**Red Carpet Live Blog**

3:22pm: I going with ABC throughout this diary. Why? I don’t have E! in high definition, and I don’t think I can take Ryan Seacrest and Ben Lyons in low definition. I’m simply not a strong enough man.

3:25pm: Marc Brown and Russ Leatherman are here to make my time watching the red carpet special. I don’t know who they are, but I already like them around 400x more than anything E! has had going the past decade or so.

3:30pm: George Pennacchio is the guy actually on The Red Carpet for ABC, the other guys seem to be reporting from a sort of makeshift clock tower. Credit where credit is due to George.

3:32pm: Smallish mistake from Russ Leatherman, calling Jeff Bridges this year’s “Mickey Rourke.” Yes, the roles were similar, but the results won’t be. Penn beat Mickey on Oscar night, where Bridges is a mortal lock. Finally, some love for The Dude!

3:36pm: James Cameron on the red carpet, saying he’s got nothing to lose this evening. Can’t fault that logic, once your film makes $2.5 billion or so you can rest easy, accolades be damned.

3:40pm: My goal for the evening? I’d like to get 18 out of 24 correct, especially since I think I’ve already whiffed on a few. Example? Best Score is definitely going to Up.

3:44pm: I see the night playing out as follows: Avatar will sweep through the technical awards. Hurt Locker will strike back with Best Original Screenplay and Best Director.

Best Picture? Still too close to call. I picked The Hurt Locker but a whole mess of ballots came in late. Rumors persist that those were “punishment” ballots for the improper lobbying The Hurt Locker producer was sanctioned by The Academy for.

3:50pm: Jeremy Renner asked for a shotgun on the red carpet. I don’t have a joke, just figured it was good information to have.

3:55pm: The majority of ABC viewers like Avatar to win for Best Picture. Makes sense, it’s the one film everyone has seen. Only me and three other people saw A Serious Man in the theater.

3:57pm: It’s actually, all kidding aside, a big evening for the future of The Academy. Do they pivot toward rewarding a massive commercial success in Avatar? Do they support The Hurt Locker and reward a studio in Summit Entertainment that’s not one of the majors? Or does lobbying still rule the day, with Inglourious Basterds sneaking out a surprise victory?

4:01pm: I don’t know fashion, but Sandy Bullock looks classically lovely.

4:04pm: Leatherman is explaining the preferential voting system, kudos to him for even trying. But it brings me to theory number two on the evening: Avatar will benefit from District 9‘s tenth place finish. How so? Because fans of District 9 are far more likely to rank Avatar second, which will turn into a first place vote for Avatar under the current system.

4:07pm: Again, I know nothing of fashion, but Vera Farmiga looks like a strange piece of purple coral reef.

4:13pm: Note to all red carpet interviewers: when an actor says “That’s a good question!” it actually means “That’s a dumb question.” They just say it’s a good question in an attempt to stall for time.

4:17pm: Sara Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick make an appearance. M-Brod looks highly uncomfortable.

4:20pm: George Clooney is out with the people, shunning the red carpet! When do you figure he runs for president? 2024?

4:22pm: My one complaint of ABC’s coverage? It’s respectful and professional. I get the feeling the people involved might have actually seen a few of the movies. What gives? Every year I watched on E! it seemed like they’d thrown the show together in 30 minutes after an all night bender.

Oh Seacrest, the jokes were easy, the awkwardness was overbearing, and the vibe was weird. I guess you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

4:27pm: George Clooney’s girlfriend looks like she’s ready to throw down. She’s fought off a few competitors over the years, eh?

4:30pm: Zoe Saldana’s dress is a cry for help. She looks like the chaos theory in gown form.

4:36pm: Leatherman goes out on a limb and takes The Hurt Locker to win Best Picture. I like the call, though I didn’t love the film.

4:37pm: Truth be told, I’m actually cheering for Inglourious Basterds. I loved that film. But I’d rather see Hurt Locker triumph over Avatar — I think it would be better for the industry. Why? Because I don’t love the idea that movies should cost half a billion dollars to produce and market. I’d rather see the film with the lesser profile triumph.

4:43pm: Meryl Streep is the one actor who is believable saying she’s cheering for another actor in her category. Streep should just be put in charge of the economy already.

4:44pm: Jeff Bridges just completely passed on a Tron Legacy question to praise Crazy Heart. Love that guy.

4:54pm: Robert Downey Jr. rocks a blue bow tie, I truly wish I could pull that off.

4:57pm: We’re only 30 minutes away from The Academy Awards! I feel a pizza break coming on.

4:59pm: ABC throws it to a trailer for The Bounty Hunter — because if you love award-winning films, you’ll viscerally hate The Bounty Hunter.

5:01pm: We’ve been handed off to a new announcing team: Kathy Ireland, Jess Cagle, and Sherri Shepherd. It’s go time!

5:04pm: Just once I’d like to hear a nominee say “It’s a joke to be nominated. I’m here to win.” They never say that. My promise to you? If this live blog ever gets nominated for an Academy Award I’ll say just that. I’ll go to war with the other nominees. Scorched earth policy from me.

5:06pm: Sherri Shepherd asks Clooney about pranks on the set of Up in the Air. That gets an F-. Young interviewers of the world: don’t ask about pranks. You’re better than that.

5:08pm: Kathy Ireland seems uncomfortable interviewing Zac Efron. Looks like Cagle will be the only one to escape this pre-show unscathed.

5:16pm: The goal should be to ask a question that allows the audience to learn who the person being interviewed is. You’re holding up a magnifying glass. So, for instance, my first question to Cameron Diaz would be “How about them Cavs?” You’d learn something as she struggled to figure out how I got past security.

5:23pm: Kate Winslet will be presenting The Academy Award for Best Actor to Jeff Bridges. Solid.

Jess Cagle is doing this weird thing where he shakes the person’s hand after the 15 second interview is over. Can we start the show please?

5:25pm: Taylor Lautner is a poised guy. He’s going to be around for a long time.

**Academy Awards Ceremony Live Blog**

5:32pm: Neil Patrick Harris starts us off with a dance routine.

5:34pm: Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin take the stage. Time for some jokes?

5:36pm: The monologue is a little stiff so far, but I’m sure the gents will get comfortable soon.

5:38pm: The Hitler memorabilia joke worked, because Streep is so beloved almost any joke about her works.

5:40pm: Oooh, a Toyota joke. Too soon?

5:42pm: We’re probably about five minutes away from the first Oscar being handed out. And it’s usually a biggie!

5:48pm: Best Supporting Actor goes to Christoph Waltz. He earned it. He owned that movie. That’s a bingo!

5:50pm: Ryan Reynolds presents The Blind Side as a Best Picture nominee. It feels like the clips and speeches are already going a bit long. We could be in for a show that goes past 8:45pm.

5:53pm: I know I mentioned it before, but that The Bounty Hunter trailer is a nightmare on wheels. I’d pay ten bucks not to see that movie.

5:55pm: Jimmy Kimmel really should be more popular. The man’s promos are the best in the business.

5:59pm: Best Animated Feature goes to Up. Pixar continues its dominance, no surprise there, though it ends any chance of Up winning for Best Picture.

6:04pm: Best Song goes to “The Weary Kind” from Crazy Heart. I enjoyed Crazy Heart, and I especially appreciated the music. It felt really authentic. And now it’s been approved by The Academy, and I’m 3-0 on my calls so far.

6:16pm: After a great intro from Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr. the Best Original Screenplay goes to The Hurt Locker. Could this be the start of a Hurt Locker run? No, because Avatar will be scooping up the technical awards soon. I’m four for four, although it’s been pretty predictable so far.

6:17pm: No one has been played off yet. They are all keeping it short. Perhaps they all agreed to brevity in exchange for more clips of the acting and a highlighting of the films themselves? Or is that too logical?

6:18pm: Molly Ringwald and Matthew Broderick present a tribute to John Hughes. Classy, and well done. You’ll be missed, Mr. Hughes

6:22pm: A partial Breakfast Club reunion! A nice moment for The Academy Awards.

6:29pm: Best Animated Short goes to Logorama. My first miss, in a category that’s traditionally impossible to predict.

6:35pm: Best Documentary Short goes to Music by Prudence. Disaster. 4-2, and struggling. The short categories always hurt me. The acceptance speech is awfully strange, as one of the winners interrupts the other one, rather brutally. They get played off.

6:37pm: Best Live Action Short goes to The New Tenants. They are really rolling through the shorts, one of the guys steps to the microphone only to find it already turned off.

6:41pm: Best Makeup goes to Star Trek. You gotta admit, the green girl Kirk was so fond of won if for them.

6:42pm: It was strange to see Ben Stiller get to riff for five minutes during The Best Makeup presentation when winners are getting played off. Even more bad news: I’m going to need to reel off sixteen in a row to hit my dream of 20-4.

6:50pm: Best Adapted Screenplay goes to Precious. I would have liked an In the Loop win there, but it’s nice to see Precious get on the board. A very even Academy Awards so far, no dominant theme yet.

6:59pm: Best Supporting Actress goes to Mo’Nique. She gives a heartfelt speech and we’re back on track!

7:03pm: Precious is the first film to win two Academy Awards this evening. We’ve only got another 90 minutes, will Avatar make a stand?

7:07pm: Yes it will. Best Art Direction goes to Avatar. No matter how much I knock the story, I can’t fault this win in the slightest. The art direction on the film was nothing short of amazing.

7:12pm: Best Costume Design goes to The Young Victoria, making me seven for twelve. Sandy Powell wins her third Academy Award and gives some respect to the folks who never get recognized. She’s right. Doing a period piece is the sure way to win an Oscar. Doing a contemporary project? No chance.

7:17pm: Twelve Academy Awards in the next 75 minutes? Buckle your seatbelts.

7:19pm: Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart present a tribute to horror, a genre largely ignored by The Academy.

7:21pm: Putting Silence of the Lambs and The Sixth Sense in the horror genre seems off. Horror, in its current form, is all about shocking levels of gore and violence. I’m not saying that’s right, I’m just saying that’s where we’re at.

7:24pm: Best Sound Editing goes to The Hurt Locker, giving it two on the evening.

7:27pm: Best Sound Mixing goes to The Hurt Locker too! This is looking more and more like the evening The Academy takes a side in the constant art vs. entertainment debate. Making money? It’s important. But it doesn’t rule The Academy, at least not two hours into the show. It will be interesting to see how the general public feels about this development.

7:35pm: Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are pretty “hands off” this evening. You just barely notice they are hosting. It’s not a bad thing, but they won’t go down as the best hosts ever, either.

7:36pm: Best Cinematography goes to Avatar. As soon as I think I know the message of the night, I get thrown again. It’s like a heavyweight fight, Avatar vs. Hurt Locker, toe to toe, round after round.

7:39pm: In Memoriam with James Taylor singing.

7:54pm: Best Score goes to Up. If you’re keeping score at home (and I know you are) it goes something like:

Hurt Locker 3

Avatar 2

Crazy Heart

Precious 2

Up 2

7:55pm: Best Visual Effects goes to Avatar, tying the overall Academy Award race back up.

8:04pm: Best Documentary Feature goes to The Cove. A rousing victory for marine mammals.

8:08pm: Best Editing goes to The Hurt Locker and it takes a four to three lead. The battle for Oscar’s soul continues. One thing is for certain at this point though, The Hurt Locker is going to make some serious money on DVD… after making very little at the box office.

8:16pm: El Secreto de Sus Ojos from Argentina takes it for Best Foreign Language Film. Only the biggies remain: Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Picture.

8:18pm: Can The Academy finish this bad boy up in twelve minutes? Prognosis: negative!

8:32pm: After an extremely lengthy intro, Best Actor goes to Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart. I’ll take it. Couldn’t happen to a nicer fella. He gets a standing ovation from the crowd and thanks his mom and dad for “bringing him into this groovy profession.”

8:34pm: Chances of them playing Jeff Bridges off? Zero. None. Nada. But they almost do just that, risking a riot amongst us Bridge-ites.

8:36pm: Five hours in, and I’m getting a little loopy. I see a bright light, but I’ve been told I’m not supposed to follow it.

8:48pm: Best Actress goes to Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side. She gives an extremely gracious speech, I’d call it the speech of the night if I had to. A+. Bonus: she made my wife cry just a little bit. Well played.

8:55pm: Best Director goes to Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker. It took 82 years, but The Academy finally got it right. I think Sofia Coppola should have won back in 2003, but they owed Peter Jackson for all three Lord of the Rings.

8:58pm: Best Picture goes to The Hurt Locker, and The Academy finally takes that definitive stand. Six Academy Awards for The Hurt Locker, doubling the three Avatar put up.

9:01pm: The Hurt Locker becomes the lowest grossing Best Picture winner ever by a staggering $35m, the previous title holder was Crash.

9:09pm: That’s all from me guys, thanks for reading!

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Tags: 2010 oscars, academy awards winners, oscar winners