Friday, Australian actor Hugh Jackman was chosen to host February’s Oscars, which translates as leaving behind the longtime tradition of assigning United States comedians to host the Academy Awards ceremony.

Nevertheless, with an actors’ strike hovering over the event, many are now wondering whether Hollywood’s big night would go as planned, since the Screen Actors Guild members are scheduled to cast their vote on an a strike authorization the following month. Given that the Oscars ceremony is to be held on February 22, there’s currently no telling whether actors will be picketing the prestigious event instead of strolling fabulously down the red carpet.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to choose Jackman to host the televised ceremony that will be broadcast by ABC network in an attempt to make this 81 edition of the Awards more about movies, on one hand. Since recent hosts Jon Stewart and Ellen DeGeneres are both best known as television stars, producers of the telecast have revealed their intention to break the habit of a late-night talk show routine this year.

Moreover, since Hugh Jackman is quite the heart-throb, Laurence Mark, a co-producer of the Oscars telecast, has stated that having picked him as host had also been aimed at drawing the female audience in front of their TV sets for the event commonly known as the Super Bowl for women.

During recent years, the number of viewers for the ceremony has declined, so producers are now trying to boost ratings for the show with the help of People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive Hugh Jackman.