This year, whether Oscar winners accepted their kudos on the Kodak Theater's stage or from the balcony, the middle of the audience or the third urinal in the men's room, they all had to come backstage to meet the press. That's where the stars face a roomful of reporters from around the world and try to look composed as they answer our many goofy questions intelligently. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes not so much. Here's TVGuide.com's timeline of Sunday night's most memorable moments backstage at the Academy Awards:
5:15 PST My Oscar night gets off to an auspicious start when I discover I'm seated right next to Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper! Only the best for TVGuide.com. I even help the Chicagoan film pundits plug in their laptops, putting them in my eternal debt. Natch, this means we'll be best friends all evening.5:21 Roeper, or as I like to call him, Richie (OK, not really) agrees we'd better steer clear of Amp — the su
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The 76th annual Academy Awards may be history, but questions linger like sweat stains on Peter Jackson's tux. For instance, was Sandra Bullock really late to rehearsals? Who's Renee Zellweger's mysterious "beloved" and what is the Oscar winner's connection to Vincent D'Onofrio? Did ABC's censors have to utilize that five-second delay? And is Charlize Theron dating her lawyer? We'd also like to know what Marcia Gay Harden was hiding in that beehive 'do not of hers, but some things are best left up to the imagination. Everything else warrants an explanation.
Who is Renee Zellweger's "beloved" John Carrabino, and why does she keep b
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Let's get real: Nobody watches the Academy Awards to find out who wins. You're going to read all about that the morning after in Michael Ausiello's column, and you know it. No, we tune in to the overlong ego trip for three reasons and only three reasons: the clothes, the catastrophes and the crying (and, when we get really, really lucky, the chance to see all three at once). That being the case, last night's live broadcast of the 76th annual ceremony was, by all accounts, a rousing success. For those of you who were too busy double-checking your office Oscar-pool ballots to pay attention to the goings-on, TV Guide Online offers this instant replay.
Clothes CallsFirst, let's take a moment to embrace our inner Joan Riverses and talk about the outfits. Trading her Morticia Addams hand-me-downs for a stunning ivory gown, radiant
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Ever wonder where Oscar winners go after being led — or, in some cases, dragged — off the Kodak Theater's stage? No, they don't just toddle on back to their seats. First, they've gotta come backstage to meet the press. That's where the stars tell a roomful of reporters whatever they lacked time — or the presence of mind — to say to the billion viewers watching at home. Bear in mind, these Tinseltown luminaries are often still shell-shocked when they reach us, which means lotsa memorable moments. Here's a handy-dandy timeline of Sunday night's backstage highlights:
6:03 pm/PSTIf you thought Mystic River's Tim Robbins had a case of award-show anxiety onstage, he was even loopier backstage. How did the best supporting actor feel, now that he and longtime companion
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On Feb. 29, Billy Crystal hosts the 76th Annual Academy Awards. Arguably the most popular Oscar emcee in recent history, the comic's taking his eighth turn at bat. But why hasn't he done the show in the past three years?
"I've never had any regrets about the years I haven't done it," Crystal says. "I so needed a rest from it. It's three months [of prep time], and that's a long part of your year. The years just felt all the same, after a while, and you start to feel stale."
How did Oscar entice Billy back? First off, Joe Roth — Crystal's pal and director on 2001's America's Sweethearts — is producing the awards show this year. Secondly, his public was clamoring for it. "Wherever I go, people ask me, 'Why aren't you doing the show? We miss you. We want you to do it.' After a while, you have to pay attention to that."
Plus, he feels the Oscars are an inside job, not to be trusted to smart alecks like Dave Lette
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