Live Blogging The Oscars

I finally made it inside and I will be live blogging from inside the interview room. I am typing slow because my hands are thawing out from outside. Feel free to hit me up with questions and comments as the night goes on.  Here we go!

5:44 PM:  Art Direction is the first award with Tom Hanks.  Alice in Wonderland wins!

5:45 PM:  Trying really hard to update photos and videos from the red carpet while watching a show. I need to pee and I want a snack.  The press food back here smells good.

5:46 PM:  Well, you get a 2 for 1 with Tom Hanks. He's also doing Best Cinematography.  Wally!  Inception won.  I interviewed him on the red carpet so thrilled!

5:49 PM:  First winners coming into the room now.  This is when they turn down the volume and I have to wear headsets to hear the show.  Lots of multi-tasking.

5:52 PM:  Most of the room is focused on Kirk Douglas.  It's the first time everyone piped down.  Supporting category.  Do we get our first upset here?

5:54 PM:  And the Oscar goes to?  Melissa Leo.  No upset.  She swept the awards season.
And by the way, Kirk Douglas is amazing.  It takes a lot of courage to get up there live in front of an international audience.  He was so funny, but the ladies must have been dying to hear the winner!

5:58 PM:  You may be speechless, but you have 45 seconds.  F-BOMB!!!  Damn. I hope this is the sign of a fun night.

6:00 PM:  I hope we hear an F-BOMB in the pressroom from her.  Justin Timberlake got the loudest cheers on the red carpet.

6:03 PM:  I feel young and hip.  I just explained to the media around me who Banksy was.  And here's my Banksy photo!!

6:07 PM  No suprise, Toy Story 3 won.  Well-deserved!  I did interview the How to Train Your Dragon nominees and I really liked them, so I was secretly rooting for the underdog too.

6:11 PM  I am listening to the Oscars via headset in one ear and leaving the other ear open to hear the backstage interviews.  The two reporters across from me are snarky and it's kind of fun to listen to.

6:13 PM  Oooo, this is a good catetory. Adapted Screenplay.  This is Aaron Sorkin's.  Let's see if I am right.

6:15 PM Okay, I was right.  Now let's take a moment to pause and see how close I got to Javier Bardem on the red carpet:

6:17 PM  Melissa Leo is here and very apologetic about her F-BOMB.  And so happy to see that David Seidler of The King's Speech won for Best Original Screenplay.  I can't wait to show you my interview with him.

6:21 PM:  Melissa made no apologies for her Variety "For Your Consideration" ad.  Good girl!

6:25 PM:  Here comes the singing.  It's hard for the winners to see us in the press room. They keep looking for the reporter barking a question.

6:26 PM:  By the way, Taylor Hackford is a lucky man.  Helen Mirren is a total babe.

6:28 PM:  Denmark wins for Best Foreign Language Film.  Nice!  I interviewed her on the red carpet as well.  I didn't do too badly.

6:32 PM:  Looking like a predictable night so far.  Christian Bale for Best Supporting Actor.  I was rooting for Geoffrey Rush.

6:34 PM:  But here's your Christian Bale photo from earlier today:

 6:41 PM:  David Seidler is in here.  I have a complete crush on him.  His writing was beautiful in The King's Speech.

6:42:  Is it me or did Nicole Kidman's dress look similar to Anne Hathaway's opening monologue dress? Rachel Zoe will not be pleased.

6:44 PM  Never in my lifetime did I ever think I would utter, "Trent Reznor, Oscar winner".  Way to go, Nine Inch Nails.  I loved The Social Network's soundtrack. 

6:46 PM:  Red Carpet Gossip alert:  Scarlett Johansson was the least gracious on the red carpet.  Yep, I said it.  

6:47 PM:  Sorkin is here.  My favorite first five minutes in a film-The Social Network. He's so smart. 

6:54 PM:  Aaron is still yapping away.  Just a reminder, all photos posted tonight belong to me.  Please ask for permission to repost.  I am happy to grant permission in exchange for a link.  Now back to your regularly scheduled program.  

6:56 PM:  Rick Baker wins ANOTHER Oscar for makeup for The Wolfman. His work is undeniably groundbreaking in the makeup category beginning with An American Werewolf in London.  I can't wait to share my article about yesterday's Makeup Symposium.  He offered a lot of interesting insight on CGI versus traditional makeup techniques.  He is spot on in his opinions on this.  

7:04 PM:  I, for one, missed the performances last year at the Oscars, so it is nice to see so many artists hit the stage and sing their songs.  

7:05 PM:  Christian Bale is here and he started by asking the media a question about his speech.  He was worried he forgot to thank Mark Walhberg and Melissa Leo.

7:07 PM:  The musical theatre geek in me was so excited to interview Alan Menken on the red carpet tonight where he talked about his performance with Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi.

7:11 PM:  Ted Casablanca from E! just asked the question of the night:  "Since you have been know for a few meltdowns, what do you think of Charlie Sheen?"  Christian Bale:  "I don't know a thing, I've been in China". Nice way out of that sticky spot.  Big laughs and of course, Charlie Sheen found a way to sneak into the Oscars.  

7:16 PM:  I need to take a quick break.  Caffeine and a bathroom and a snack are in my future.  

7:22 PM:  I'm back with food, beverage, and the realization that I interviewed the winners of Inside Job on the red carpet.  Yes!

7:26 PM:  If you have been following the Nikki Finke drama, Billy Crystal was the worst kept surprise in the industry.

7:28 PM:  I feel bad for the winner of Sound Mixing for Inception. Everyone keeps laughing, but they are listening to Billy Crystal, not him.

7:30 PM  Rick Baker is here.  He doesn't have an agent, rarely chases jobs, and he chased after The Wolfman job.  I think he made the right decision.

7:37 PM:  Red Carpet Gossip Alert: Jennifer Hudson had a Personal Dress Train handler on the red carpet:

7:45 PM  Has Gwyneth sung at every awards show this year? Time to retire. Ouch.  She looked amazing tonight though. Her body was flawless in a dress that does not allow flaws.  

7:54 PM  Love her music or not, Celine is one of Hollywood's nicest celebrities.  That is a fact.  And the lady can sing.  I'm sorry for the lousy photo, Celine.  My fault.

7:57 PM:  Even though Christopher Nolan is not nominated for Best Director, the press likes his movie quite a bit.  Winners in ANY category from the movie get the most questions.  The omission is noted on all sides of the media.

8:01 PM:  Halle is a little bit of crazy, but she always looks good. 

8:04 PM  Loud cheers in the pressroom for Best Director winner, Tom Hooper, for The King's Speech.  The favoritism amongst the press is always one that intrigues me.

8:05 PM:  We have been informed that the rest of the winners are being held in the theatre until the end of the night. This show is moving quicker than previous years.

8:10 PM:  Sorry, I got distracted. Some good overheard snark:  "It's a night to remember" is heard on onscreen. A press member repeats it in the most sarcastic way possible.  Then another press member replies, "Yeah, you want a young crowd, entice them with Kirk Douglas".  It's hard to dodge the snark in here.

8:12 PM:  Do we think there will be an upset in this category after such a predictable night?

8:16 PM:  Nobody wants Natalie to win. Hmmm.....but she does.  Predictable night. Oh, the press is still not happy with her after this.  So, Annette, I am giving you this, my chocolate Oscar:

8:22 PM  A few gifts to someone who has been supporting me all Awards Season long.  To Michelle:  here is your Zachary Levi photo:

8:25 PM:  Colin Firth.  The most predictable predict of the entire season. He was good, but go see him in A Single Man.  He's even better.

8:26 PM:  When I grow up, I want Mr. Valentino to walk me down the red carpet like Anne Hathaway. Her red carpet dress was divine.  Now, that's a star!

8:34 PM:  I am going to predict that it is The King's Speech for the trifecta....Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay.

8:35 PM:  And that announcement made the press happy. Good job, Academy!

8:36 PM:  I wish I could take pictures in here.  The reporters across from me are awesome.  They remind me of Statler and Waldorf. I hope you get this reference.

8:36 PM:  PS 22, save this show!  Now do you guys miss Ricky Gervais as host?  PS 22 was the hit of the red carpet, by the way!

8:46 PM:  Winner should be coming in soon.  Will add a few updates here until I leave to eat my STEAK.

8:49 PM:  Randy Newman, Oscar #2 for him. I love his song for Toy Story 3.

8:56 PM:  Lots of waiting.  Press is eating.  I picked up my Oscar program and returned my headsets.  Exciting, no?  I can't stop thinking about meat, potatoes, mac and cheese, a glass of wine, dessert.  Remember all of you who said I looked thin?  You won't say that tomorrow. Ha!

9:01 PM:  While you are waiting, here is a photo of Armie Hammer to stare at. Yum.

9:07 PM:  Still nothing. I am going to post the article and link on the Nikki Finke controversy up at the 7:26 PM mark.

9:10 PM:  Natalie is here!  Journalist asked if she was going to name her baby "Oscar".  This is the loveliest outfit on her yet-Rodarte.

9:12 PM  Okay, it's getting interesting in here.  Someone just asked whether her baby was moving when she won.  Nope, he moved during the song portion of the night.  Then another journalist asked about the John Galliano and the Anti-Semitic remarks that have him currently suspended from Dior.  They also didn't understand why she wasn't wearing Dior when she is the face of Dior.  Oops, moderator moved on quickly from that one.

9:19 PM:  Colin is here and handsome.  Even though he just won an Oscar, everyone wanted to know if he was invited to the royal wedding. Really?  Do Kate and Prince William really figure into tonight's events?

9:23 PM:  Okay, kids, time for me to wrap up here and go change to outfit #2!  It's party time. I will bring you more video and photos tomorrow.  Thanks for joining me in such an incredible ride.  My dreams came true tonight! xo