LOS ANGELES (AP) - Show Bits brings you the 85th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.
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WALTZ PULLS OSCAR UPSET
It didn’t take long for the first big upset of Oscar night.
Christoph Waltz claimed the first statuette, winning best supporting actor for his role as a refined bounty hunter in “Django Unchained.”
Waltz briefly found himself in a bizarre moment in the backstage interview room when actor David Arquette popped up and asked if he was excited about the possibility of a black man being chosen as the next pope.
“It would be an exciting thing,” he said. “I’m an adamant non-racist. I don’t care whether the pope is black or white or whatever color. If we are non-racists then we have to stay non-racists all the way.”
_ Beth Harris _ https://www.twitter.com/bethharrisap
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MAYBE IT LOOKED EASY …
Charlize Theron, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were one big bundle of nerves before they took the stage for their opening song-and-dance numbers.
Radcliffe danced by himself. Theron dabbed at her eyes and Gordon-Levitt stood silently as Oscar host Seth MacFarlane delivered the Oscar show’s opening monologue.
Then it was time to hit the stage.
“Thank God!” Theron said afterward as she let out a sigh of relief.
“You stepped on my dress,” she told Tatum.
Radcliffe and Gordon-Levitt bear-hugged after their dance routine.
“We did all right! We did all right,” they told each other.
“It felt good! How did it look?” Gordon-Levitt asked.
“Well done,” Radcliffe told him. “See you later!”
_ Sandy Cohen _ https://www.twittermcom/APSandy
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QUICKQUOTE: BEN AFFLECK
“We don’t expect to depart with anything but our integrity.” _ Ben Affleck, shunning the nominations his film “Argo” received.
_ Beth Harris _ https://www.twitter.com/bethharrisap
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AND THE FANS SAY … `ARGO’
However it fared with Academy voters, the clear fan favorite among fans in the Oscar bleachers was “Argo.”
The bleacher crowd forced actor-director Ben Affleck to stop an interview with their loud chants of “Ben! Ben! Ben!”
They gave the film’s producer, George Clooney, similar treatment and lavished applause on supporting actor nominee Alan Arkin.
Perhaps the strongest sign of fans’ love for the CIA thriller was when the group was polled for its choice for best picture before any actors hit the red carpet.
While the chanting was spirited for “Les Miserables” and some other films, it was clearly loudest for “Argo.”
_ Anthony McCartney _ Twitter https://twitter.com/mccartneyAP
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JENNIFER BLEEPED
It’s always fun to hear what Jennifer Lawrence has to say _ even if you have to lip read because she’s being bleeped.
The bleeping started early for the charmingly blunt Lawrence, a best actress nominee for “Silver Linings Playbook,” as ABC silenced her cheeky red carpet response to actress Kristin Chenoweth.
The two were bonding over “Dance Moms,” the Lifetime reality series, when Lawrence asked Chenoweth if she liked it too.
Chenoweth: “Is the pope Catholic?”
Lawrence: “… ?” (We can’t print her reply here, but the reference was to something a bear does in the woods.)
And the night, as they say, was still very young.
_ Jocelyn Noveck _ Twitter https://twitter.com/JocelynNoveckAP
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AMY ADAMS SITTING PRETTY
To slide, plop or shimmy?
That’s the dilemma that faced Amy Adams in her flowing Oscar de la Renta gown when she approached her front-row seat inside the Dolby Theatre before the Oscars began.
After greeting fellow nominee Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the row behind her with a big hug, “The Master” co-star tilted to her right side and sort of shimmied down into her seat.
While Jennifer Aniston and Samuel L. Jackson mingled with attendees nearby, Adams held court in her fluffy dove grey fabric cloud.
Across the aisle, Bradley Cooper rushed his mother to meet Jean Dujardin, who took home the best actor Oscar last year.
_ Derrik J. Lang _ Twitter https://twitter.com/derrikjlang
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JOAQUIN PHOENIX: THE GUY CAN MOVE
Joaquin Phoenix didn’t waste any time getting into the Dolby Theatre, and the Oscar-nominated actor’s dash across the red carpet didn’t go unnoticed.
Red carpet host Chris Connelly heckled Phoenix, who has criticized the awards show, as he rushed by, saying he was setting new speed records.
Connelly then added, “You should be at the (NFL) combine,” a reference to the athletic tests NFL recruits go through.
_ Anthony McCartney _ Twitter https://twitter.com/mccartneyAP
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SHOWING OSCAR FANS LOVE
Oscar bleacher fans got a wave from some stars such as Jane Fonda, and a peace sign from others, including Channing Tatum.
Then there were those who pulled out all the stops.
Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter paused on the red carpet to pose for pictures for star-struck fans.
Melissa McCarthy stopped to beam and wave at every section of the bleachers, all but ignoring the professional photographers surrounding her.
Jessica Chastain blew the crowd a kiss.
And Joseph Gordon-Levitt topped it all off with an appreciative bow to his audience.
_ Anthony McCartney _ Twitter https://twitter.com/mccartneyAP
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A FOODIE FEAST FIT FOR A RED CARPET
Even the food gets the red-carpet treatment at the Academy Awards.
Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck rolled a tray out onto the carpet to show off just a few of the goodies that will be served at the annual Governor’s Ball following the show.
Making the scene were baked potatoes with caviar, smoked salmon, chicken pot pie with truffle, Kobe steak, sushi, sashimi and of course Puck’s famous gold-dusted chocolate Oscar statuettes.
“It’s going to be the greatest party ever,” he said.
_ Beth Harris Twitter https://twitter.com/bethharrisap
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FROM FRONT LINE TO RED CARPET
A few months ago, Army Sgt. 1st Class Walter Talens was shooting footage in Afghanistan. On Sunday, he had a prime seat to watch the stars at the Academy Awards.
Talens was one of dozens of service members sprinkled around the fan bleachers, where he hoped to get a glimpse of actress Jennifer Lawrence from his second-row seat.
It was a new vantage point for him after working two Oscar shows filming shout-outs to troops overseas.
His boss, Maj. John Reynolds, relocated from a posting in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., a few months before last year’s show and was hoping for a glimpse of Denzel Washington, Ben Affleck and Lawrence.
“I never thought I would be this close to the red carpet,” said Reynolds, who had a front row seat where the stars entered the Dolby Theatre.
Talens, who noted the Oscars’ longtime support of the troops, said, “I’m very happy the academy supports the military and allows us to see the glitz and glamour.”
_ Anthony McCartney _ Twitter https://twitter.com/mccartneyAP
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TAKE TWO FOR OSCAR RESULTS
Sometimes in Hollywood it takes more than one try to get the perfect shot.
On Sunday afternoon, that was the case for the accountants bringing in the Oscar ballot results.
The men walked calmly down the red carpet clutching briefcases as a film crew recorded their every move. But before they could enter the Dolby Theatre, they had to repeat the last leg of their walk.
This time fans in the bleachers cheered. The cameras rolled and everyone was satisfied.
Cut. The men walked into the theater.
It’s Hollywood.
_ Anthony McCartney _ Twitter https://twitter.com/mccartneyAP
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