菊次郎的夏天。:Live Coverage 2011 Oscar Night - NYTimes.com

Awards Season

• Oscar Night
• Categories
  • Best Picture
  • Director
  • Actor in a Leading Role
  • Actress in a Leading Role
  • Actor in a Supporting Role
  • Actress in a Supporting Role
  • Original Screenplay
  • Adapted Screenplay
  • Foreign Language Film
  • Animated Feature
  • Original Score
  • Original Song
  • Art Direction
  • Cinematography
  • Costume Design
  • Makeup
  • Documentary Feature
  • Sound Mixing
  • Sound Editing
  • Visual Effects
  • Film Editing
  • Short Film, Animated
  • Short Film, Live Action
  • Documentary Short Subject

Winners

• Best Picture The King’s Speech
• Actor in a Leading Role Colin Firth
• Actress in a Leading Role Natalie Portman
• Director Tom Hooper
• Original Song We Belong Together
• Film Editing The Social Network
• Visual Effects Inception
• Documentary Feature Inside Job
• Short Film, Live Action God of Love
• Documentary Short Subject Strangers No More
• Costume Design Alice in Wonderland
• Makeup The Wolfman
• Sound Editing Inception
• Sound Mixing Inception
• Original Score The Social Network
• Actor in a Supporting Role Christian Bale
• Foreign Language Film In a Better World
• Original Screenplay The King’s Speech
• Adapted Screenplay The Social Network
• Animated Feature Toy Story 3
• Short Film, Animated The Lost Thing
• Actress in a Supporting Role Melissa Leo
• Cinematography Inception
• Art Direction Alice in Wonderland

Notable Ballots

• Wendy Williams

  Score: 8/24

• Kristen Schaal

  Score: 10/24

• Raúl De Molina

  Score: 16/24

• Nick Offerman

  Score: 10/24

• Katie Couric

  Score: 13/24

• A. O. Scott

  Score: 15/24

• Martha Stewart

  Score: 9/24

• Melena Ryzik

  Score: 16/24

Live From the Red Carpet

Natalie Portman is wearing Rodarte.

Josh Haner/The New York Times

Beginning at 5 p.m. ET today, NYTimes.com will feature live photos from the red carpet, coverage from The Carpetbagger and Times reporters and live video updates from A.O. Scott and David Carr. Watch live on your iPad, computer or mobile phone. Cast your ballot before the show begins »

Live Updates

• 1:00 PM | And Now to History's Verdict

  A.O. SCOTT: Good year? Bad year? The show was kind of blah, but there were a lot of good movies, and ultimately good movies always outlast the trivial occasions designed to celebrate them. Which is as it should be. I'm not a great fan of "The King's Speech," but I can't really begrudge it this victory. And the last word isn't mine or the Academy's in any case. It's fun to speculate before the Oscars about what will win, but it's more interesting to wonder about which of these movies, 10 or 20 or 50 years from now, will still have some claim on the attention of audiences.

• 12:42 PM | The Good Moms Triumph

  MELENA RYZIK: Cinematically, this has been a year of bad moms. Think Melissa Leo's tough love matriarch in "The Fighter," Barbara Hershey's mommie dearest in "Black Swan" and Jacki Weaver's criminal mastermind in "Animal Kingdom." But at the Oscars, it was all about motherly love. From the first few moments of the telecast, when the hosts, Anne Hathaway and James Franco, allowed their mother and grandmother, respectively, to have a few moments of star time from the audience, through the thank you speeches, it was a night heavy with familial gratitude.

  Tom Hooper, the director of "The King's Speech," summed up the theme when he recounted how his mother, an academic, brought him the material that turned into the film after seeing a one-night-only staged reading. "The moral of the story is, listen to your mother," Mr. Hooper concluded - a phrase that instantly lit up Twitter and caused countless guilt-inducing phone calls.

  Winning best actress, a pregnant Natalie Portman thanked her fiancé, Benjamin Millepied, who "has now given me my most important role of my life," as she put it.

  Even Russell Brand, a presenter, brought his mother as a date, though he did it in his own tongue-in-cheek way. "She took drugs this morning," Mr. Brand said on the red carpet, as his mother stood by his side. "Uppers, downers, benders, smack, crack, meth. I said - look, we're going to the Oscars, you're going to need more drugs. Eventually she took enough drugs."

• 12:36 PM | Best Picture: 'The King's Speech'

  Monica Almeida/The New York Times "The King's Speech" won Best Picture.

• 12:28 PM | Pareles on Original Song Performances

  JON PARELES: I'm glad the Oscars didn't bother with distracting production numbers for the best song nominees. But the hosts' vanity bits--hello, Billy Crystal?--got more time than the brief performances of this year's songs. So did Celine Dion's surprisingly un-hammy version of "Smile" during the necrology montage.

  Randy Newman gave the winning song, "We Belong Together," his offhanded drawl and barrelhouse piano. (He's going to have to give up his Oscar-underdog shtick pretty soon if he keeps winning.) Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi, both achingly breathy, approached each other onstage like leads in a high-school production of "The Fantastiks." Gwyneth Paltrow's shaky, connect-the-dots rendition of "Coming Home," from "Country Strong," made me appreciate what technological wizardry was applied to her voice in the studio. And A.R. Rahman with Florence Welch (not Dido as on the recording), performing "If I Rise" from "127 Hours" traded the song's intriguing rhythmic push-and-pull for a sustained drone and no beat at all, making it something like a devotional song--or at least a Bollywood devotional song. It was a moment of deliberate stillness within the Oscars' lumpy pacing.

• 12:26 PM | 'King's Speech' Now Clear Favorite for Best Picture

  NATE SILVER: The conventional wisdom -- as well as the wisdom of yours truly -- was that "The Social Network" was considerably more likely to win best director than best picture. Now that it has failed to do so, some of the suspense has perhaps been taken out of the awards: The King's Speech is now a 90 percent favorite to win best picture according to betting markets.

• 12:25 PM | Best Actor: Colin Firth

  Monica Almeida/The New York Times

  The Oscar goes to Colin Firth for "The King's Speech."

• 12:19 PM via Twitter

  Natalie P. Good win in a very strong field.

  — anthony o. scott

• 12:16 PM | Best Actress: Natalie Portman

  Monica Almeida/The New York Times Natalie Portman.

  The Oscar goes to Natalie Portman for "Black Swan."

• 12:13 PM | A.O. Scott on Eli Wallach

  Oscar Catches Up With Uncle Eli by A.O. Scott, Nov. 4, 2010.

• 12:10 PM | A Theory Implodes. Or Does It?

  A.O. SCOTT: I guess my whole theory of "The Social Network" victories leading up to a Fincher best director triumph proved wrong, like so many of my theories and predictions! This me reminds me a bit of 2003, when the momentum of "Chicago" seemed to be derailed by Roman Polanski's best director victory for "The Pianist." So I have a feeling this means we'll see two out of the remaining big three -actor and picture - go to "The King's Speech." Oh, well. The nail-biting was fun while it lasted. Unless I'm wrong again!

• 12:03 PM | Best Director: Tom Hooper

  Monica Almeida/The New York Times The Oscar went to Tom Hooper for "The King's Speech."
• 12:02 PM via Twitter

  I'm old. I knew so many of the people in the Memoriam segment when they were young and filled with excitement. So was I.

  — Roger Ebert

• 11:55 AM | Celine Dion Performs

  During the in memoriam tribute.
• 11:53 AM via Twitter

  Look at that little Gwyneth, She can act, and she can act.

  — david carr

• 11:52 AM | Mirren on Why 'The King's Speech' Struck a Nerve

  MELENA RYZIK: Helen Mirren, a former Queen herself, said the appeal of "The King's Speech" had little to do with the royal family. "I don't think it struck a nerve so much as it's a well-made film," she said on the red carpet, "and a story that is very accessible, and about a simple personal human struggle that we all have in different ways. So I think the simplicity was a great appeal. It has incredible performances and it's a beautifully made film."

• 11:46 AM | Best Original Song: 'Toy Story 3'

  The Oscar goes to Randy Newman for "We Belong Together."
• 11:45 AM via Twitter

  And now, Gwyneth Paltrow, in a tribute to the saying "Don't Quit Your Day Job."

  — Andy Borowitz

• 11:37 AM | Rupert Murdoch's Vote for 'King's Speech'

  MELENA RYZIK: Officially, Rupert Murdoch should be rooting for "127 Hours" and "Black Swan," both films attached to Fox studios. But on the red carpet, he revealed that between the front-runners, "The King's Speech" and "The Social Network," he preferred "The King's Speech" for a very personal reason: his father's stutter was cured by Lionel Logue, the speech therapist played by Geoffrey Rush. "One hundred years ago, back in 1910, or something," Mr. Murdoch said. "Basically that's how News Corp. started," Mr. Murdoch's wife, Wendi, added. "Because Lionel helped his father to overcome speech problems, he become confident, and then he founded News Corp."
• 11:36 AM via Twitter

  Fake casting news: Bob Hope hologram ACCEPTS offer to host Golden Globes. Billy Crystal hologram still busy at LA Clipper games.(@scarpling)

  — hodgman

• 11:35 AM | Best Film Editing: 'The Social Network'

  The Oscar goes to "The Social Network."

• 11:33 AM | Best Visual Effects: 'Inception'

  The Academy Award goes to "Inception."
• 11:32 AM via Twitter

  Bob Hope!

  — anthony o. scott

• 11:30 AM via Twitter

  they weren't kidding around when they opened the door with Back to the Future: Bob Hope's Passover joke, Gone w/the Wind, Kirk Douglas

  — david carr

• 11:28 AM | Stingy With the Music

  JON PARELES: Am I the only one who thinks the Oscar set looks like the top of an old Wurlitzer jukebox? Except that if this were a jukebox, it would have more music. Don't ask me what Anne Hathaway's "On My Own" comedy bit was for. The orchestra did a decent job with its scores medley -though it couldn't help making "The Social Network" excerpt closer to a movie-romance theme - but it was fully 90 minutes into the show before we got two two-minute versions of the best song nominees. Then again, I'm just watching the Auto-Tune the Movies medley, and I admit to laughing.

• 11:27 AM via Twitter

  show needed some edge, they had to rent some. Hello Billly Chystal.

  — david carr

• 11:23 AM | That Annoying Part in the Middle

  DAVID CARR: This would be the point in the Ocars where people get a little bored, a little antsy, the person at the end of the couch yawns, the Twitter starts to get crabby and Facebook starts to curdle a bit. It's that middle part, where we are starting to remember the long, windy road to the end. But you know what, a given year's Oscars are never as bad as people say and the ones that they are remembering were not all that great.

  As my colleague A. O. Scott pointed out in one our live video commentaries during the commercial breaks, when people remember the grand Oscars of old, they are remembering a synthesis of moments: Jack Palance's pushups; the streaker behind David Nivens; or when the Native American proxy accepted on behalf of Marlon Brando. But each of those amazing Oscar moments were surrounded by forgettable song and dance numbers, endless speeches full of thank you's from people you've never heard again, and a lot of jokes that did not work. The beau ideal of the Oscars is something that exists in our collective mind, and not on the screen in any given year.

   

• 11:22 AM | Autotune to the Rescue

  A.O. Scott: Hide your wife. Hide your kids. It's Autotune the Oscars.

• 11:21 AM | Best Documentary Feature: 'Inside Job'

  The Oscar goes to "Inside Job."

• 11:19 AM | Pareles on the Best Original Score Oscar

  JON PARELES : Well, the right score got the Oscar. Without the ominous underlying pulse and eerie timbres of the Trent Reznor-Atticus Ross score for "The Social Network," the film might have been more like a tale of collegiate and corporate escapades. The music ticked steadily, like Internet time, but also made a fascinating counterpoint, emotional and rhythmic, against the rest of the film: a deliberate undertow against the rapidfire dialogue and cutting. Two of the other scores, Hans Zimmer's "Inception" and John Powell's "How To Train Your Dragon," were pump-up-the-volume orchestral bombast; Alexandre Desplat's score for "The King's Speech" was a careful period-piece backdrop. AR Rahman's "127 Hours" had suspense and exotica - and the best song among the nominees - but "The Social Network" made a better album. Instead of telegraphing the film's action, it provided a separate dimension.

• 11:17 AM | Banging on the Door, to No Avail

  BROOKS BARNES: Christian Bale told reporters backstage that he was at the bar when his "Fighter" co-star Melissa Leo won her Oscar. The academy's ushers refused to let him back in until a break, as is their practice. "I was literally banging on the door," he said.

• 11:15 AM | Best Live Action Short: 'God of Love'

  The Academy Award goes to "God of Love."

• 11:14 AM | Christian Bale Quizzes the Press

  MELENA RYZIK: "I've got a question for you guys actually," Christian Bale said when he reached the stage in the press room after winning the best supporting actor Oscar for "The Fighter." "You get up there and you're giving a speech, and I hope to God I said Mark and Melissa and Amy and Jack. Did I mention them?" Yes, came the reply.

• 11:13 AM | Best Documentary Short: 'Strangers No More'

  The Academy Award goes to "Strangers No More."
• 11:10 AM via Twitter

  it's this guy's responsibility #OSCARSREALTIME http://say.ly/NNEa6L

  — James Franco

• 11:10 AM | The Conventional Wisdom Proves Correct

  LARRY ROHTER: There are times when conventional wisdom is actually right. And so it turned out to be in the category for best foreign language film, in which the choice of Susanne Bier's "In a Better World" seemed almost pre-ordained. Considered the front-runner from the moment the nominations were announced, it walked off with a win in the same category at the Golden Globes awards last month and also had the benefit of being backed by Sony Pictures Classics, a studio with a lot of experience and a very strong track record promoting foreign-language films. Plus, it tackles big moral issues and comes with an optimistic ending, which is often a key to success. That set it apart from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Biutiful," which featured a widely praised and subtly calibrated performance by Javier Bardem, but is a bit of a downer. So Mr. Gonzalez Inarritu's winless streak - a dozen nominations for films he has made, with only an Oscar for composer Gustavo Santaolalla to show for that - remains intact.

  Still, Ms. Bier, from Denmark, seemed genuinely surprised when she took the podium and uttered the obvious: "This is a real Oscar." As she noted in interviews during the voting period, this was her second nomination, and from her first experience, in which the German "The Lives of Others" took away the Oscar, she had gathered, she said, a sense of how difficult the process is -- likening it to being in a tornado, and bearing the hopes of an entire country. Of course, it's the middle of the night in Denmark, so there's no telling how many of her five million or so countrymen are still awake to savor the honor with her.

  The pairing of Helen Mirren and Russell Brand to present the award seemed a little odd. She spoke in French, and sounded very good doing so, with an accent that even Parisians would find difficult to sniff at. It's always nice to know that Anglophone actors can hold their own in another language. But Mr. Brand's "mistranslation" of her remarks didn't seem particularly funny, and most of the audience had no idea what she was saying - except for the jocular reference to his being an "idiot," which sounds the same in both language.

• 11:02 AM via Twitter

  Thanks @barackobama - Did you know, "As Time Goes By" is the AFI's #2 greatest song of All Time

  — The Academy

• 11:01 AM | A Tip of the Hat From Aaron Sorkin

  MELENA RYZIK: In the press room, Aaron Sorkin admitted that he worried about following his own work. "I feel like I've been hyper-aware that whatever I write next will be the thing I write after 'The Social Network,'" he said, adding that he would celebrate tonight, and start something new tomorrow. Of course, Mr. Sorkin is already working on another project, a series for HBO. He always tipped his hat to Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook - "I think he's been an awfully good sport about this," he said -- and to David Seidler, the writer of "The King's Speech" with whom he has developed an e-mail relationship during awards season."I've grown to love him very much," he said.

• 10:59 AM | Best Costume Design: 'Alice in Wonderland'

  The Academy Award goes to "Alice in Wonderland."
• 10:58 AM via Twitter

  This is what I am looking at all night http://yfrog.com/h0bzvihj

  — Judd Apatow

• 10:56 AM | Best Makeup: 'The Wolfman'

  The Academy Award goes to "The Wolfman."

• 10:50 AM | A Musical Goodbye

  MELENA RYZIK: Alexandre Desplat was a favorite to win best original score for "The King's Speech." As a composer, what music might he like to get played off to? "The melody of 'Sunset Blvd.' or the melody of 'Place In The Sun,'" Mr. Desplat said. "Wonderful strings, warm and amazingly strong."

• 10:49 AM | Best Sound Editing: 'Inception'

  The Academy Award goes to "Inception."
• 10:48 AM via Twitter

  Can't hate on these Oscars. They are trying like heck and Anne Hathaway's Tommy gun nice tough to resist.

  — david carr

• 10:47 AM | Best Sound Mixing: 'Inception'

  The Academy Award goes to "Inception."
• 10:45 AM via Twitter

  "In terms of the long haul to get here, I’m just a very stubborn man” – David Seidler, best adapted screenplay winner in press room

  — The Carpetbagger

• 10:44 AM | The Odds for an Upset Go From Slim to None

  NATE SILVER: At the risk of stating the obvious: If there are two awards early in the evening that tell us anything about the likely winner of the best picture Oscar, they're almost certainly those for original screenplay and adapted screenplay. And with the best picture favorites -- "The King's Speech" and "The Social Network" -- just having won their respective categories, the odds of an upset for a film like "True Grit" or "Black Swan" have gone from slim to none.

• 10:43 AM | Best Original Score: 'The Social Network'

  The Academy Award goes to "The Social Network."

• 10:37 AM | A Flashback to Last Year

  A.O. SCOTT: The emerging non-sweep - one award each so far for five of the best picture nominees (if you count the "Toy Story 3" animated feature win) -- is a good representation of how last year went. There were a lot of popular, well-regarded movies without a single one dominating the discussion. "A King's Speech" juggernaut would have seemed weird. Though of course it still can (and probably will) turn out to be the biggest single winner of the night.

• 10:35 AM | The Universal Issues of 'In a Better World'

  MELENA RYZIK: Susan Bier's second time at the Oscars as a foreign-language film nominee proved the charm. On the red carpet, she spoke about why her film, "In a Better World," which deals with the divide between the West and the Islamic world, might appeal to the Academy.

  "I think it deals with a very universal issues and it's very timely; it deals with bullying and it deals with the whole notion of forgiveness and revenge, and I think those are extremely contemporary issues," she said.

  Now that she's an Oscar winner, she might make the move from Denmark to the U.S. "I'd love to make English language movies and I'd love to make movies in Hollywood," she said.

   

• 10:34 AM | The Show Veers Off Schedule

  BROOKS BARNES: The combination of Melissa Leo, who has a history of going off the rails in interviews, and the presenter of the award, Kirk Douglas, famous in Hollywood for his outsized ego, proved lethal to the show's schedule. While producers can ill afford to spend more than a few minutes on each award, the supporting actress presentation and acceptance took nearly 15 minutes. If every category lasted as long the telecast would stretch to over five hours. Addressing reporters backstage, Ms. Leo hit on topics ranging from her high-collared dress (chosen because she figured that the real-life woman on which her role was based would like it) to the length of Mr. Douglas's lead-in. Asked about his "stretching and stretching and stretching" of his time on stage, she replied: "He was doing us all a huge favor. The longer he strung it out, the calmer I got to be."

• 10:32 AM | Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale

  Monica Almeida/The New York Times The award for best supporting went to Christian Bale for "The Fighter."

• 10:27 AM | Best Foreign Film: 'In a Better World'

  The Academy Award goes to "In a Better World" from Denmark.

• 10:20 AM | Melissa Leo Explains

  MELENA RYZIK: "Those words, I apologize to anyone they offend. There's a great deal of the English language that's in my vernacular" -Melissa Leo, apologizing backstage for her swear word slip-up.

• 10:18 AM | Best Original Screenplay: David Seidler

  Monica Almeida/The New York Times Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem presented the award.

  The award for best original screenplay goes to David Seidler for "The King's Speech."

• 10:15 AM via Twitter

  OMG.

  — Lee Unkrich

• 10:14 AM | Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin

  Monica Almeida/The New York Times The award for adapted screenplay went to Aaron Sorkin for "The Social Network."
• 10:10 AM via Twitter

  commercial break #OSCARSREALTIME http://say.ly/RNpa5q

  — James Franco

• 10:06 AM | Best Animated Feature: 'Toy Story 3'

  The Academy Award goes to "Toy Story 3."

• 10:03 AM | Best Animated Short: 'The Lost Thing'

  Monica Almeida/The New York Times Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis presented the award.

  The Academy Award goes to "The Lost Thing."

• 10:02 AM via Twitter

  kirk douglas to justin timberlake. bit of of a head snap.

  — david carr

• 9:59 AM via Twitter

  we just tacked on another 20 minutes onto the show kids, the cane bit was funny, melissa pull it together darling

  — Sandra Bernhard

• 9:58 AM | A 'Social Network' Shout-Out

  JON PARELES: Edge to "The Social Network" for the Original Score award? Backup for the opening montage: the Trent Reznor-Atticus Ross version of "In the Hall of the Mountain King."

• 9:57 AM | Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo

  Monica Almeida/The New York Times Kirk Douglas presented the award.

  The Academy Award goes to Melissa Leo for "The Fighter."

• 9:51 AM | Inside the Kodak Theater

  Monica Almeida/The New York Times The 83rd annual Academy Awards opened in Los Angeles on Sunday.
• 9:51 AM via Twitter

  The mystery of Natalie Portman's Rodarte dress is solved. According to her PR people it is officially 'violet'.

  — stuart emmrich

• 9:47 AM | Best Cinematography: 'Inception'

  The Academy Award goes to "Inception."

• 9:45 AM | Best Art Direction: 'Alice in Wonderland'

  The Academy Award goes to "Alice in Wonderland."

• 9:40 AM | The Quotable Anne Hathaway on Stage

  "It used to be you get naked, you get nominated."
• 9:40 AM via Twitter

  Is James Franco the first PhD candidate to host the Oscars?

  — Roger Ebert

• 9:36 AM via Twitter

  This just happened #OSCARSREALTIME http://say.ly/Wkda4T

  — James Franco

• 9:34 AM | And We're Off

  Monica Almeida/The New York Times James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosting the 83rd Academy Awards

  The show starts with Anne Hathaway and James Franco making cameos in a medley of clips of nominated films, with help from Alec Baldwin, one of last year's hosts.

• 9:21 AM via Twitter

  Best hair Reese, best looks Cate (fashion on a fashion dame) and Gwyneth's gold American girl CK. Did you catch Susan Downey's Jolie rocks?

  — Cathy Horyn

• 9:19 AM | A Less Clunky Telecast

  BROOKS BARNES: The ABC telecast is a difficult hybrid to pull off - a television show of a stage production that celebrates the movies - and this year's producers, Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer, have made changes designed to made it less clunky. Although there will be brief clips of the 10 best-picture nominees, for instance, there will be no genre movie montages, like the one last year dedicated to horror. But according to leaked telecast information, and just now verified for the press backstage at the awards, the show will include the usual "bathroom break" run of awards about an hour in, with back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back (eight of 'em) statuettes presented in lesser-known categories like sound mixing.
• 9:19 AM via Twitter

  PS22 Chorus kids watch themselves on Red Carpet!! http://t.co/Vw06YeF

  — PS22 Chorus

• 9:14 AM via Twitter

  here we go #OSCARSREALTIME http://say.ly/tjLa4D

  — James Franco

• 9:08 AM via Twitter

  Who's @jimmykimmel and what is he like? Find out after the Oscars. Hanx.

  — Tom Hanks

• 9:07 AM | Stuart Emmrich on Natalie Portman

  @StuartEmmrichNY: An optical illusion? Natalie Portman's dress looks red on E! and purple on ABC. Meanwhile, in both interviews she seems a little subdued.
• 9:06 AM via Twitter

  Portman's Rodarte: beautiful color on her, but not very distinctive design, and torpedo earrings distract.

  — Cathy Horyn

• 9:03 AM | Russell Brand Talks About Sex and Drugs

  MELENA RYZIK: Russell Brand is slated to present an award with Helen Mirren, his co-star in "The Tempest" and the upcoming remake of "Arthur." "She's an extraordinary woman," he said. "I'd like to have sex with her." His wife, Katy Perry, was not by his side when he said this - she's on tour. Instead he walked the red carpet with his mother. How did they prepare for it? "She took drugs this morning," Mr. Brand said. "Uppers, downers, benders, smack, crack, meth. I said, look, we're going to the Oscars, you're going to need more drugs. Eventually, she took enough drugs." Did he feel like he belongs here at the Oscars? "No, not really - this is a temporary place," he said. "If I was here tomorrow I would get run over. This is a road. We're standing in the road!"
• 9:03 AM via Twitter

  Nominee for Most Sycophantic Question(T. Gunn to J. Hudson)"Are there any dreams you haven't accomplished yet?"

  — Andy Borowitz

• 8:58 AM via Twitter

  Natalie Portman finally arrives on #redcarpet in V-necked red-purple Rodarte.

  — stuart emmrich

• 8:58 AM via Twitter

  Great hair on Reese. Hers? I feel she should break into a song.

  — Cathy Horyn

• 8:57 AM via Twitter

  The dress of the evening, in terms of the online debate it is generating, seems to be Cate Blanchett's Givenchy.

  — stuart emmrich

• 8:56 AM | Mark Ruffalo, Realistic Oscar Nominee

  MELENA RYZIK: Mark Ruffalo is so confident that he won't win for best supporting actor that he went ahead and tweeted his acceptance speech.

  "I think I owe a lot a people, so thank you if I win or not," he said.

  Still, he said, "it's really special. It's 20 years in the making. I used to go to school a block away from here - I went to the Stella Adler on Hollywood and Argyle - and I scraped it out here, trying to scrape together three bucks to buy a burrito to split. I was so poor. And that was when Hollywood like one long crack den. And so to be here, like right here, I used to walk these streets all the time, and now look at this. It's amazing. It's very moving to me."

  Did he wake up and look at himself in the mirror this morning and think, Mark Ruffalo, Oscar Nominee?

  "You got it, baby! Oscar-Nominated Mark Ruffalo. No, I didn't do that. I woke up this morning and I was like - oh god, I have to do the press line. This is way harder than acting."

• 8:50 AM via Twitter

  Hailee Steinfeld @ZacharyLevi & Michelle Williams arrive http://yfrog.com/h5y9xdj http://yfrog.com/h0jxblbbj http://yfrog.com/h8is9fwj

  — The Academy

• 8:48 AM | A Lot of Red on the Carpet

  @StuartEmmrichNY: As Elizabeth Stewart predicted in Styles today, there would be a lot of red tonite on the #oscars #redcarpet. The latest: Sandra Bullock
• 8:47 AM via Twitter

  So strange that Valentino moment, pushing the vintage frock, as Hathaway looks on Stepford style.

  — Cathy Horyn

• 8:45 AM | That 'Social Network' Camaraderie

  MELENA RYZIK: Armie Hammer, who plays the Winklevoss twins in "The Social Network," is usually hanging with his young co-stars. Did he feel like they were learning how to go through this process together?

  "I feel like it's something that we all went through, a really different process of making a movie that was really physically mentally and emotionally demanding," he said. "And we all came through the other side. There were days when we were spending 16 hour days doing nothing but doing the same scene over and over and over and we were all there for each other, like - do you need me to do anything, do you want me to read your lines with you, do you want me to research with them, we were that much of a team together. Now when we see each other and it's just like - good to see you! Now that we're in a position where we don't have to work and we can just celebrate, it's nice to just like enjoy each other's company."

  Does this red carpet feel different?

  "Yes," he said, "because there are SWAT teams with machine guns here."

• 8:44 AM via Twitter

  I am dressed. Ready for a night of awkward interactions. I shall keep you updated. http://yfrog.com/gz8wplvj

  — Judd Apatow

• 8:42 AM via Twitter

  That Sandra Bullock dress is by Vera Wang, by the way.

  — stuart emmrich

• 8:38 AM via Twitter

  A lot of former winners are showing up on the #oscars #redcarpet: Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow (in low-cut Calvin Klein)

  — stuart emmrich

• 8:34 AM via Twitter

  Also love Tomei's Charles James.Gunn just gushed.

  — Cathy Horyn

• 8:33 AM via Twitter

  Caught a glimpse of Kidman in stunning embroidered strapless dress, looks like Dior HC.

  — Cathy Horyn

• 8:32 AM | No Glamour in the Press Room

  BROOKS BARNES: Glamorous? We hate to burst the bubble, particularly for our mother in Montana, but the press room backstage at the Oscars is anything but. To gain access, the 300 or so credentialed print and online reporters camped out here must arrive by shuttle bus -- no walk-ins! -- and weave through two sets of metal detectors and submit themselves to two checks by guards with wands. Two more checkpoints scan your credential. Once inside the room, you sit elbow to elbow at rows of narrow office tables. The awards telecast is shown on eight flat-screen televisions and is audible through headsets, available only after you have forfeited a valid driver's license. A buffet of munchies -- cubed cheese, chilled veggies -- is available, which quickly results in tables strewn with plates pooled with ranch dressing. You'll have to believe us because the Academy assigns a person to patrol the room and enforce the rules. No photos!

• 8:30 AM | Stuart Emmrich on Hilary Swank in Gucci

  @StuartEmmrichNY: Hilary Swank in silvery, feather-trimmed Gucci. A lot of feathers on the red carpet tonite. An homage to Black Swan? #oscars

• 8:27 AM | Dana Brunetti, a Producer from 'The Social Network'

  MELENA RYZIK: Dana Brunetti, a producer of "The Social Network," on emotional ups & downs of awards season: "If I win, I'll have to go to rehab next week."

• 8:25 AM | Stuart Emmrich on Helena Bonham Carter

  @StuartEmmrichNY: Helena Bonham Carter in a subdued (for her) black Colleen Atwood. Seems amused by Ryan's attempt at conversation. #Oscars #redcarpet
• 8:24 AM via Twitter

  Spotted! More stars on the way like Penelope Cruz... Halle Berry... & Nicole Kidman - seen rockin' a super pretty, but casual pony-tail!

  — E! Live Events

• 8:15 AM | Bonding on the Red Carpet With Jennifer Lawrence

  MELENA RYZIK:  Jennifer Lawrence has been favorite of ours all season, and today is no different. "What at are you gonna ask me!" she demanded. "Go!" How has she managed to keep your sense of humor about this whole experience? "Because it's funny!" she said. "Look where we are! My friend worded it best, she was like, it's such an honor and you're such a mess. I just keep looking around laughing. What am I doing here, this is amazing." Ms. Lawrence brought her brothers as her dates. "I'm from Kentucky, so that's normal," she said. Did she have them help with her potential speech? "No. I think we're all pretty set for me to lose." Has she gotten to know any of her fellow nominees at all? "Helena Bonham Carter and I, I feel are best friends," she said. "I hope she feels the same way because that's how I feel. I know she's my best friend, I don't know if I'm her best friend."
• 8:11 AM via Twitter

  On the Red Carpet at the Oscars! Go Social Network!!

  — Kevin Spacey

• 8:07 AM via Twitter

  From facebook for Hailee Steinfeld: Who do you hope to meet tonight? Answer: Everyone

  — The Academy

• 8:03 AM | Split Awards for Hollywood's Split Personality?

  NATE SILVER: In between the last time that I issued a set of Oscar predictions and this one, I did some work to analyze a survey for a Hollywood studio. Although I'm not at liberty to disclose too many details about the project, one thing that became apparent is that Hollywood feels conflicted about two strategies that it might pursue to maintain its audience.

  On the one hand, younger moviegoers -- especially young men under the age of 25 -- are the studios' bread-and-butter, still turning out very reliably to see movies in the theaters, particularly on opening weekends. And Hollywood wants to be hip and relevant, which young audiences are often the benchmark for.

  On the other hand, as the American population ages, making movies that appeal solely to the under-30 or under-25 audience could produce diminishing returns. And the studios still see the movies as the Great American Artform, which means making films that appeal to a wider range of the demographic spectrum, particularly including older moviegoers (in fact, they're having some success with this).

  We have a shining example of each type of movie this year: "The Social Network", whose demogaphics skew younger and male, and "The King's Speech", for which the opposite is true. Both are well-made and well-reviewed films, and in a weaker year -- perhaps like last one -- either one could have swept the major awards.

  But since they're competing against one another, there might be some incentive to honor them both in some way -- which is why I feel relatively comfortable that our algorithm predicted a split decision, with "The King's Speech" taking best picture but "The Social Network"'s David Fincher winning best director.

  If you look at the other years where awards have been split, they have been years in which the films appealed to different types of audiences: for instance, "Traffic" and "Gladiator" in 2001, "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Driving Miss Daisy" in 1990, "The Pianist" and "Chicago" in 2003, or "Crash" and "Brokeback Mountain" in 2006.

• 8:02 AM via Twitter

  getting ready http://say.ly/kwEa44

  — James Franco

• 7:57 AM via Twitter

  OK, I'm signing up for Weight Watchers. Jennifer Hudson looks amazing in 'tangerine orange' Versace.

  — stuart emmrich

• 7:55 AM via Twitter

  So Portman is in Rodarte.

  — Cathy Horyn

• 7:53 AM via Twitter

  No sign of Natalie Portman on #redcarpet yet, but word is leaking out that she will be wearing Rodarte.

  — stuart emmrich

• 7:50 AM via Twitter

  I think it's a fantastic fashion risk-that's fashion! RT @Jeanne_Beker Mandy Moore looks like she's naked...& just had sparkles sprayed on!

  — Jay Manuel

• 7:45 AM | Stuart Emmrich on Amy Adams in L'Wren Scott

  @stuartEmmrichNY: Amy Adams in midnight blue L'Wren Scott. A lot of glitter and faux see-through tonite. #Oscars #redcarpet

• 7:43 AM | Butterflies for the Speechwriter Behind 'King's Speech'

  MELENA RYZIK: When we spoke to David Seidler the other day, he said he was planning to spend some time with his speech. How did it go?

  "The trouble is I've already forgotten it," he said. "I think I must have eaten a lot of caterpillars at the party last night because I've got a stomach full of butterflies and my mind has gone totally blank so the writers speech may be somewhat truncated."

  But brevity is the soul of an Oscar speech. "Or I could ramble on for hours and get drummed off with the music. I'll try not to disgrace myself."

  Did he think that people are looking for a particularly kind of eloquent speech given the subject matter of the movie?

  "Yes," he said. "This is a deeply personal film and it's a deeply personal story so I don't think it would be appropriate for me to deal with anything else but that."

• 7:43 AM via Twitter

  Gosh I actually found an English channel for the O carpet! And it just went back to Italian. This will be inneresting. Hailey looks sweet.

  — Cathy Horyn

• 7:38 AM via Twitter

  Michelle Williams in Chanel. Has to deal with Ryan Seacrest asking if her five-year-old daughter will see Blue Valentine.

  — stuart emmrich

• 7:37 AM via Twitter

  #Oscars Fact: No matter who wins Best Picture, the Winklevoss twins will sue them.

  — Andy Borowitz

• 7:36 AM | On the Red Carpet With 'Toy Story 3'

  MELENA RYZIK: The director and producer of "Toy Story 3," Lee Unkrich and Darla Anderson, walked the carpet with Jeff Garlin, who voices Buttercup in the latest Pixar hit. Mr. Garlin, the comedian and star of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," normally watches the show at home and keeps up a running commentary. In the Kodak Theater, "you'll have to behave," Ms. Anderson said.
  

   

  
  "It's going to be hard," Mr. Garlin replied.
  

  
  "When you're here, you get so caught up in it, and you empathize with everybody on stage, and you get completely caught up in it," Ms. Anderson said. "It's almost always a magical evening."
  

  
  Mr. Unkrich added: "When you're down there in the audience, how can you be even the least bit cynical about it? When you're nominated, when you've spent your life working towards something like this, no matter how jaded and cynical you are, it's a very special evening."
  

  
  Mr Garlin, a first timer at the Oscars. "I was so excited and I never get excited!" pause "I'm expecting it'll wear off and I'll get bored halfway through the show."
  

• 7:30 AM | Stuart Emmrich on Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa

  STUART EMMRICH: Hailee Steinfeld in a pretty-in-pink Marchesa that she said she helped design. Molly Ringwald would be proud. #oscars #redcarpet
• 7:30 AM via Twitter

  Mila Kunis solidifies her status as a #redcarpet star this awards season in an attention-getting violet Elie Saab.

  — stuart emmrich

• 7:29 AM via Twitter

  At this moment, 1600 tweets per minute about #Oscars!

  — The Academy

• 7:17 AM via Twitter

  Melissa Leo in white Marc Bouwer. Much better than the wacky green number she wore at Indie Spirit last nite.

  — stuart emmrich

• 7:10 AM via Twitter

  I did the Red Carpet for years, but wouldn't have occurred to me to discuss "the growth of Natalie's bump."

  — Roger Ebert

• 7:05 AM via Twitter

  First up on #redcarpet: Jennifer Lawrence, wearing red (as promised!). Calvin Klein Collection, by Francisco Costa.

  — stuart emmrich

• 6:58 AM via Twitter

  @ryanseacrest Are you busy this afternoon? I'd love to meet for an informal chat on an outdoor rug. Let me know.

  — Russell Brand

• 6:58 AM via Twitter

  Will Natalie Portman wear Dior tonight? That's been the speculation, but the suspension of John Galliano might make that a risky choice.

  — stuart emmrich

• 6:54 AM via Twitter

  The first to arrive on the #Oscars red carpet are Lisa Falcone, a producer of "127 Hours," and the official Oscars fruit plate.

  — The Carpetbagger

• 6:49 AM | David Carr's Movie Crushes

  
  DAVID CARR: I really, really wanted to pick "The Social Network" as best picture. For my money, it was a movie-movie: big and sprawling, very much of the moment, with great performances and acute writing and direction. "The King's Speech" is a fine movie - it has the box office and the precursor awards to prove it - but it did not have the large themes and big impact that I hope for in a best picture. And there is great cred is picking the underdog: In 2006, when I was working on the Carpetbagger covering the Oscars full-time, I went against the grain and correctly chose "Crash" in an upset over "Brokeback Mountain," people thought I had cracked the code on the Academy's secret process. (Alas, subsequent years proved that was not the case.) But this year, all of the math, all of the logic, all of the previous awards this season point to a big night for "King's Speech." I think it will prevail.
  

  
  I've got some other crushes that may have more of a chance. Roger Deakins, the long-time, beloved cinematographer who worked with the Coen brothers to make the big palette of "True Grit" looks so amazing, has never won an Oscar. This in spite of the fact that he was the cinematographer on "No Country for Old Men," "Beautiful Mind" and "Revolutionary Road," among many, many others. I've love to see him get to the podium. And I'm a bit an oddball in the supporting category for women, choosing Hallee Steinfield over the much more experienced Melissa Leo and Helena Bonham Carter. For my money, this kid performed a kind of a magic act, delivering rococo, very mannered dialogue with real conviction and all but defining what a movie heroine is, regardless of age. [You can see more of Mr. Carr's picks here.]
  

• 6:46 AM via Twitter

  This is awesome: @Mruff221 (#Oscars nominee tonight) tweeted out his thank-yous ahead of time. Maybe that should become a new tradition?

  — Twitter Media

• 6:46 AM | Annette Bening on Atypical 'The Kids Are All Right'

  MELENA RYZIK: Between her three previous nominations and the career of her husband, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening is an Academy veteran. She is a potential favorite to win the best actress award for "The Kids Are All Right," against a first-time nominee, Natalie Portman. Does she still enjoy going to the show?

  "I do," Ms. Bening said, at the Spirit awards on Saturday afternoon, where "Kids" won best screenplay. "Because I've been there before and I've been through this before, I think that it's actually easier as you get older."

  Ms. Bening said the film occupies an atypical position, as a relationship comedy about a family that's not usually visible in mainstream film. "It is just about a marriage and a long term relationship but then having said that, it is about the fact that they're a lesbian couple," she said. "And that is a profound statement and I love that, I love that this movie has been included in this as well as in the other spheres because it is special because of that. It's good for all of us."

  But, she added, it's not a message movie.

  "That would have been the death of it," she said. "No, it's far more than that. Message movies don't move us. It's the same in politics - which unfortunately that's what's so tricky about it. You've got to hit people in the gut, and then maybe you can say something."

• 6:25 AM via Twitter

  my favorite oscar of the 83rd annual awards has already been presented: http://nyti.ms/cjLtAA

  — anthony o. scott

• 6:25 AM via Twitter

  New Oscar greeter Dave Karger walks by: "Let's see if I make a fool of myself up there." I'm guessing he doesn't.

  — Steve Pond

• 6:20 AM via Twitter

  The Mulleavy sisters were just interviewed about their work on Black Swan. No mention of fallout with film costume designer, Amy Westcott.

  — stuart emmrich

• 6:04 AM | A.O. Scott's Predictions

  A.O. SCOTT: There doesn't seem to be a lot of suspense around the Oscars this year, and the fact that my ballot predicts some surprises really means that I'm hoping for a few. A "King's Speech" near-sweep seems possible, but I don't think it would be a good representation of the range of interesting and well-liked movies that the Academy had to choose from this year. [To see how your choices stack up against a chief film critic of The New York Times, click here. Mr. Scott and David Carr will be providing live video analysis of the Oscar ceremony during commercial breaks.]
• 6:01 AM via Twitter

  E! reports that Helena Bonham Carter does not use a stylist. Quelle surprise!

  — stuart emmrich

• 5:56 AM via Twitter

  On the red carpet. Who looks better? http://ow.ly/i/8D2K

  — The Carpetbagger

• 4:39 AM via Twitter

  So when presenters are reading the winners at the #oscars, this is what the card inside the envelope looks like: http://yfrog.com/h86e36j

  — Ryan Seacrest

• 3:57 AM via Twitter

  Academy voter John Waters on popularity of "The King's Speech": "the tyranny of good taste rules sometimes" http://nyti.ms/fO3cbA

  — melena ryzik

• 10:06 PM via Twitter

  Will Jennifer Lawrence go with red tonite as she hinted to a Styles reporter? She was in white D&G at Indy Spirit. http://yfrog.com/hszbbpdj

  — stuart emmrich

• 4:21 AM via Twitter

  My 2011 #Oscar ballot http://t.co/oQxp4S1 via @nytimesmovies

  — Martha Stewart