Australian actor Chris Hemsworth has been picked to announce the names of the Oscar nominees Thursday morning in Los Angeles. The one downside for the Thor actor is setting his alarm for early in the morning, since the nominees are announced at 5:30 a.m. Pacific time.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced that Hemsworth will stand at the podium with new Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

The press conference will take place at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills and will air live at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Jan. 16.

Hemsworth made his film debut with Star Trek in 2009, but is best known today for playing Thor in the Marvel character’s solo films and Marvel’s The Avengers. Aside from starring in Thor: The Dark World this year, he also appeared in Ron Howard’s Rush. That film is expected to be a dark horse contender during the awards season, since it was nominated for Best Picture - Drama for the Golden Globes. His co-star, Daniel Bruhl, was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

The Oscars are scheduled for March 2 with Ellen DeGeneres hosting.

You can check out all our 2014 awards season coverage, including reviews of the top contenders, here.

image: ABC/Randy Holmes