As soon as the news about Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan attending the Oscars was out, we couldn’t wait to see the duo, especially, Aishwarya on the red carpet at the world’s most watched award show. It was first time for our beautiful Aishwarya Rai at Oscars. Ash and Abhi attended the 83rd Academy Awards at Kodak Theatre. It was no surprise to see Ash in an Armani creation. The former Miss World, who is a quite a charmer on red carpet, chose an Armani Prive splendid off-shoulder gown for the red carpet. Catch the pics of the very stunning Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her debonair husband Abhishek Bachchan at Oscars…
Bollywood star couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, along with Mallika Sherawat, dazzled in their finery at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards red carpet here. Abhishek and Aishwarya got a chance invite to the prestigious event, where Hollywood’s Who’s Who gathers to celebrate international cinema. The duo was holidaying in Los Angeles and were not at all prepared to attend such a high-profile event at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood Sunday night. However, last minute help from their designer friends helped them put their best foot forward at the red carpet. Aishwarya sparkled in an off-shoulder Armani Prive bronze gown and kept her look minimalistic with just a pair of dangling earrings and hair on one side of the shoulder. Abhishek looked dapper in a traditional, formal black tuxedo. Mallika, one of the most talked about Bollywood glamour girls, flaunted a sequinned white gown, with a daring front slit and a plunging neckline - just as she likes it always!
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) Yet another Academy Awards presentation has come and gone. Another evening of waiting, guessing and hoping. Oscar pools everywhere claimed new champions and the ultimate competition - the quest for the golden statue - quite literally crowned a new King. Every year, there is usually some big event, some bad dress or some decision made that is so out of whack that people will be talking about it for days after. This year, there really wasn't anything that stands out glaringly. As indicated in the Xavierpop.com Oscar Predictions, this is the year that the Oscars played it super safe. This is the year that we got very few risks in the presentation of the ceremony and even fewer in the award choices themselves. In the age of the internet and instant information, the exchange of information leading up to the event and the interaction online in such conversation media as Twitter and Facebook was, at times, more illuminating than what was happening at the Kodak Theatre. This was the year that one of the Best Supporting Actor nominees tweeted his acceptance speech. There were Oscar apps, virtual backstage passes and stars just having plain old fun and flaunting their access by tweeting on stage while presenting an award (Yes Justin Timberlake, I am looking at you! #tacky). So without further ado, here is a wrap-up of the evening's greatest and most awkward moments: - - Luke Matheny easily had the best acceptance of the night for his live-action short film God of Love. It is people like him and moments like this that makes the Oscars so unpredictable and such a joy to watch. He started about saying "I should have gotten a haircut" and really thanked his mother "who did craft services" for the film. It was awesome, inspiring and truly one of the highlights of the night. - The award show presenter pairings with Twitter buzz jumping when Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem came on stage together and then almost exploded when Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law presented best visual effects. - The screenwriters acceptance speeches. Both Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and David Seidler (The King's Speech) gave the most eloquent thank-yous of the evening. It was a shame that whomever was producing the show thought that it was appropriate to start the music when Sorkin was talking yet allowed Best Supporting Actress winner Melissa Leo go on for 20 minutes. Regardless, it was a joy to watch two the greatest writers of our time get their due. - Cate Blanchett proclaiming, "That's gross" to The Wolfman's clip during the Best Makeup presentation, which then went on to win the award. - The Titanic thing was just weird - The Bob Hope hologram was just awkward, strange and really wrong. Celebrating the legacy of the great Bob Hope is long overdue. Having him there in hologram to accentuate the point is simply a bad decision. - Apparently Reese Witherspoon hasn't been to the Oscars enough because the announcer totally screwed up her name. - Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis were simply not funny. Trying out some jokes like they were at Amateur Night in a comedy club was more like it. It doesn't really bode well for their upcoming movie that they are in, which by the way, looks exactly like the Natalie Portman/Ashton Kutcher movie that just came out. - Not going to beleaguer the point. Anne Hathway = cute, funny and good. James Franco = simply and plainly bad. On to next year as they say
Tip: Refresh this page for updates 12.01 - Well, that's it for the Oscars red carpet for another year. My best-dressed picks are Jennifer Hudson, Camila Alves, Gwyneth Paltrow and Helen Mirren. Best of luck to all the nominees! Kylie x 12.00 - Mark Wahlberg has arrived, very late, with his model wife. He stars in The Fighter with Christian Bale. The celebs still lingering on the red carpet are getting in trouble from the organisers for not going inside, so funny! 11.59 - The red carpet is starting to wind up now...most of the major stars and nominees have arrived and are being asked to take their seats. 11.57- Natalie Portman has arrived! She is wearing a mulbery/dark purple dress - my favourite look for her this award's season. 11.55 - Sandra Bullock has received one of the loudest welcomes from the crowd so far, like Jennifer Hudson she's wearing red today. 11.52 - Gwyneth's dress is by Calvin Klein by the way.... 11.50 - I wonder if Coldplay frontman Chris Martin gives his wife Gwyneth Paltrow any performance tips when it comes to singing live? 11.46 - Many are speculating it has come down to a two-horse race today for the Best Picture gong - The Social Network up against The King's Speech. Both are incredible films and deserving winners whatever the outcome. 11.35 - Finally someone picks a metallic hue that suits her skin-tone - Gwyneth Paltrow looks AMAZING in silvery gold! Fashion-forward and absolutely stunning. 11.33 - Matthew McConaughey and his Brazilian supermodel wife Camila Alves win the award for most gorgeous couple on ground so far! Camila's plunging black dress looks amazing. 11.32 - A steady stream of mega-celebs is arriving thick and fast! Halle Berry is wearing a beautiful strapless number, she is followed by Josh Brolin and Christian Bale and his wife. Bale is up for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Fighter. 11.28 - The queen of British acting, Dame Helen Mirren, is wearing a puffed-sleeved olived coloured dress that looks incredible on her. Annette Bening, Best Actress Nominee, has arrived with husband Warren Beatty and Javier Bardem and wife Penelope Cruz look gorgeous together. Penelope is in red and looks smoking hot considering she gave birth just weeks ago. 11.23 - The ever-gorgeous Hugh Jackman and wife Deborra-lee Furness have arrived with Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. Maybe they shared a cab? Deb is in black and Nicole in a shiny white Opera House-meets-Dynasty inspired dress. 11.21 - Steven Spielberg has arrived at the same time as Rupert Murdoch...it is one powerful red-carpet at the moment!. 11.20 - The media is going wild trying to take shots of The King's Speech cast-members Colin Firth, Helena B.C and Geoffrey Rush. Good luck to all of them today...especially Geoffrey!
11.19 - Is silver/grey the new black? Hilary Swank is wearing a strapless silver number with feathers around the skirt...it would be hard to tell her, Mandy Moore and Michelle Williams apart in a line-up today. 11.17 - Helena B.C. is at her eclectic best carrying a fan and wearing a medieval-inspired black dress...and sunnies. 11.14 - Andrew Garfield, who stars in The Social Network and is also currently filming the next Spiderman film, has arrived at the same time as Best Actor nominee Colin Firth and Best Supporting Actress nominee Helena Bonham Carter, both in The King's Speech. 11.10 - Justin Timberlake and Aaron Sorkin have arrived - Aaron wrote the screenplay for The Social Network and told us earlier this year he is SUPER nervous about the Oscars. He has never won a gold statue and would no doubt be thrilled to take home an award today...fingers crossed for him. 11.07 - Sharon Stone is wearing a one-shouldered black dress with feathers and a serious up-do. She actually looks like Patsy from AbFab with her hair like that. 11.02 Cate Blanchett is apparently wearing Givenchy and Jennifer Hudson is in Versace. 11.01 - Marissa Tomei has just arrived in a black prom dress. 10.59 - Jeremy Renner, nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his gritty role in the Ben Affleck-directed film The Town, has arrived with his mum. Kevin Spacey is right behind him as well as Scarlett Johansson in a burgundy red, lace dress. She is a stunner...not too sure about the dress though. Hmmm, lots of cuddles going on there between Scarlett and Jeremy. 10.55 - The ever-humble Jesse Eisenberg - star of The Social Network - has just arrived at the same time as Cate Blanchett. Cate is wearing a pale lavendar dress with an incredible yellow beaded embellishment on the back.
10.53 - WOW, a super-svelte Jennifer Hudson looks incredible in a plunging red dress, most stunning so far. 10.50 Our own Geoffrey Rush has arrived - he is of course nominated for Best Supporting Actor in The King's Speech. He is bald! 10.41 - Aron Ralston, the incredible man who cut his own arm off and inspired the film 127 Hours, has arrived with his wife. 10.37 - Amy Adams is wearing a navy sequined dress which looks great, just not sure about the weird necklace she has on over the the top of it. 10.36 - Zach Levi has walked in and looks super handsome. He is a lovely guy and was recently in Australia to promote his new animated flick Tangled. 10.33 - Michelle Williams is wearing a silvery/grey number that is extremely fitted. She looks very elegant but the colour, which is similar to Mandy Moore's dress, makes her look a little washed out. 10.30 - Russell Brand and his mum have arrived - he looks so strange without facial hair. 10.28 - Someone has arrived wearing a bike helmet! Oh no...wait, that's just a bad Beatles haircut. 10.27 - Mandy Moore is up next...um, it's hard to tell where her dress starts and her skin finishes. She is such a sweetheart but looking a little severe and pale today. 10.25 - Mila Kunis has arrived wearing a flowing lavendar frock and some seriously gorgeous diamond earrings. 10.23 - Of course Jacki is also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Aussie flick Animal Kingdom....Go Jacki! 10.22 - Jacki Weaver has arrived! She looks STUNNING in a silvery/metallic and chiffon dress, quite possibly by Collette Dinnigan. 10.20 - Good luck Hailee for your Best Supporting Actor nomination! 10.16 - Hailee Steinfeld - the young actress from True Grit - has arrived with her parents. She looks gorgeous and is wearing a 3/4 length ballerina dress (in a nude hue). 10.13 - Lots of screams for the beautiful Virginia Madsen who is wearing a black and white dress. 10.08 - Melissa Leo, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Fighter, has arrived in what looks like an Easter egg wrapper. 10.05 - Have already seen a number of dresses in the nude/soft pink hue...a safe bet but getting a little boring now. 10.02 - Imagine if Natalie Portman didn't win the Best Actress Oscar today...scandal! 10.00 - The very, very handsome Armie Hammer - who played BOTH Winklevoss twins in The Social Network - has just arrived. 09.57 - Lots of people already on the red carpet but no major stars yet...just heaps of media (approximately 500!) plus industry people and of course, security. 09.53 - James Franco and Anne Hathaway must be getting pretty nervous by now! So too Gwyneth Paltrow who is performing at the awards. 09.47 - Richard Wilkins is on the Oscars red carpet now talking to chef Wolfgang Puck about the amazing food being served today...they have smoked salmon in the shape of Oscar statues. 9.45am - Speaking of this year's co-hosts, apparently a planned singing/dancing performance by James Franco was canned at the last minute by producers because his singing was so horrible! 9.44am - Also rumoured to be presenting this year: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand, Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson and Hilary Swank...with Steven Spielberg expected to present the Best Picture Oscar. 09.42am - The rumour mill is already in overdrive about who some of the guest presenters will be today, alongside hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway. Expect a surprise "monologue" from last year's co-host Billy Crystal. 09:40am - Well Happy Oscars Day everyone! It's Kylie here and I hope you're as excited about the 83rd Annual Academy Awards as I am...
Oscar statues stand outside the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, where the 83rd Annual Academy Awards will be airing live tonight. (Associated Press photo)
5:58 p.m.: The Oscars red carpet is due to begin broadcasting in two minutes, but right now, I’m just seeing KOCO-5 chief meteorologist Rick Mitchell showing the radar of the only thunderstorm in the state in far northern Oklahoma. Rick says they are mindful of the Oscars airing tonight and will keep us ahead of the storm but let us enjoy programming, too. Let’s hope we don’t get too many interruptions – and that the weather behaves itself not just in Oklahoma but in our northern neighbor, Kansas. 6: “Good Morning America” host Robin Roberts is wearing of lovely pale pink gown but touting some of the historic moments: the first-ever 90-minute red carpet and the first red-carpet interview with the Oscar hosts. Um, yay. (Sarcasm there.) Right now, we’re just getting introduced to the hosts and seeing behind-the-scenes shots. Let’s get on with it! I’m hoping this isn’t setting the pace for the night.
Mila Kunis (AP file photo)
6:03: The first red-carpet interview is with Oscar-snubbed “Black Swan” actress Mila Kunis, who looks stunning in a lavender gown with a plunging neckline. Tim Gunn asks the first hard-hitting question of the night: Which is harder, walking the red carpet in high heels or dancing ballet in toe shoes? Sheesh. 6:05: Best supporting actress nominee Hailee Steinfeld, 14, is looking incredibly glamorous in her pale and sparkling gown with her dark hair in a formal updo. She is talking about how much her life has changed in the past year. I really hope we see much more from her. She’s an incredible actress. (For the record, this is my first rant of the night about Hailee being nominated in the supporting actress category when her film-carrying turn in the Coen brothers’ “True Grit” clearly belongs in the best actress category. It’s just the games the studios and Academy play.) 6:06: Best actor contender Jesse Eisenberg says “This is like the Super Bowl, but I don’t play football, so this is the closest I’ll ever get.” He’s looking very much the cool cat in his classic black suit, white shirt and black tie. He tells Robin he really doesn’t have a TV, but “I love watching you in person.” Yes, a cool cat indeed.
Amy Adams (AP file)
6:12: Wow, after all the pale gowns, best supporting actress Amy Adams looks stunning in her sparkling deep purple gown. It really looks great with her blue eyes and red hair, and the dramatic Cartier jewels are gorgeous. But I hate the old-lady neckline. I think that dress goes up to her chin. 6:13: Another wow, Jennifer Lawrence – best actress nominee for “Winter’s Bone” – looks absolutely stunning in her long, unadorned red gown with the just-right scooped neckline. She definitely looks ready to play Mystique in “X-Men: First Class.” She says she’s excited to see Jeff Bridges, whom she quotes all the time, and she claims she’s just there “to have and lose.” 6:15: Kevin Spacey is rooting for his “American Beauty” co-star Annette Bening to win best actress. It’s her fourth Oscar nomination, but I’m betting Natalie Portman wins it. 6:16: Russell Brand in wearing all navy and a new darker ‘do, which makes him look like a Johnny Depp impersonator. His date is his mom, since his sweetie Katy Perry is on tour. Russell will be presenting at the Oscars tonight, and he’s giving a frightening explanation of his upcoming “Arthur” remake. I didn’t want to see that movie before, and now I’m really dreading it. Dudley Moore he ain’t.
Melissa Leo (AP file)
6:17: Former Tulsan Melissa Leo looks positively regal in her white and gold floral patterned dress with the high collar and deep V neckline. Tim Gunn is asking her a Facebook-submitted question: She plays a lot of complicated characters, does she ever turn down easier roles? She thinks maybe she just complicates the roles. I loved Melissa in “Frozen River,” for which she earned her first Oscar nod, and in “The Fighter.” So I’m really rooting for her. The question is will her online and trade publication campaign on her own behalf work for or against her. 6:20: We’re getting a preview of the P.S. 22 Chorus, an elementary school chorus from Staten Island, N.Y., who will make a joyous musical appearance at tonight’s Oscars singing “Over the Rainbow.” These talented kids have become deserving YouTube sensations with some very high-profile fans. I’m so glad to see the Academy is bringing music back to the Oscars; we’re going to get full performances of the best original song noms, too. 6:27: Tim Gunn is lavishing praise on presenter and past Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, who looks like she’s wearing a pimply alien skin for a dress. Tim calls her a risk-taker and praises the gown as gorgeous. It’s a pale lavender gown with a pleated long skirt and all kinds of round purple and yellow ornamentation on the shoulders and around the waist. It is a very weird and not very pleasant looking gown. I’m not an expert like Tim Gunn but I’m just not a fan. Of the gown. I think Cate is great. 6:30: Mark Ruffalo looks very classic in his tux, and his wife, Sunrise, also appears very elegant. Mark is nominated for best supporting actor, and he credits his spouse for getting him to take the part in “The Kids Are All Right.”
Marisa Tomei (AP file)
6:32: Past winner Marisa Tomei always looks great, and her flowing dark blue gown is “staggering,” as Tim puts it. Mr. Gunn and I are in agreement on her vintage gown. She says she was stunned but very flattered to hear that Lady Gaga said she would like Marisa to play her if there was a movie made about her life. I’m not sure that I can see it, but Gaga knows how to pick a great actresses. 6:37: I think we’re seeing a trend color: purple. Scarlett Johansson is dressed in a sleeveless vibrant violet gown done in flowery lace. Love the dress and makeup, but didn’t much care for the tousled bedhead ‘do. 6:41: Matthew McConaughey is wearing a great-looking tux, but even with the classy threads, the man still can’t be troubled to shave. I love men with facial hair but I’m not a fan of scruffy stubble with elegant outfit. 6:42: Annette Bening is all sparkles tonight, with a dark-colored column with a spiderweb of silvery accents. I loved her terrific ear dangles. Warren Beatty says he’s in awe of her because she’s not just an amazing actress, she’s an equally amazing wife and mother. Aw.
Anne Hathaway (AP file)
6:43: Anne Hathaway is wearing Valentino and is walking the red carpet with Valentino. Love, love, love her sleeveless siren-red gown with the flowery gathers in the skirt. Her hair is lovely and soft, and she is wearing a mint worth of jewels. She looks like a winner to me, I think red is another trendy color here tonight. I adore all the jewel tones. 6:48: Tim Gunn is back “making Oscar history” by interviewing host Anne Hathaway before the show. She is the youngest host ever and one of the few female hosts. She said she took Shirley MacLaine’s advice to work as many wardrobe changes into the show as possible. She is wearing Tiffany jewels and a Valentino Archival gown, and she says she feels like a “princess/movie star/luckiest girl in the world.” 6:49: Mark Wahlberg is talking about how hard it was to get “The Fighter” made and how pleased he is to have such a great response to it. He not only stars in the film, he produced it. It’s a shame he didn’t get a best actor nod. He’s giving Robin her due for predicting the movie would be a success. 6:51: Geoffrey Rush (who is cue-ball bald) and Colin Firth are acknowledging their bromance, with Firth dubbing it a shocking display. “The King’s Speech” has a leading 12 nominations, but Rush says even if it goes home empty handed, he’s glad it touched a chord with viewers and allowed he and Colin for forge a great working relationship. I think it’s pretty much a guarantee that Colin is getting an Oscar this year. 6:52: Reese Witherspoon is wearing a black and white Armani gown with green ear dangles, with a bouncy ponytail that would look great on ’50s cheerleader. She doesn’t remember much about winning her Oscar a few years ago for “Walk the Line,” just that she had too much adrenaline and Jamie Foxx was very sweet to her. And now that she has co-starred with Robert Pattinson in the upcoming “Water for Elephants,” she has to be Team Edward. A “Twilight” reference at an entertainment event. Imagine.
Robert Downey Jr. (AP file)
6:54: Personal fave Robert Downey Jr. and his producer wife Susan have stepped up. Susan is wearing earrings Angelina Jolie designed, and Robert is wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and white tie. Susan says that they usually hang out in sweats when they’re not making movies, and Robert sardonically comments that his wife’s earrings are the most exciting part of the evening. He and Jude Law, who just finished filming the forthcoming “Sherlock Holmes” sequel, have been paired as presenters tonight. 6:56: Great trailer for “Source Code,” director Duncan Jones’ followup to “Moon.” It’s in theaters April 1, and I really want to see it. 7:00: Just got a glimpse of Halle Berry’s dress, and I’m not a fan of the raggedy-looking skirt. She is so lovely, and I wish she were wearing a gown that emphasized it. 7:01: Jennifer Hudson looks awesome in her flaming red-orange gown with the dramatic neckline, updo and earrings. She does look so svelte and beautiful these days.
Natalie Portman (AP file)
7:02: Natalie Portman is wearing a canny plum gown that neither hides nor emphasizes her baby bump. She called “Black Swan” director Darren Aronofsky “the bee’s knees,” and she feels so lucky to have learned to dance for the movie. She is ready for awards season to be over and to leave the dress-up gowns in the closet. She’s ready for sweats and messy hair. I hope she has her speech ready because I’m betting she wins best actress. 7:03: “Oh, yeah, I am nominated tonight, aren’t I?” James Franco ponders. He’s got a lot on his mind, and he’s got the charm to pull off such a goofy remark. The killer smile helps. He’s praising co-host Anne Hathaway as full of energy and a great performer, and he’s revealing that he has wardrobe changes tonight, too. “Look for the change in suits.” He trails off sort of awkwardly to end the interview. Hopefully, he will be more at ease onstage. 7:05: Tim Gunn is gushing over Justin Timberlake, who took about an hour to get down the carpet. “It’s a long walk on that carpet,” Justin says, adding that it looks more pink than an TV. That prompts Tim to dub him “Justin Timberlake, color theorist.” Justin looks handsome in his classic tux and neatly trimmed facial hair. Maybe he can give Matt McC some tips.
Sandra Bullock (AP file)
7:07: Sandra Bullock looks so elegant in another of these popular candy-apple red gowns. Love the dramatic neckline and bare back. She is going to present the best actor award and she says she knows how nominee Javier Bardem feels at least – sleep deprived since he has a newborn. Sandra says that since she adopted her baby boy last year, her priorities have changed. She’s back to work but she wants to make sure that she manages her time well because she wants to get back home to him. She always seems like such a classy lady, and life hasn’t been all pretty gowns and golden statuettes for her since she won best actress last year. Good to see her with her head held high. 7:12: “I think it’s just beautiful to be nominated,” says Nicole Kidman, who is wearing a white gown with silvery accents and a sort of giant ribbon wrapped around it. “I like the structure of it,” she says, and it’s got a very unusual line. This is her first nomination since she married Keith Urban, who is holding her hand loyally. He says they have very similar but eclectic taste in music and they picked mellow music for the ride over.
Gwyneth Paltrow (AP file)
7:14: Gwyneth Paltrow is wearing a gorgeous shimmering, gold column with stunning sparkly earrings. She is singing “Coming Home,” a best original song nominee from “Country Strong.” She says if she could have a dream duet, she would do it with Jay-Z. 7:15: Best supporting actor shoo-in Christian Bale is going with an all-black suit and full beard. He says that Dicky Edlund and Micky Ward, the real-life brothers he and Mark Wahlberg portray in “The Fighter,” are at the Oscars and he saw them having a good time earlier. Christian is glad that “the Fighter” finally got made and pleased that it has captured the attention and imagination of film fans. 7:20: News flash: Most of the stars interviewed on the red carpet are rooting for their own films or co-stars to win tonight. Shocking, I know. At least they’re honest. 7:21: We’re less than 10 minutes away from the start of the actual Academy Awards. Robin has moved the activity inside the Kodak Theatre, and past Oscar host Hugh Jackman is making a playful entrance. He said he is nervous for co-hosts Anne and James, even though he just decided to relax and have fun. He is reiterating his advice to Anne and James: eat a lot. They will need to keep up their energy; this show is three hours long and they are in charge of keeping it running smoothly and sort of on time. If they keep it on time, they will be my favorite hosts ever.
Halle Berry (AP file)
7:24: I love the color and bodice of past winner Halle Berry’s pale gown, but I hate the ragged tulle skirt and neckline adornment. It looks sort of ’80s. She says she loves seeing everyone’s interpretation of glamor; clearly she and I have different interpretations. Of course, she is much more experienced than I in the glamor department. She says she is sending up her love for the late Lena Horne and looking forward to her Broadway debut. 7:26: Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks is the last interview of the red carpet and will present the first award. He recalls as a nominee that when your category comes up the blood rushes to your head and all you can hear is gibberish. “This town makes time for a lot of things but it only shuts down for the Oscars.” And with those words of wisdom, we’ll end the Oscars red carpet live blog. Please join me in minutes for the Academy Awards live blog right here on BAM’s Blog.
Oscars 2011: live coverage of the 83rd Academy Awards
Frock by frock, gong by gong, gaffe by gaffe coverage of the 2011 Oscars, in which The King's Speech reigned victorious
Colin Firth accepts the best actor Oscar for The King's Speech. Photograph: Mark J. Terrill/AP
Oscars 2011: Melissa Leo, nominated for her role in The Fighter, arrives for the 83rd Academy Awards Photograph: Chris Pizzello/AP
We'll be bringing you all the action from the Kodak theatre, Los Angeles as the Academy doles out its annual accolades. Will The King's Speech extend its dominion or will The Social Network have more friends? Is Black Swan the dark horse or will The Kids be better than All Right? Xan Brooks will be liveblogging and inviting you to have your say. He'll be joined by our roving reporter, Hadley Freeman, who will keep you up to date with all the gossip from the event, while running her expert fashion eye over proceedings. Our critics, including Peter Bradshaw and Andrew Pulver, will be on hand with instant opinions, while Jason Solomons will be pooling reaction in his podcast studio. There will be picture galleries and videos, as well, of course, as up-to-the-minute news of the awards and speeches. You could even send pictures of your wild Oscar night celebrations to our Flickr group. In the meantime, get yourself primed for the action. We already have, for your consideration, a comprehensive interactive guide to all the best picture contenders, pulling together all the reviews, interviews and trailers for each film. Our team have been putting passionate cases for their favourite films in our Oscar hustings video series. Vote online for who you think should win in the big categories. Then join us on Sunday night if you simply have to be the first to know. And the winner is … you. Hailee Steinfeld makes an entrance. Photograph: Andrew Gombert/EPA First fashion spot. Hailee Steinfeld, it seems, has come dressed (rather fetchingly) as candyfloss. This, it transpires, is an Oscar tradition. And nobody - but nobody - fawns and gushes and flirts like Fawn, Gush and Flirt. Each question is a compliment in disguise, every inquiry a gold-plated invitation to twirl and to preen. So ostensibly, Fawn, Gush and Flirt are here to praise the stars, not bury them. Everyone is wonderful. Everyone is beautiful. Everyone is going to walk home with an Oscar. Ah, if only it were so. The danger of all these honeyed compliments, of course, is that they are but the coating on a man-trap. In this way Fawn, Gush and Flirt play a deeply subversive role. They are here puff up the nominees, to fill their heads with dreams of stardom, to pump them up so much that they assume there is no possible way that they can lose. And then they waft the nominees towards the Kodak theatre, with their pants metaphorically around their ankles, primed for a spectacular fall on prime-time TV. And where will Fawn, Gush and Flirt be then? Laughing, laughing fit to burst. Now Flirt has found Kevin Spacey and attempts to interview him against the din of screams. "I don't think they're screaming for me," shrugs Spacey. "No," Flirt agrees, perhaps just a little too readily. "Halle Berry's here! Halle Berry!" And all at once, Kevin Spacey is all but shoved out of the way. Oh, and talking of glamour, feast your eyes on this: the Guardian's Flickr pics, which perfectly captures all the glitz of Oscar night. Feast your eyes, Flirt, and then tell us precisely how beautiful we are. Jesse Eisenberg. Photograph: Mario Anzuoni/REUTERS "The red carpet is literally hotting up down here," reports Flirt. She says this cheerfully, but it is surely cause for grave concern. Literally hotting up as in about to combust? Wouldn't that be horrendous? All those celebrities, those designer dresses, all that hair lacquer: the whole lot of them going up like so many Roman Candles. A great, gaudy bonfire of the vanities. Screaming and perhaps rolling on the carpet in a desperate bid to put themselves out. And all the while, Flirt and Fawn will be standing to one side and gently laughing, Perhaps leaning in with their microphones from time to time. "Amy Adams, you look so beautiful. You're literally on fire tonight." Cate Blanchett. Well done, Mr Byrite. Photograph: Amy Sancetta/AP And still the stars keep on a-coming. Here come Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, Marisa Tomei and Donald Trump (but not together; not holding hands). At one end of the carpet stands Helena Bonham Carter, who may well pick up the best supporting actress for her turn in The King's Speech. At the other, there's Mark Ruffalo who almost certainly won't win the best supporting actor statue for The Kids Are All Right. One day, God willing, his time will come. Actress Anne Hathaway and fashion designer Valentino arrive at the Oscars. Photograph: John Shearer/Getty Images
Jesus H Christ, Annette Bening has dressed like an Oscars statuette and her hair is literally standing straight up. She is also giggling hysterically on the red carpet. Maybe she's just spotted her reflection in the mirror.
Followed, a minute later, by another:
Anne Hathaway has come to the ceremony with ... Valentino. Come on, Anne, we know you've been burnt in love before by your thieving Italian boyfriend but could you really not find a better date than a strange orange gnome?
Thanks to Hadley for clearing up the mystery of Hathaway's date. For a second there I feared that all the sun and the stress had worked a terrible fate on poor James Franco. And not a stray dog in sight ... Reese Witherspoon arrives at the Oscars. Photograph: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Elsewhere, Reese Witherspoon is being asked "how long it took her to decide to wear Armani". If she's anything like me, it's normally about seven months. You can't rush Armani. But, by God, once the decision is made there's no going back and I usually wind up wearing him until he sprouts mould and rots off my back and stray dogs start pursuing me on the street. But that's just me. Reese may well do things differently. Along come Hugh Jackman and James Franco (who looks nothing like Valentino), Natalie Portman and Justin Timberlake, so good in The Social Network, who points out that the carpet is not red, not exactly. "It's got kind of a fuschia thing going on," he claims. "Justin Timberlake, colour theorist," announces Fawn. Another presenter rolls up to ask Sandra Bullock if motherhood has changed her as an actor. Bullock thinks about it, but can't say for sure: "I don't know if motherhood has changed me as an actress, we'll see," she says. Happily, however, one thing hasn't changed. "You look stunning, as always," the presenter tells her. Jeez, is that the time? Isn't this thing supposed to be starting any minute? Is there some clause in Bullock's contract that prohibits the Oscars from getting under way until she has made up her mind, once and for all, whether motherhood has changed her as an actress? And in the meantime the others just have to stand out there and wait; broiling in the LA sunshine while the carpet literally turns hotter and hotter, and tendrils of smoke start crawling from their shoes. Time, I guess, will tell. Natalie Portman, left, and dancer Benjamin Millepied arrive at the Oscars. Photograph: Matt Sayles/AP
Well played, Natalie Portman, in your long purple dress which almost totally disguises your pregnancy. While all actresses are, of course, expected to spawn as otherwise they will be seen as tragic failures (see The Aniston Disaster), they must not look pregnant as that is basically the same as looking fat. So well done, Natalie, for mastering this conundrum. Now just try not to announce that your fiancé wants to shag you as you did at the Oscars and we'll all go home happy.
and ...
Nicole Kidman has come as the White Swan. Nice try there, Kidman, we see what you did there. Keith Urban hair update: still working those highlights. And those highlights still ain't working.
and ...
Gwyneth is wearing the most extraordinary earrings ever forged on God's earth. Blog photo people, get a picture post haste!
Happily, the evidence suggests that the dignitaries are now gathering inside the Kodak theatre. Still more happily, the vast majority of them appear to have emerged unscathed from their brush with the Amazing Flammable Carpet. Tom Hanks looks a little singed about the edges, but he is smiling, smiling to reassure us that all is well. Outside, I'm guessing, the thing is now being hosed down by the fire brigade. By the time this thing finally wraps up, the ashes will have been scooped up and flung far out, to the four winds over Mulholland Drive. Good riddance to bad (and dangerous) rubbish. "Anne, I must say you look so beautiful and hip," says Franco. "Well thank you, James," rejoins Hathaway. "You're very appealing to the younger demographic yourself." Is that sexual tension crackling in the air between them? If so, it's sparking, sparking, yet to fully ignite (like that infernal carpet outside). Maybe they're still getting the measure of each other - these two star-crossed souls: so similar in some ways; so dissimilar in others, like two golden emissaries from either side of the nation. Meet Anne: she's your ultimate east coast WASP, smart and funny and borderline neurotic. Now meet James: he's sun-washed, star-dusted and totally west coast; a free-living child of Topanga canyon, tie-dyed on the inside. So far they seem a little coy, a shade nervous. But by the end of the evening, all being well and the heavens in alignment, these two may just find the United State of Romance. Dear God, we may have just scripted our pitch for the worst romcom of 2011. Seconds later, it's time for the cinematography Oscar. I was hoping this would go to the great Roger Deakins for True Grit (for by God, it's been a long time coming). Instead it falls to Wally Pfister for Inception. Deakins, it turns out, will have to wait at least another year. Melissa Leo at the Oscars. Photograph: Michael Caulfield/WireImage Douglas Senior is here to call the winner in this year's race for the best supporting actress Oscar. So bring on the contenders! Round up combative Amy Adams and Melissa Leo from The Fighter, refined Helena Bonham Carter of The King's Speech, vengeful Hailee Steinfeld from True Grit and Animal Kingdom's Jacki Weaver, with her beaming smile and cold, killer's gaze. First Douglas pops the envelope in his mouth. Then, finally, he gets it in one hand and starts clawing it open. But he seems in no hurry. "You're still laughing," he says. "Colin Firth is still laughing." At long last it's down to business. And the winner is ... Melissa Leo. Which just goes to prove that taking out adverts for yourself, paid for out of your own pocket, need not necessarily scupper your chances. And as she comes to the stage, Douglas seizes his big opportunity and plants a kiss on her face. Anne Hathaway is already a distant, fading memory. But then, just when it looks as if Leo has put all past controversies behind her, she sticks her foot in it all over again. "I'm lost for words up here," she says. "I saw Cate do this a few years ago and it looked so fucking easy!" The horrified gasps almost lift the roof clean off the Kodak theatre. It goes, as pretty much everyone said it would, to Toy Story 3, Lee Unkrich's glorious Pixar 'toon (a film that Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw dearly wants to see win the best picture award as well). "I want to thank the Academy and I never thought I'd be saying that," says Unkrich. Why not? It makes it sound like he has some history with the Academy. "I want to thank the Academy and I never thought I'd be saying that, after they ran over my dog in their car." "I want to thank the Academy and I never thought I'd be saying that, after I caught the Academy president in bed with the wife." The possibilities are endless. Perhaps we shall never, ever know. And the Oscar goes to .... Aaron Sorkin for his crisp, graceful script for The Social Network - a decision that few but the losing nominees would argue with. Sorkin has a lot of people to thank and he thanks them at length, as some lackey behind the curtain keeps cranking up the volume on the music in a desperate, nagging bid to drown him out. And then seconds later, the Oscar for best original screenplay falls to David Seidler for The King's Speech. Seidler, if I recall, gave the night's most heartfelt, moving speech at the Baftas a few weeks back, and he's on similar form again here. "My father always said I'd be a late bloomer," the 74-year-old writer confides. "I believe I'm the oldest person ever to win this award. I hope that record is broken soon and often." All told, it is with a weird sense of relief that we welcome Russell Brand and Helen Mirren to present this year's best foreign film Oscar. And the winner is ... Denmark (the whole of Denmark) for In a Better World. The contenders for this one assemble like penitents at an AA meeting. We have Christian Bale, crack-addled in The Fighter, John Hawkes, cooking crystal meth in the woods of Winter's Bone, Jeremy Renner, guzzling cheap beer in The Town and Mark Ruffalo slurping fine wine in The Kids Are All Right. Only Geoffrey Rush out of The King's Speech seems clean and sober, although I seem to remember him drinking an awful lot of tea. And the winner is ... Christian Bale for The Fighter. Proof, if proof were needed, that crack is better than meth, and beer, and wine, and tea. "Bloody hell," hollers Bale. His accent sounds a little suspect. There's lots of hand gestures, lots of matey banter. He doesn't quite say "Lord luvva duck" but you can bet he considered it. Nor does he quite say "Stone the bleedin' crows!", but I'm guessing it was there in the first draft of his acceptance speech. In person, on this evidence, Bale seems a self-conscious chump. But who cares? He was brilliant in The Fighter and deserves every award they care to throw at him. But then, of course, all is explained. All of this eulogising is just a preamble to their presenting the Oscar for "achievement in music written for motion pictures (original score)". Confession: I thought this one was going to Alexandre Desplat for The King's Speech. But no: it goes to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for their superbly chill and elegant score for The Social Network. They play it again as the winners walk up and it sounds as wonderful as ever. And from here, it's just a quick scratchy skip to the Oscar for sound editing. This one goes to Inception too. Quietly, stealthily, Chris Nolan's metaphysical heist movie is racking up a number of technical awards here. What remains to be seen is whether it can break out and colonise the other categories too. So far, however, its success seems safely ring-fenced. Perhaps fittingly, Blanchett is here to hand out the makeup award (which goes to The Wolfman) and costume (which falls to Alice in Wonderland). Job complete, Blanchett heads for the wings. Still stunning, no spots and forever an Oscar winner. Actually, it's not riddled with foul expletives. Perish the thought. It is sweet, verging on the saccharine. At no point does Mandy Moore pull a face into the camera and start effing and blinding like a drunken Melissa Leo. She stays entirely on message. Next up it's the turn of the live-action short. The winner is Luke Matheny for God of Love. "Ugh, I should have got a hair-cut," jokes the irrepressible Matheny, who sports a vast black bouffant that makes him look like an untidy microphone. "NYU, what's up?" quips James Franco as Matheny ambles unhurriedly off the stage. And with that we're into another musical montage. No doubt about it: Inside Job is a fine film and a deserved winner. But its victory does spoil for the fun for those who wanted to see what would have happened had Exit Through the Gift Shop picked up the gong instead. Would Banksy have shown? And if not, would he have sent a Sacheen Littlefeather-type in his place? Now, alas, we shall never know. Hey ho. What with Banksy's collapse and Lee Unkrich possibly nursing a deep and abiding grudge against the Academy for deliberately running over his dog on their Harley-Davidson, these Oscars are leaving so many pressing questions woefully unanswered. Moving right along, here are Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr to hand out the visual effects Oscar. It goes to Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb. Inception, for the record, is now in the lead with a total of four Oscars. But it may well have peaked too soon. OK, they didn't actually say their PAs. But at this time of the evening the ears play tricks and you start hearing anything and everything. I'm now wondering if I hallucinated Melissa Leo using the F-word about 127-hours ago. It is an exchange that may prove to be their epitaph. They're not doing badly, exactly, but they sure as hell aren't doing good. Where's Steve Martin? Jon Stewart? Ricky Gervais? Hathaway and Franco just seem a shade underpowered. They are idling at half-speed, basking in the very fact of their being there and seemingly terrified of giving offence. Now Gwyneth Paltrow is on stage singing about "a four-letter word". "The world tried to break me, I something-something take me," she croons. "Ooh-ooh-ooh," she adds. "Oooh-ooh-oooh." On the desk next to me, sub-editing Ian is unimpressed. "I'll give her a four-letter word," he offers. "Shit." Sadly there's no time for Ian to make good on this promise, because Gwyneth has gone (no encores for Gwyneth) and then up steps Randy Newman to collect the best song Oscar for We Belong Together, from Toy Story 3. Newman appears a bit startled to be there. "My strike rate is not good," he confides. "I've been nominated 20 times and this is the second time I've won." Still they keep on coming: Leslie Nielsen, Susannah York, Arthur Penn, Lynn Redgrave and Lena Horn, all taking their final bow here tonight. It's a montage that is both poignant and oddly energising. If cinema does anything, I guess, it preserves and celebrates; catches these people at their best and then holds them that way forever. So it's not just Tony Curtis who still seems as big-as-life, caught in that brief black-and-white clip. It's the whole lovely lot of them. Your contenders tonight: Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), David O Russell (The Fighter), Tom Hooper (The King's Speech), David Fincher (The Social Network) and the Coen brothers (True Grit). The shortlist is read out by Kathryn Bigelow, who won last year for The Hurt Locker. And the winner is ... Tom Hooper for The King's Speech. This, it must be said, is something of a shock. Yes, Hooper picked up the Directors' Guild Award a month or two back (usually a good Oscar indicator) but failed on home soil at the Baftas. Most insiders figured this was going to Fincher. But no: it's Hooper. On stage, he heaps praise on his mother, who first pointed him towards The King's Speech. "The moral of this story: listen to your mother," he says. Anyway, enough with the dresses. Here comes Jeff Bridges (by the looks of things, still in the same damn suit he was wearing at the start of the night) to call out the next award. It is time, at last, to rate the actresses. There's Annette Bening, who played an uptight, hard-drinking lesbian mom in The Kids Are All Right and Nicole Kidman, who was grieving mom in that film about rabbits. Jennifer Lawrence played a girl on a mission in Winter's Bone while Michelle Williams put a torch to a marriage in Blue Valentine. And then there is bookies' favourite Natalie Portman, who starred as an ambitious, virginal prima-ballerina in Black Swan. She's on a roll now, the names are spilling out, there is no end to the names. Joe was an assistant director and Ricky dressed her and Olga did something else. The music rises up and claims her and so off she goes, bearing precious cargo, with a statue in her fist and a bump beneath her dress. Just time to name-check the other nominees, then, before the envelope is opened and Colin Firth's name gets read out. These, for the record, are Javier Bardem (Biutiful), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), last year's winner Jeff Bridges (True Grit) and this year's co-host James Franco (for 127 Hours). Say hello and wave goodbye; they are all just seconds from oblivion. And the winner of the best actor Oscar (aka this year's Proud to be British award) is … Colin Firth for The King's Speech. So up comes Firth. His speech is diffident and gently witty. He thanks Tom Hooper and David Seidler and Harvey Weinstein, who spotted him when he was "just a young sensation". At one stage he threatens to dance. At the end he says he is going to retire backstage and surrender to some powerful "impulses". It is the end of a long, long journey for Firth, who possibly should have won for A Single Man last year but has won this year for his turn as stuttering George VI. If he needs to surrender to some potent impulse or other, he's surely entitled. So long as it's not murder, of course. We truly hope it's not murder. And the best picture Oscar goes to ... The King's Speech And with that the curtain comes down on the 83rd Academy Awards. Playing us out is a troupe of grinning little Hollywood munchkins who may conceivably be children. They are singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Their eyes are alight and they are singing, singing as the curtain comes down. They shall sing forever, never pausing for breath until the lights go out and the carpet catches fire and Kirk Douglas orders them, for the love of God and in the name of all that is holy, to stop. Stop. Stop! But the figures don't tell half the story. It was the night of The King's Speech, the little film that could. Tom Hooper's polished royal drama took the prizes that really mattered, scooping the gongs for best film, director, actor and original screenplay. The Social Network, tipped by many, faltered at the final stage and came away with three Oscars. True Grit, seen as a dark horse as recently as 24-hours ago, canters home with nothing. And where True Grit goes, the Guardian film team follows: cantering wearily, homeward bound. Thanks for your tweets, mails and (of course) your comments. Somehow we got through it without combusting or swearing or (worst of all) singing. It is now time to gather our possessions, say our farewells and chase the rainbow back to bed.
