Hugh Jackman will host the 81st annual Academy Awards. The Australia actor, who was recently named People's Sexiest Man Alive, won an Emmy award in 2005 for hosting the 2005 Tony Awards. Oscar producer Laurence Mark said Jackman was selected as the show's host "because we want the ceremony to be fun."

The Oscars will be broadcast live from the Kodak Theatre on February 22nd.

The science fiction remake The Day the Earth Stood Still, starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly, debuted at the top of the weekend box office, ending the two-week reign of the holiday comedy Four Christmases, which fell to second place. The film updates the 1951 original about an alien who comes to Earth to warn mankind about a coming global crisis, with Reeves portraying the alien Klaatu.

Also opening this weekend was Nothing Like the Holidays, with John Leguizamo, Debra Messing and Alfred Molina in the story of a family gathering in Chicago for a holiday reunion. It opened weakly in seventh place.

Several films with big-name stars opened in limited release to qualify for the Academy Awards. They included:

Doubt, the movie adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a nun, played by Meryl Streep, who suspects a parish priest, portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, has been abusing a child.

Gran Torino, which stars Clint Eastwood as a bigoted man who becomes an unlikely protector of his immigrant neighbors.

The Reader, starring Kate Winslet as a former concentration camp guard during the Holocaust who's standing trial years later.

Director Steven Soderbergh's Che, starring Benicio Del Toro as Latin American revolutionary Che Guevara<.

THIS WEEKEND'S TOP TEN MOVIES -- DECEMBER 12 - 14

The Day the Earth Stood Still, $31 million

Four Christmases, $13.3 million

Twilight, $8 million

Bolt, $7.5 million

Australia, $4.3 million

Quantum of Solace, $3.8 million

Nothing Like the Holidays, $3.5 million

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, $3.3 million

Milk, $2.6 million

Transporter 3, $2.3 million

Chris Rock's daughters have a special request of their famous father -- they want to meet Barack Obama's daughters. Rock told People.com, "My girls want a play date. They look at the youngest and they're like, 'We can play with her, Daddy.'" The Obama girls are older than Rock's girls -- Malia Obama is 10 years old and Sasha Obama is seven -- but Rock isn't ruling out a meeting with his six-year-old daughter Lola and her four-year-old sister Zahra quite yet. The actor-comedian told People, "We'll see."

Rock's comments were made at the Children's Museum of Manhattan on Friday (December 12th), where he read the kids' book Pinkalicious to a group of children from the East Side Settlement House. Rock says Pinkalicious is his daughter Zahra's favorite book.

Rock can currently be heard in the animated movie Madagascar 2.

His HBO special Kill The Messenger comes out on DVD January 20th.

Former American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe is responding to Paula Abdul's claim that she asked for obsessed fan Paula Goodspeed not to be included on the program. Lythgoe told Us Weekly magazine, "I don't remember Paula Abdul ever saying, 'Don't bring this one or that one in. But she says she did -- I believe her. My point is, this young woman went through the audition process. None of us believed she posed any danger to Paula. Believe me, if we had, she wouldn't have been in the room."

He chalked up Goodspeed's inclusion to quality entertainment. He added, "We had someone who was a very huge fan of Paula's, and we thought Simon Cowell would have great fun with it. That's all."

A gift given to Jennifer Hudson's sister Julia on her 31st birthday sparked the jealous rage that allegedly drove William Balfour to kill Hudson's mother, brother, and nephew this past October. According to People.com, Julia Hudson's estranged husband Balfour went to Hudson's Chicago home the morning after her small birthday party celebration and spotted a present he believed was given to her by a new boyfriend. Prosecutors believe that Balfour was so upset about the gift that he waited until Hudson left for work, shot her mother and brother, and kidnapped her son Julian King. Seven-year-old King was found dead in Balfour's SUV a couple of days later.

Balfour's attorneys say their client is innocent and is a convenient scapegoat for the murders because of his tumultuous relationship with Julia Hudson. Balfour is being held without bail and is charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

Jennifer Hudson has kept a low profile since the murders despite the success of her self-titled album.

The album debuted at Number Two on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Former Cosby Show mom Phylicia Rashad is the newest face of Jenny Craig. Like other Jenny Craig spokeswomen such as Queen Latifah and Valerie Bertinelli, Rashad will promote the brand through print ads, commercials, and public appearances.

The 60-year-old actress's deal with the weight loss company won't be officially announced until January, but a spokesperson confirmed with People.com that Rashad was on board.

Rashad was nominated for a Golden Globe award last week for her leading performance in the miniseries A Raisin In The Sun.

NAOMI WATTS GIVES BIRTH: Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber welcomed their second child on Saturday (December 13th). Watts gave birth to a baby boy, her rep confirmed. Their son, whose name was not released, is the couple's second. Alexander Pete Schreiber was born in July of 2007.

CHARLIE SHEEN AND DENISE RICHARDS' KIDS UNHURT AFTER CAR ACCIDENT: Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards' young daughters were unharmed after being involved in a car accident on Friday (December 12th). Sam, who is four, and Lola, who is three, were being driven by their nanny in Malibu when the Honda in front of them made a turn, which sparked a four-car collision. Sheen's rep Stan Rosenfield told People magazine, "Charlie told me that the girls are fine. He said it could have been much worse. They were in their car seats, and he is extremely grateful for the safety features from Mercedes." Sergeant Evans of the L.A. Sheriff's Department added, "The only person injured was the driver of the Honda. There was no crime committed."

MICHAEL PHELPS GETTING FAT: Michael Phelps has been enjoying his post-Olympic down-time and has the body to prove it. The gold medalist told Stephen Colbert last week, "I'm out of shape right now." Despite the absence of his training regime, Phelps said he consumes between 8,000 and 10,000 calories a day and admitted to weighing 205 pounds - the first time in his life he's ever topped 200. He says he will resume training in January to begin preparing for the 2012 Olympics in London.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON MARRIAGE COMMENTS WERE FABRICATED: Scarlett Johansson never opened up to the U.K. Cosmopolitan about her marriage to Ryan Reynolds, her rep told PerezHilton.com. Marcel Pariseau said, "The quotes attributed to Scarlett Johansson regarding her marriage in the UK edition of Cosmopolitan are wholly fabricated. Ms. Johansson has at no point granted UK Cosmopolitan an interview, and she has never discussed her personal relationships with the publication. In fact, in an interview with US Cosmopolitan given prior to her engagement, (Published August 2008) Ms. Johansson states the following when asked about her relationship "I hate feeling like I have to share my personal life with anybody. So I'll take the normal celebrity route and just say I'm going to keep my personal life private." Pariseau added that the actress is seeking legal action against the publication.

TARA REID ENTERS REHAB: Tara Reid has checked into rehab. A rep for the notorious party girl said in a statement on Friday (December 12th), "Tara Reid has checked herself into Promises Treatment Center. We appreciate your respect to her and her family's privacy at this time." The 33-year-old addressed her image to Us Weekly magazine in 2006, calling her E! party show Taradise, "probably the stupidest thing I ever did." She added, "I didn't know it was going to ruin my career. People forget I've done, like, 20 movies. I'm not just a party girl."

'TOP CHEF' FINALIST MARRIES: Former Top Chef finalist Sam Talbot is married. People magazine confirmed that the chef and his fiance Paola Guerrero wed in New York's City Hall on November 17th. The couple met less than a year before tying the knot.

'GOSSIP GIRL' STAR REPORTEDLY ENGAGED: Leighton Meester, who stars on the CW drama, Gossip Girl, is reportedly engaged to her boyfriend, Sebastian Stan. The couple met on the set of her hit show when Stan appeared in two episodes last year. The New York Post reports that the couple announced news of their engagement on their "secret" Facebook pages. Meester's rep had no comment when asked about the couple.

AMY POEHLER BIDS FAREWELL TO 'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE': Amy Poehler made her final appearance on Saturday Night Live this past weekend. On Weekend Update, the new mom -- who is leaving to focus on her upcoming NBC sitcom -- bid goodbye to her fans. She said, "I would like to take a moment to thank everybody. This is my last show. Being able to do over 140 shows with my friends and family has been a dream come true." Poehler had been a member of the late-night cast since 2001.

IS A FUED WAGING OVER POSSIBILITY OF HEATH LEDGER GOLDEN GLOBE ACCEPTANCE?: Heath Ledger's father Kim is reportedly battling with Dark Knight producers who want the late actor's ex, Michelle Williams to accept a possible Golden Globe on behalf of their daughter, Matilda. A source told the New York Daily News, "Kim desperately wants to do it. But the studio and the producers would rather have Michelle receive it on behalf of Matilda. A friend of the family, however, believes the likelihood of Williams getting on stage is slim. The source said, "Why would Michelle be involved? She had nothing to do with the movie. They weren't even together when he passed away. Would you have your ex-wife accept your award? And they weren't even married. Director Chris Nolan or star Christian Bale would make more sense. Michelle makes no sense. It's like those rumors that she would go to the premiere of Dark Knight. That was never in the realm of possibility."

PRODUCTION CHANGES FOR 'AMERICAN IDOL': American Idol will be making some changes this season. The fan site mjsbigblog.com reported news allegedly retrieved from an internal Fox memo that announced the show will air fewer bad singers during audition weeks and more who are "inspirational." Instead of a Top 24, there will be a Top 36 who will eventually be narrowed down to 12. Also, the show will reportedly being back its Wild Card run, and the charity extravaganza, "Idol Gives Back" will be absent this season.

DIRECTOR ANNOUNCED FOR 'TWILIGHT' SEQUEL: Chris Weitz has confirmed reports that he will direct the upcoming Twilight sequel. The director, whose credits include About a Boy and The Golden Compass, wrote in a letter to fans on Saturday (December 13th), "I promise to remain responsive to your hopes and fears. I thank you for this opportunity and for your faith." Stephanie Meyer, who wrote the four-books series that includes Twilight and the imminent New Moon, addressed Weitz's hiring on her website. She said, "I'm sad that Catherine is not continuing on with us for New Moon," but noted that Weitz, "is excited by the story and eager to keep the movie as close to the book as possible. He is also aware of you, the fans, and wants to keep you all extremely happy." New Moon is expected to be released in late 2009 or early 2010.

LAUREN GRAHM BACK ON TV: Lauren Grahm is returning to television. The former Gilmore Girls actress will star in a pilot picked up by ABC that features her as a self-help guru who educates women on how to live a stress-free life. Irony befalls when she's unable to heed her own advice after being dumped by her boyfriend.

'SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE' LEFT OFF AFI TOP TEN LIST: Although Slumdog Millionaire has been the recipient of many honors this month, including the New York Film Critics Online award, the movie was left off AFI's list of the top ten films of 2008. Those films, announced on Sunday (December 14th) include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Frozen River, Gran Torino, Iron Man, Milk, Wall-E, Wendy and Lucy, and The Wrestler. Their top ten television programs of the year included Breaking Bad, In Treatment, John Adams, Life, Lost, Mad Men, The Office, Recount, The Shield, and The Wire.