Now that Hugh Jackman has officially passed on repeating as Oscarcast host, who should the new producing team of Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman recruit for the toughest job in Hollywood? 

There are the usual names in the mix like A-listers George Clooney, Tom Hanks and Will Smith. And there are the hipper choices like Steve Carell and Tina Fey. But with Jackman hitting a home run last year with his singing and dancing don't discount someone like Queen Latifah -- who Shankman directed in "Hairspray" -- being tapped to host. And if Oscar chiefs plan to put heavy emphasis on musical entertainment, why not consider "Precious" star Mariah Carey, eh?

We wanted to add "Precious" costar Mo'Nique to the choices in this poll, but — let's face it — the academy is a nonprofit organization that probably can't afford her appearance fee.

Don't see your pick for Oscar emcee among the names below? Then post it in the comments section and perhaps he or she will make it into the next round of voting.

UPDATE 10/30 2 p.m. PT: Oops, as some of you note snarkily in the comments section below, we should've included Neil Patrick Harris as a choice. You're right, of course, considering he did such a stellar job holding forth at the Emmys, Tonys and TV Land Awards. At this late point, we can't edit the poll below, so we promise to do a follow-up poll that includes Harris as a choice . . .  later. We'll have him face off against the candidates who scored highest here -- plus Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais. Please come back and vote again. Here is the follow-up poll - CLICK HERE to vote.

Photo credit: AMPAS

Get Gold Derby on Twitter. Join the Gold Derby Group at Facebook. Become friends with Tom O'Neil on Facebook. Get Gold Derby RSS feed via Facebook. RSS Feedburner. RSS Atom.