HUGH "WOLVERINE" JACKMAN

Actor Hugh “Wolverine” Jackman, host for the forthcoming Oscar ceremonies, was interviewed a couple months ago in Playboy and said this about his experience at the San Diego Comic-Con: “It’s as close as a film actor will ever come to feeling like a rock star. You walk out on that stage before 7,000 amped people, and the energy’s overwhelming. ... I owe my career to that [Comic-Con] crowd.” ... “Kung Fu Panda” won big at the 36^th annual Annie Awards staged on January 30 by the International Animated Film Society at the U. of California - Los Angeles, roundly outclassing “Wall-E,” which, according to the Los Angeles Times and Entertainment Weekly,  knowledgeable persons everywhere expect to win an Oscar. An upset, yes, but we are, after all, in the season of unexpected victories for slumdogs everywhere.