Celebritology Live: Pre-Oscar Hype; Claire Danes -- Hottie or Haughty?

You've Been Served... a Heaping Plate of Gossip

When stars shave their heads, marry (or divorce) inadvisedly, couch-jump, spend countless minutes in jail, commit a fashion faux pas and/or other random acts of ego-inspired inanity, washingtonpost.com Celebritology blogger Liz Kelly is on the job. Every weekday, Liz shares the buzz, offers perspective and provides crucial links to juicy alternate news sources and, of course, takes your reaction in her daily blog.

Join Liz LIVE every Thursday at 2 p.m. ET to gab about the latest celebrity pairings (and splittings), rising stars (and falling ones), and get the scoop on the latest gossip making waves across the Web.

In her pre-celeb obsessed days (as if!), Liz ran washingtonpost.com's Discussions section, where she enjoyed talking to really interesting people -- sometimes even Post reporters -- on the phone. She still produces Pulitzer-prize winner Gene Weingarten's weekly Chatological Humor discussion and serves as co-proprietress of post.com's "Lost" Central.

Celebritology Live Archive

-----

Liz Kelly: Welcome back -- this is the final chat before Sunday's Oscar ceremony, so I'd like to hear your predictions. Who will win big? Who will lose? Will Angelina and Jen have an uncomfortable encounter? Can Lisa Rinna get any worse? And how many steps on the red carpet before Mickey Rourke assumes his favorite hand-down-pants pose? Will Hugh Jackman totally bite as host?

And come back on Sunday -- starting at 6 p.m. ET Jen Chaney and I will be hosting a live Online Oscar Party. I'll stick around for the duration of the red carpet arrivals and Jen will be with you until the bitter end.

Okay, let's get started...

_______________________

FYI: Dom DeLuise was supposed to make a public appearance last weekend and canceled. The vicious rumor was that his people claim his health has taken a turn for the worse and he is not expected to ever appear in public again. Don't know if this is of interest, but if it is, I am sure you could contact his agent for a statement.

Liz Kelly: This is the first I've heard of it.

Back in December he did admit that he'd battled prostate cancer, but he also said he'd successfully beaten the disease. I'll keep my ear to the ground on this one.

_______________________

Detroit, Mich.: Liz, I am hosting my annual Oscar party and am preparing my Oscar bingo cards. However, I am feeling pretty uncreative lately and can't think of any topical Oscar bingo items (other than "Someone mentions how long Benjamin Button was". Any ideas? I did a google search but didn't get much.

Liz Kelly: Definitely the Mickey Rourke with his hand in his pants prediction I mentioned in the intro.

Here are some others:
-- Obligatory audience shot of Jack Nicholson in his sunglasses.
-- Tilda Swinton wears a horrible dress.
-- TomKat actually show up (rumor is they've opted out)

I'm sure we can come up with some more. If we can come up with a full set I'll craft a Bingo board and post a printable version online tomorrow morning, then we can all play along on Sunday.

_______________________

Presenters: Will Daniel Craig and Scar-Jo be Oscar presenters? (Having now provided an official excuse to post photos of both hotties.)

washingtonpost.com: Daniel and Scarlett

Liz Kelly: This question is like the perfect storm -- Daniel and ScarJo. Oh my.

Assuming you really want this question answered, the list of presenters hasn't been officially released, but we have some idea of who to expect. "Twilight's" Robert Pattinson has been enlisted to attract a younger crowd. And definitely expect Daniel Day Lewis and Marion Cottilard, who won Best Actor and Actress last year to present this year's awards to the opposite sex.

_______________________

Liz Kelly: Oh -- and I meant to add that for the first time, the AMPAS is asking that presenters NOT walk the red carpet in the hopes that this will force us rubes to actually watch the ceremony to see the stars.

It will be interesting to see what level of compliance they get with that request.

_______________________

The softer side of Ludacris: Behold: Luda in a cozy cardigan folding origami with Martha Stewart.

washingtonpost.com: Ludacris Sets Martha Stewart's Rapper Relations Back 20 Years (Defamer.com)

Liz Kelly: I love Luda, but how uncomfortable was that? Martha was reenacting "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner."

Shudder.

_______________________

Fire At Tracy Morgan's House Caused By Break in Shark Tank: Awesome

Liz Kelly: I know. Where were Griz and DotCom?

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: Are any of the Oscar songs worth listening to?

Liz Kelly: If so, I wouldn't know.

_______________________

Detroit: Thanks for the bingo help Liz! Most of the stuff I found online was super boring so I look forward to the group's snarky bingo ideas. Bingo really helps the ceremony go faster IMO.

Liz Kelly: Seriously -- get your nominees in so we can get this thing built by tomorrow morning.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: I gotta say, Oscar loves a comeback so it's got to be Mickery Rourke. If not Mickey Rourke, Mickey Rooney then. Heard he's a great rassler too.

Liz Kelly: Mickery, Mickey -- it's all good.

_______________________

Saint Paul, Minn. : Hi Liz -- There's always at least one upset a year at the Oscars, and this time around I think it's going to be in either the supporting actor or best actress categories. Here goes: Ledger doesn't win; Brolin does. Streep wins, Winslet goes home disappointed. You heard it here first.

Liz Kelly: Okay, we'll see what happens Sunday.

_______________________

Ledger's Oscar: Liz -

Does yesterday's news that if Heath Ledger wins his Oscar it will go to his daughter Matilda strike you as a little unseemly? A) the announcement seems to imply that the child would personally accept the award which is unlikely, B) it seems to discount the likelihood that anyone else will win. I realize the Oscar folks are desperate for ratings but this seems pretty tacky.

Liz Kelly: Yeah, I'm not sure it warranted a press release. This is apparently SOP for posthumously awarded Oscars. If the recipient has passed it goes to the spouse or next closest family member, who then has to sign a document promising that he or she will first offer to sell it back to the Academy for $1 before putting it up for sale.

_______________________

Oscar Bingo: -Robert Downey Jr., goes "off-script" at the presenting podium.

-Awkward cross-editing between Jenifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie to make it look like there is some drama.

-Major applause for Sydney Pollack and Paul Newman in the roll of "in memorium" followed by chirping crickets of silence for the poor forgotten people whose pictures directly follow them.

Liz Kelly: Good, keep em coming.

_______________________

Inquiring, MN: Last week, Producer Paul was commissioned to do a study on healthy Hollywood actresses. Wonder if we could see the results. With illustrations, of course.

washingtonpost.com: Still working on it. I want to really make sure it's exhaustive and accurate.

Liz Kelly: Well, we certainly wouldn't want a poorly researched report. Just make sure you're using your home computer.

_______________________

Worse than Charlie Sheen's clothing line...: Has got to be Lindsay Lohan's new self-tanner line. Seriously, has the girl ever looked a normal shade other than orange and/or oranger?

Liz Kelly: I love that it's called "Stay Gold." S.E. Hinton would be so proud.

_______________________

Baltimore: While a lot depends on the writing, I predict Hugh Jackman will do just fine as host. People who think of him only as Wolverine may not know he did a knockout singing and dancing turn on Broadway playing his fellow Aussie Peter Allen in "The Boy from Oz." In short, Jackman can deal with the pressures of live audience.

Liz Kelly: Excellent. Let's hope he's able to give us a five-minute Billy Crystal-style dancing/singing intro.

As for the rest, the writing is one thing but as we've learned from past years, it's all about delivering those lines. The Kodak Theater seems to be some kind of not funny zone for the hosts.

_______________________

Oscar Bingo: There's got to be something in there about one of the winners making a political speech.

Liz Kelly: Of course -- but maybe we should narrow it down to who we think will do it.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Help! I find myself agreeing with Sherri Shepherd frequently of late - has the world gone upside down?

washingtonpost.com: When Sherri Shepherd Has To Correct You¿ (Jezebel.com)

Liz Kelly: Well, Sherri is right in the case of the New York Post monkey cartoon. Ick.

But let me ask you this -- do you believe the world is round? If your answer is no, then I would be worried.

_______________________

Snarky Claire: I can't decide if the item about Claire Danes making fun of Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling on the runway makes me like her more or less.

washingtonpost.com: Claire Danes mockes '90210' alums Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling (New York Daily News, Feb. 19)

Liz Kelly: I think it makes me like her less. Sure Jennie and Tori aren't exactly runway models, but this was a benefit to raise awareness of heart disease -- and it just seems like really bad taste to choose that as one's venue to get catty.

And, Claire, for chrissakes -- live and let live.

I'm glad I'm not at all judgmental.

_______________________

Last year's winner Marion Cotillard: I seem to recall that days after her triumphant win M. Cotillard made some very un-wise comments about 9/11 and the moon landing, and was pretty much swept under the rug and out of the country. Any idea if she'll be back at the Oscars on Sunday?

washingtonpost.com: Oscar winner Marion Cotillard dismisses 9/11 as conspiracy (New York Daily News, March 2, 2008)

Liz Kelly: I think she backtracked off of those comments pretty quickly, but we have to assume she'll be there -- it's tradition for the previous year's winning female lead to present the best actor award.

_______________________

Stay Gold: When you use it, you have to wear really pale lipstick, and crazy mismatched clothes.

Liz Kelly: And there isn't enough in the bottle to cover anyone who weighs more than 85 pounds.

_______________________

Bronx, NY: LOVE the bingo idea! Here are a few (these double as predictions too):
-Jen and Angie acknowledge one another
-Heath Ledger wins Best Supporting Actor
-Diane Keaton wears a horrible outfit
-"WALL-E" wins Best Animated Feature
-Angie wears an "is-that-hiding-a-baby-bump" gown
-Aaron Eckhardt is the featured "reaction" shot for the Heath Ledger montage
-Mickey Rourke delivers an incoherent acceptance speech

Liz Kelly: I like all of these except the Mickey item. Poor guy just lost his dog of 17 years.

_______________________

Swagga Like Us...: Oh, add to that the threat of M.I.A. performing in a bed. She just gave birth a few days ago. Provided it wasn't too rough or a c-Section, really, she should be just fine enough to do it standing up.

Then again, there's always Antonio Banderas and Santana.

Liz Kelly: Hey, if Erykah Badu can twitter from the delivery room, what's holding M.I.A. back from a satellite relayed performance.

And I forgot her song was nominated. Now that I know, I want her to win. I love that song and the fact that she used a Clash riff to lay the whole thing over.

Speaking of "Slumdog" -- an excellent movie, but I encourage everyone to read Katherine Boo's article in this week's New Yorker about real life in the Mumbai slums. Two words: "worm bald." That's all I'll say.

Maybe Producer Paul can take a break from ScarJo247.com to find a link?

_______________________

Oscar Bingo: Gary Busey makes someone uncomfortable Mickey Rouke mentions his late dog

Liz Kelly: Oooh, that's right! I forgot about Gary Busey's red carpet assault on Ryan Seacrest and Jennifer Garner. That was the best.

_______________________

bingo: Sean Penn makes a political speech.

Liz Kelly: Thank you. Perfect.

_______________________

Penn Quarter - U2 fan: Hi Liz, happy Thursday -- can you make it Friday already?!

Do you recall sometime in the late fall, pictures surfaced of Bono with a couple of young ladies, not his wife? I thought this might turn into more of a scandal, though was hoping Bono was the upstanding awesome guy I've always thought. It seems like any scandal just went away. How does this happen for some celebrities and not others? What does Bono do, or doesn't do, that makes attention to such outings minimal? Just wondering...hope this question makes sense!

washingtonpost.com: A beautiful day, indeed: Bono on that yacht. (The Daily Mail)

Liz Kelly: That's a great question. My guess is either there's no fire behind that smoke or Bono's lawyers shut this one down immediately.

One of the then 19-year-olds pictured, American Andrea Feick -- who posted the pix on her Facebook page, said she and Bono are just friends and that nothing untoward happened.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: Hi Liz, not to seem stalkerish, but could you tell us what your wedding was like? I always like to hear about other people's. (ours was tiny and great -- 11 guests, immediate family only, on the beach, I wore red.)

Liz Kelly: Sure, Mr. Liz and I got married on the beach at Cinammon Bay on St. John, USVI. The only guest was my college roommate, who happens to live on island. Twenty minutes after we said our vows, we had changed and were in the water snorkeling. It totally rocked.

_______________________

ooooh, Robert Pattinson :): Well, heck, is it wrong that -- if I were about young teen unprotected sex -- I could be his mother, but I think he may be competing with my movie-husband Daniel Craig these days.

I say this as a happily married new mom. But, you know, feel free to post gratuitous pics of him at will, as they become available.

Liz Kelly: I'm starting to feel like an enabler.

_______________________

Philadelphia: Hugh Jackman's a great host - he did the Tonys a few times and everyone seemed to have a genuine blast (or those audiences are just better actors than those at the Oscars). Of course, a Tonys audience might have a better appreciation for a guy's ability to do Rockette-style kicks...

Liz Kelly: Right. Well, maybe if he does them shirtless.

_______________________

No Red Carpet - As if!: Maybe the Angelinas who don't like the carpet may skip it, but aren't most of these folks GIVEN clothes, jewels, etc., with the express understanding (and sometimes contractual agreement) that they will walk, prance and cheerfully announce to everyone who they are wearing?

Liz Kelly: They are given clothes with the hopes that they will be photographed in them, yes, but I doubt they're contractually bound to walk the red carpet in that gear. That's the hope, of course.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: Hugh Jackman will not be funny but will be entertaining in his obligatory singing/dancing routine. Too bad he won't be shirtless during the telecast...

Am fighting urge to ask you Lost questions. Must...wait...45...minutes...more...

washingtonpost.com: Will this help? Hugh Jackman shirtless

Liz Kelly: Speaking of which...

_______________________

Katewinsletsre, AR: Bingo thingy-Kate Winslet's nekkid rear wins an Oscar.

Liz Kelly: What, separate from the rest of her?

_______________________

Claire Danes: Her last classy move was of course to steal away Billy Crudup from his 7 months pregnant wife . . . I'm guessing she's not overly concerned with hurting people's feelings or being mean.

Liz Kelly: Hey, it takes two. Don't you listen to Rob Bass?

_______________________

washingtonpost.com: LETTER FROM MUMBAI (New Yorker, subscription required)
Video: Mumbai: Scenes from the Slums

Liz: Thanks P.

_______________________

Oscar parties: Okay we all know the glitz is at the Vanity Fair party, the deals are made at Barry Diller's Saturday luncheon, and no mere mortals are allowed at Prince's after-after party - any others on the DHD list to keep an eye out for good gossip?

washingtonpost.com: 2009 Oscars Party List

Liz Kelly: I'm guessing the Madonna/Demi Moore party may give us some good Monday morning headlines. I'm also interested in seeing if Paris Hilton is actually admitted to any of these. Apparently she was persona non grata at some Sundance events.

And The Post's Amy Argetsinger and Hank Stuever will be online Monday at 1 p.m. ET to talk about the Oscar social scene.

_______________________

Bingo: Someone plants an inappropriately passionate kiss on an unwilling recipient, a la Adrian Brody on Halle Berry.

Liz Kelly: Okay, that can work -- inappropriate kissing. That's broad enough.

_______________________

Oscar Bingo - red carpet edition: I guarantee you someone on the carpet brain-trust will confuse Viola Davis and Taraji P Henson on the carpet in an interview.

Liz Kelly: Yeah, that wouldn't be surprising. That sounds like a Lisa Rinna move.

_______________________

Famous for Being Famo, US: Can someone explain for me why Jennifer Aniston is even going to the Oscars? She is a pedestrian actress whose claim to fame is being a professional victim with good hair. Why do people go to these things who have never done a thing Oscar-worthy? (I guess that applies to lots of other hangers-on we see at the Oscars as well, so how do they get tickets? Who is in charge of this?)

Liz Kelly: She's box office worthy if not Oscar-worthy. The Academy is struggling with ratings for this thing. Last year the broadcast had the lowest viewership ever. So we get Aniston and Pattinson.

_______________________

Oscar bingo: Female who really should have worn a bra under her outfit, but didn't.

Liz Kelly: Good. Lack of foundation garments.

_______________________

Who's on deck for red carpet reporting?: Is the lineup still Guiliana DiPandi and Ryan Seacrest for E! and Lisa Rinna and Ncync beard guy for tvguide?

Liz Kelly: Yep, as far as I know.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Oscar Bingo - President of Academy makes boring speech
-Sean Penn will walk out like Eddie Murphy when Mickey Rourke wins
-Meryl Streep will wear a hideous outfit
-Cuts to Brad/Angelina pass 10 times (maybe this is a drinking game)?

washingtonpost.com: Can I get in on Jack Nicholson laughs creepily?

Liz Kelly: Or should we say that at least one of Jackman's jokes will be directed a Nicholson. He's kind of a go-to guy staple for the opening monologue.

_______________________

Bingo!: Two beautiful co-presenters try to manufacture comedic chemistry and the timing that will make the lame dialogue sing. They fail.

Liz Kelly: He he.

_______________________

Oscar Bingo: Brad & Angie snub Seacrest

Liz Kelly: Actually -- I'm going to go out on a limb and bet they go out of their way to talk to him.

_______________________

Oscar Bingo: Celeb is conspicuously under the influence of alcohol or drugs (licit or otherwise).

Liz Kelly: Pre-show?

_______________________

More BINGO: - Hugh makes bad joke about Nadya Suleman

- Bad skit with 3-D animation

Or better yet

- A holographic image of someone is worked into the telecast.

Liz Kelly: It would have to be a hologram of will.i.am.

_______________________

Aaron Eckhardt is the featured "reaction" shot for the Heath Ledger montage: Did I miss something? Why Aaron Eckhardt? (I do love him, though, unless I really am missing something.)

Liz Kelly: Because Eckhart co-starred in the last Batman movie with Ledger and did a lot of interviews after Ledger's death talking about what a great guy he was...?

_______________________

Ideas for Oscar bingo cards topics: References to Kate Winslet's derriere, Brangelina's brood, jokes about Octomom.

Liz Kelly: Like it

_______________________

Allentown, Pa.: Is YouTube a verb yet? I hope not, but if so, "YouTube" clips of Jackman hosting the Tonys. If it isn't a verb, look up such clips on video-hosting sites. He should be able to handle the Oscars.

washingtonpost.com: Playlist Results for hugh jackman tony's (youtube.com)

Liz Kelly: Thank you. We can all watch in 25 minutes when the chat is done-zo. Or you guys can. Me, I have to move on to "Lost" at 3.

_______________________

Claire Danes making fun of Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling : I don't like it when the celebs make fun of each other. That's OUR job. It's like she's breaking some celeb code.

Liz Kelly: Right. She needs to stay on her side of the tracks.

_______________________

Net negative for Claire: Okay most watchers of "My So-Called Life", "Romeo and Juliet", and even "Shopgirl" have a warm spot for Claire Danes, but wow does she come off badly in almost every story about her in real life. Ripping on "90210" girls is one thing, but pulling a Sienna Miller with Billy Crudup while Mary-Lousie Parker was pregnant will forever brand her badly in my book.

washingtonpost.com: It has forever caused me to question Billy Crudup's taste, personally.

Liz Kelly: Same. Yet he's still in my top five.

Go figure.

_______________________

Minneapolis: New young starlet gets to come out and talk about the great time she had hosting the boring technical and scientific awards, which nobody really understands what they are and what they're for anyway.

Liz Kelly: Ayup.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I think American Idol's new format (12 contestants each week, only the top 3 move on) is a direct kick at Vote for the Worst. Think about it. VFTW has enough pull to keep someone out of the bottom three, but not enough pull to put someone in the top three. They totally could have kept Tatiana in for another few weeks. Hmmm... I'm predicting in three weeks, we'll have 12 decent singers, but really boring contestants. (Also, I would like to acknowledge that this comment is more appropriate for Lisa, but it doesn't look like she is chatting tomorrow!)

washingtonpost.com: You are correct, Lisa's off tomorrow.

Liz Kelly: fyi...

_______________________

washingtonpost.com: Watching "Idol" so you don't have to: Tatiana's Dreams Dashed on 'American Idol'

washingtonpost.com: Watching "Idol" so you don't have to: Tatiana's Dreams Dashed on 'American Idol'

Liz: And further to that fyi...

_______________________

Ledger reaction shot: Why not Christian Bale?! I need a Christian Bale fix.

Liz Kelly: Ooh, did we already include joke about Christian Bale's rant as one of the squares?

_______________________

Reddrag, ON: Can we get Katy Perry to come to the Oscars? I think a good Friday list would be, "who would you like to see Katy Perry vomit on?"

Liz Kelly: I'm anti-barfing on TV, so I think I'll pass on this one.

I'd also like to ask the producers of "The Biggest Loser" to stop including footage of Tara barfing while exercising. It's making me want to stay away from the gym.

_______________________

Bronx, N.Y.: Liz, my apologies. I had forgotten about Mickey's loss. I'm a pet person and it really is crushing to lose your best companion. But (back to the snark) that's hardly likely to make him more coherent on Sunday, now is it? For the sake of Sunday's and Monday's blogs, here's hoping he doesn't go into deep mourning and not show up at all.

Liz Kelly: I'm sure he'll be there. If I'm not mistaken, he is widely expected to win for his "Wrestler" performance. I don't think there's anything that could keep him away from accepting that award if it does indeed go his way.

I believe he's planning on taking his agent rather than an actual date, so darn it all -- there goes our hope of seeing Paris Hilton or Bai Ling on the red carpet.

_______________________

Providence: If Jennifer Anniston and Robert Pattinson were a couple, what would they be called. Annistinson?

Liz Kelly: Don't say this. I'm afraid it will somehow make it come true. It would certainly up her Q score.

_______________________

.

Washington, D.: To her credit, Cotillard's crazy 9/11 comments actually weren't made right after the Oscars. It was actually something she said in a French interview years before (2005 or 2006, maybe?), that then was brought up following her Oscar win. Doesn't mean it was a smart comment to ever make, but it was made to a different audience years before she became really well-known (and some can say that even with her win, we wouldn't call her "well-known" in the States)

Liz Kelly: Thanks for clarifying.

_______________________

Bawlmer: I like "Down to Earth", the Peter Gabriel song from "WALL-E". Of course, this was before all the kerfuffle about the actual Oscar broadcast performance.

And any thoughts about who would accept for Heath Ledger should he win? I'm guessing Michelle Williams or his parents, but the line "an artist who was close to the nominee, and who can speak credibly for him or her" kind of has me interested.

Liz Kelly: That's right -- Gabriel pulled out when he was told he'd only have 65 seconds to play, right?

_______________________

Dupont Circle, D.C.: Claire Danes also went on a diatribe about how she finds the city Manila in the Philippines to be "ghastly and weird." Having been there myself, it's no Manhattan, but most people have a sense of adventure about these things. Has this girl no sense of tact?

washingtonpost.com: Manila Is Mad At Claire Danes Movie star was quoted as saying that the Philippines capital 'smelled of cockroaches.' (cbsnews.com, 1998)

Liz Kelly: Sounds like Claire has a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease.

_______________________

More Bingo: Going out on a limb here -- Joaquin Phoenix makes an unscheduled appearance, mumbles something inchoherent, and falls off the stage.

Liz Kelly: Ha. He'll take Peter Gabriel's spot as a musical guest.

_______________________

Bronx, NY again: More predictions:

-Nicole Kidman will wear an all-wrong neutral color

-Some bonehead Red Carpet interviewer asks Anne Hathaway about her scam-artist ex-boyfriend

Liz Kelly: Yup.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Re Bono and the yacht: All here who think that 48-year-old men are "just friends" with 19-year-old hot girls, please signify by tapping their ruby slippers together. Thank you.

Liz Kelly: :::crickets:::

_______________________

Quatch Cave: Need...weekly...fix...of...Liz'...pets...pix...

Your choice who's featured this week.

Liz Kelly: Ah yes... I just uploaded this one of Page and Opie. Not even dogs can resist Opie's charms.

_______________________

Christian Bale: Is it wrong that I love him so much I don't even care if he freaked out on a crew member? In fact, I didn't even let myself watch that clip so as not to taint my love for him.

Liz Kelly: Let's see...

No. I think you're okay. He had a bad day. It's not like he kicked a dog or something.

_______________________

U Street: Hey guys, don't know if this helps or spoils the fun but Thrillist has their own Oscar Bingo card generator: Thrillist Oscar Bingo

Could be helpful for some starting points for an original one.

Liz Kelly: Well there you go -- we'll still craft our low-fi version, too. Look for it in tomorrow's Morning Mix.

_______________________

Odd Oscar attendees: I always enjoy watching the carpet for the past-their- expiration date actors who have wrangled tickets because they are members of the academy or are dating someone who is. (Hey someone has to fill up the upper-rear of the Kodak Theatre!) I'm talking bout the Sally Kirklands, Sean Youngs, and Bruce Derns among others...

PS: they are usually easy to spot because they show up for the show 3 hours before it starts when there is little traffic on the carpet.

Liz Kelly: Right -- and even with an empty red carpet no one really wants to talk to them anyway.

_______________________

No Hugh for me: How sad is it that my government computer blocked the shirtless Hugh picture? I mean, really?

Liz Kelly: Maybe President Obama will change that. Give him time.

_______________________

Technical awards: Jessica Biel hosted them, so not really a new, young starlet. She is hot, though.

washingtonpost.com: Word.

Liz Kelly: Well, she's new and young compared to Shirley Maclaine.

_______________________

Heath Ledger: With all due respect to the deceased, I think it's awful that he would win an Academy Award (which he will) essentially just because he died. I wasn't all that impressed with the Batman movie. But, not having seen the other supporting actor performances, I can't compare his to the others. I just think it's ridiculous to give it because everyone is sorry that he dies. It's unfair to the other actors. Just my $0.02.

Liz Kelly: If the Oscars were fair, Benjamin Button wouldn't be nominated for 13 awards.

_______________________

Wait - who is Opie?: Did I miss something? Is Andy all right?

Liz Kelly: Andy is fine! Opie is Andy's new pal.

_______________________

Christian Bale: Will Christian Bale even show up to the Oscars? He seems to hate those things and he's not nominated. But then he could probably use a little good PR. . .

Liz Kelly: I'm guessing no.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Any predictions if Suri will show up with TomKat?

Liz Kelly: No, I don't think they'd subject her to the crush of the red carpet and then a four-hour ceremony.

_______________________

Nosy Parker: What foods will you be eating during the Oscars? What does you friend Kim recommend? I'd like to try something besides popcorn for a change.

Liz Kelly: Ooh -- thank you for reminding me, Nosy. Kim will be posting a list of Oscar viewing food suggestions tomorrow. I recommended red velvet cupcakes.

_______________________

Bingo: Kate declaring her undying love for an actor that she is not married to?

Liz Kelly: That would have to be Leo again, eh?

_______________________

for the Bale fan: Listen to his call-in interview on KROQ. He redeems himself BIG time. Plus we get to hear his yummy real accent.

washingtonpost.com: KROQ Exclusive: Christian Bale Phones Kevin & Bean

Liz Kelly: I didn't have time to listen, so I'm trusting you on this.

_______________________

Liz Kelly: Okay, gotta dash over to the "Lost" Hour. See you on Sunday for the Online Oscar Party. And don't forget to print out your Oscar Bingo cards -- coming tomorrow a.m. in the blog.

_______________________

washingtonpost.com: The 'Lost' Hour

washingtonpost.com: The 'Lost' Hour

Liz Kelly: Join me, won't you?

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.