Jackman almost missed Oscar announcement

HUGH Jackman can thank his driver for not letting him miss the announcement of his first Oscar nomination.

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 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.