The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph reports

Ensemble "comedy" Movie 43 has caused a collective eye-roll in Hollywood, with critics quick to call it "the worst film ever made".

Starring no fewer than 30 big names - including Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Halle Berry, Richard Gere and Uma Thurman - movie industry insiders are now saying the exceptionally terrible flick was "sneaked out on an unsuspecting public before critics could see it and warn them".

None of the actors have given interviews and media were not invited to early screenings of the flick, which is just a collection of skits.

In one, Winslet goes on a blind date with Jackman, who has a pair of testicles hanging from his throat.

Respected US critic Richard Roeper described the film it as the "Citizen Kane of awful".

It's Daniel first and daylight second

Actors Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman arrives at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards held at The Shrine Auditorium. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

Holly Byrnes, The Daily Telegraph, reports

It’s the consolation prize Hugh Jackman fans might have to get used to come Oscars time next month - the lyrical wonder that is a Daniel Day-Lewis acceptance speech.

The Lincoln star turned the Screen Actors Guild stage in Hollywood into a presidential podium yesterday, thanking his peers for the award most Australians wanted to be handed to "our" Jackman for his role in Les Miserables.

Day-Lewis captivated the audience when he collected the Best Actor gong for his role as Abraham Lincoln.

"It was an actor that murdered Abraham Lincoln and therefore it's only fitting, every so often, that an actor tries to bring him back to life," he said. "I've been terribly proud to carry the baton." Unfortunately for Jackman, Day-Lewis is now a near certainty to claim his third Academy Award next month.

Meanwhile, The Sapphires looks set to shine at tomorrow night's AACTA awards after dominating the technical categories presented at The Star yesterday. The hit collected five of the six feature film gongs, including Best Cinematography and Best Costume.

Hugh Jackman takes out best actor at 2013 Golden Globes

Hugh Jackman celebrates in the press room after winning the Golden Globe for best actor in a motion picture comedy or musical for Les Miserables. Source: AFP

 

Hugh Jackman has won the best actor Golden Globe for his role in Les Miserables.

The win is a major boost to Jackman's Oscar hopes, confirming him as the second favourite for the Academy Award behind frontrunner Daniel Day-Lewis, who won the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama for Lincoln.

"Wow. Thank you,'' a jubilant Jackman said on stage at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The Golden Globes splits best actor into two categories, with Jackman competing in the musical/comedy race and Day-Lewis in drama.

The Globes do not always predict the winners of the Oscars, but a win boosts a campaign, while a loss can torpedo an actor's chances.

Ben Affleck's political thriller Argo took out best picture (drama) at the ceremony.

Affleck, who missed out on an Oscar nod last week, was awarded the best director award.

Ben Affleck with his award for best director for Argo.

Besides Jackman's win, it was a dire night for the Australian nominees.

Naomi Watts' Oscar chances for lead actress took a dive after she was left out in the cold.

The Globe for best actress in a drama went to Zero Dark Thirty'sJessica Chastain.

Earlier, Nicole Kidman was up for two Golden Globes - for her supporting performance in The Paperboy and the TV movie Hemingway & Gellhorn- but bombed out of both.

Keith Urban was nominated in the original song category for For You, but was beaten by Adele's song Skyfall.

Jodie Foster was presented with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for outstanding contribution to the entertainment field.

Kidman lost out to Anne Hathaway, who won best supporting actor for Les Miserables.

Clutching her award, Hathaway called it a "lovely blunt object that I will forevermore use as a weapon against self-doubt''.

She also paid tribute to fellow nominee Sally Field, calling the woman who has gone from playing the Flying Nun to Mary Todd Lincoln "a vanguard against typecasting''.

Hollywood heavyweight Jodie Foster was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement for an illustrious career that has taken her from child star to Oscar-winning actress and respected film director.

Foster teased the global audience with what appeared to be a "coming out" speech then turned it into a wish for more privacy

"Every celebrity is supposed to honour the details of their private lives with a press conference, a fragrance and a reality show,'' Foster said while accepting award.

"I have given everything, up there (on the screen), since I was three years old, that's reality enough, I think.''

In a somewhat rambling speech, the 50-year-old built up to the big announcement then threw out the punchline: "I'm single''.

"I hope you're not disappointed that there won't be a big coming out speech tonight,'' she continued, adding that she did her coming out a lifetime ago to friends as a vulnerable girl and then "gradually, proudly'' to everyone she met.

Affleck's voice wavered as he accepted his best director Globe for Argo. He paid tribute to the other directors nominated (Spielberg, Lee, Bigelow and Tarantino) and those who stuck with him when he was a "nobody''.

He also thanked wife Jennifer Garner saying, "You're my everything.''

Previously, in the absence of last year's host Ricky Gervais, presenter Sacha Baron Cohen stepped in to make the A-listers a little uncomfortable at the 2013 Golden Globes.

"Let's all clap ourselves, come on,'' he told the assembled in a faux regal British accent. "Not you, Daniel Day-Lewis,'' he barked at the Lincoln star, "anyone can grow a bloody beard!''

He then joked about the lengths his Les Miserables co-stars went to for the film, including our Rusty: "Russell Crowe had four months of singing lessons that was money well spent.''

Former US president Bill Clinton brought a different kind of prestige to the ceremony, receiving an extended standing ovation when he stepped on stage to introduce best picture nominee Lincoln.

Steven Spielberg's film follows the president who ended the Civil War and freed the slaves. Clinton said: "We're all here tonight because he (President Lincoln) did it.''

The surprise presenter got co-host Amy Poehler excited: "Oh my God, do you know who that was? That was Hillary Clinton's husband!'' she exclaimed after he left the stage.

Oscar favourite Jennifer Lawrence took out the award for best actress in a comedy or musical for Silver Linings Playbook.

"I beat Meryl," the excited star exclaimed, referring to fellow nominee Meryl Streep.

In other categories, Quentin Tarantino won the best screenplay award for his controversial slavery film Django Unchained.

"This is a damn surprise, and I'm happy to be surprised,'' he said, accepting the award for his latest movie, starring Jamie Foxx as a freed slave who teams up with a dentist-turned-bounty hunter, played by Christophe Waltz.

Earlier, Waltz won the first award of the night, taking out best supporting actor.

The Austrian actor thanked Tarantino for "an amazing journey" after beating co-star Leonardo DiCaprio.

Actress and film-maker Lena Dunham, one of young Hollywood's hottest talents, won the award for best actress for her television series Girls.

"This award is for every woman who felt like there wasn't a space for her," Dunham said. "This show has made a space for me.''

Austria's Amourwon best foreign language film, beating Rust and Bone, The Intouchables, A Royal Affair and Kon-Tiki.

The Pixar filmBrave took out best animated feature film.

Reaction to hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler has been overwhelmingly positive, with many Twitterers calling for the ladies to host every awards ceremony in future.

In their opening, Poehler joked that the pair had no intention of doing anything as controversial as past host Ricky Gervais, then minutes later dropped a line on Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow that had the star-packed audience gasping.

"When it comes to torture, I trust the woman who spent three years married to James Cameron,'' Poehler said.

Tina Fey poked fun at superstar Taylor Swift, renowned for her romances with One Direction's Harry Styles and 18-year-old Conor Kennedy.

"You know what, Taylor Swift, you stay away from Michael J. Fox's son," Fey said.

The younger Fox, Sam, was on stage alongside Clint Eastwood's daughter Francesca as "Mr and Miss Golden Globe''.

On the red carpet, Poehler said, "We haven't even thought about the nominations part because we're so stressed about hosting.''

Presenters Paul Rudd and Salma Hayek had a slip up, with teleprompter problems leading them to fluff the intro of the best television series drama category (which was won by Homeland).

Other Australians still in the running for Globes tonight include Hugh Jackman (attending with his wife Deborra-Lee Furness) and Naomi Watts. Meanwhile, Mel Gibson was spotted hanging out with old Hollywood mates Jodie Foster and Robert Downey Jr.

Veteran actress Maggie Smith, who plays Violet Crawley, the Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey, won as best supporting actress in a TV series. She wasn't in California to receive her award.

British actor Damian Lewis was also a winner, taking the award for best actor in a television drama for his role in Homeland.

Earlier, Tinseltown's big guns graced the red carpet outside the Beverly Hilton for the Golden Globes ceremony under sunny skies but crisp temperatures.

Australia's big four - Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban - also hit the red carpet.

Other celebrities strutting their stuff included Australian actress Isla Fisher, Kelly Osbourne and fashion designer Nicole Richie.

Excited onlookers lined up across the street hoping for a glimpse of their favourite celebrity. 

It's Aussie time to play at G'Day USA

Hugh Jackman, left, Deborra-Lee Furness, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban arrive at the G'Day USA Gala in Los Angeles. Picture: AP Source: AP

Kim Wilson and Ros Reines, The Daily Telegraph, report

He has hosted an Oscars and performed at a string of Hollywood galas but Hugh Jackman anointed the G'Day USA Awards as "one of the best nights of the year" despite ducking out early to attend a pre-Golden Globes event.

Before he left Jackman was on hand at the Los Angeles bash last night to present the Australian Icon award to Paul Hogan for his work introducing Australia to a generation of Americans.

"I grew up watching Hoges, he was the everyman," Jackman said of the Crocodile Dundee star who has seemingly put behind him his epic case with the Australian Tax Office.

"He's funny, honest, smart, ethical and an icon, for me a mentor," he said. Others honoured in the past by G'Day USA took the stage to be acknowledged again including Naomi Watts, Toni Collette, Luc Longley, Air Supply, Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman, Simon Baker and Mel Gibson - the latter did not walk the red carpet but was still given a huge round of applause by the 1100 guests.

Hosted by Elle Macpherson and Richard Wilkins, the event also featured a few American cameos including honorary Australian John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston, who made an eye-opening confession on the red carpet, surprising reporters when she admitted that she is still breast-feeding her two-year-old son Benjamin.

"I'm trying to wean him off," she said.

Meanwhile Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver was one of the favourites of the night, telling the crowd she jumped on her bed in her pyjamas when she heard she had been nominated for a second Oscar for her role in The Silver Linings Playbook.

Jackman almost missed Oscar announcement

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 05: Actor Hugh Jackman attends the "Les Miserables" World Premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square on December 5, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart Wilson/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

Peter Mitchell, The Daily Telegraph, reports

While most Oscar nominees were glued to TV sets nervously hoping to hear their names, Hugh Jackman almost missed the announcement he had scored his first Oscar nod.

Luckily for the Australian star, who is in Atlanta filming the crime-drama Prisoners, his driver was well aware of the big moment.

"I hadn't planned to listen live to the announcements, but when I got into the car this morning to go to work, the driver had the nominations streaming as they were being broadcast," Jackman said.

"To be honest, it's very exciting but all a bit surreal, and it hasn't fully sunk in yet."

Jackman, as expected, was nominated on Thursday in the best actor category for his performance in the musical, Les Miserables.

The best actor category is stacked with talent and brilliant performances, with two-time Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis, for Lincoln, the favourite.

Jackman is the second favourite.

Another double Oscar winner, Denzel Washington, is nominated for Flight, while Joaquin Phoenix picked up the third nomination of his career for The Master.

The dark horse is Bradley Cooper, who is the central character, a bipolar sufferer, in Silver Linings Playbook, a film that dominated the acting categories with Aussie Jacki Weaver (supporting actress), Robert De Niro (supporting actor) and Jennifer Lawrence (actress) also nominated.

"This is a brilliant awards year that has been defined by an eclectic list of stories that have been told by incredibly talented and courageous filmmakers, and it's an honour to be mentioned in the same sentence as the other nominees in the best actor category," Jackman said.

"Having hosted the show, I have seen so many different sides of the Oscars, but to be an actual nominee is something I never would have dreamed possible."

Jackman hosted the Oscars in 2009.

Other Aussies nominated for Academy Awards were Naomi Watts (best actress - The Impossible) and Rick Findlater (make-up and hairstyling - The Hobbit).

The 85th Academy Awards ceremony will be held in Hollywood on February 24.

Prisoners, which also stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Oscar nominee Viola Davis, follows a Boston man who kidnaps the person he believes kidnapped his young daughter and her friend.