Live blogging the Oscars - 81st Annual Academy Awards

February 22, 2:14 AMBaltimore Celebrity Headlines ExaminerCheryl Taragin

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2:12 a.m.  At approximately 7:00 p.m. EST, I've decided to begin live blogging red carpet arrivals and other pre-award ceremonies, continuing until the mother of all award shows begins, that's right, the 81st Annual Academy Awards. It'll all unfold right here in this article as you refresh the page.

So watch this space throughout the day for predictions, commentary as the hoopla unfolds, your comments, and interactive Oscar flair. It will all part of the fun, Academy Awards night, Baltimore style.

2:55 p.m. Holla! My friends at Backseat Cuddler will be live blogging too. Happy to update with more live blogging Oscar links. Feel free to leave yours.

3:15 p.m. Last minute winner predictions:

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

Best Actress: Kate Winslet (The Reader)

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz  (Vicky Cristena Barcelona)

Best Director: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black (Milk)

Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)

Editing: Slumdog Millionaire

Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire

Costume Design: The Duchess

Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Sound Editing/Mixing: The Dark Knight

Foreign Language Film: Waltz With Bashir

Documentary Feature: Trouble The Water

Documentary Short: The Witness - From The Balcony of Room 306

Animated Feature: Wall-E

Animated Short: Presto

Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire

7:00 p.m. Strolling red carpet coverage. Heidi Klum in a pop of stunning red, opening high on the side leg. Bedecked in jewels and with gorgeous pink stone dangling earrings. John Legend endorses "Slumdog Millionaire" as his favorite movie. Lead actors from "Slumdog" hint they are not an item.

7:10 p.m. Marisa Tomei (Best Supporting Actress nominee "The Wrestler") looking lovely in an off-white, almost shimmering silver gown with drape across the right shoulder. Red may be emerging as the color of the evening. Amanda Siegfried in a bright red number and Amy Adams (Best Supporting Actress nominee "Doubt") in flowing red that almost blends with the carpet of the stars. Meanwhile, Viola Davis (Best Supporting Actress nominee "Doubt") in deep gold and Tarji P. Henson (Best Supporting Actress Nominee "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") in a cream-colored fringy looking sleeveless gown - just beautiful! The two join arms and seem to be the best of friends.

7:17 p.m.Seth Rogen looking thin (weight loss confirmed for a role), also showing up with a lady in red and Natalie Portman, a presenter, decked in a gorgeous magenta-pink gown on his other side. Portman will be an attendee tonight. Mickey Rourke (Best Actor nominee "The Wrestler") clad in waiter white stops to say hello to Amanda Seigfried, then moves along with striking blonde date. Sarah Jessica Parker makes an incredible statement in a gown that could easily top a wedding cake.  Flouncy, glittering, bronze-like color, looks like Matthew Broderick is by her side, but can't be certain. The bleacher crowd screams with delight as stars begin to appear fast and furious.

7:23 p.m. Awwww. SJP calls her gown, "barely mint" and introduces hubby Matthew Broderick to red carpet correspondent Ryan Seacrest so that she doesn't hog the spotlight. Hooray for women looking out for their man. Robert Downey, Jr.'s (Best Supporting Actor nominee "Tropic Thunder") wife looking sleek and glamorous in red. Off in another area of the red carpet, Anne Hathaway (Best Actress nominee "Rachel Getting Married") shimmers in a sleeveless off-white gown, jewel-encrusted, glimmering and fish-like, waves hello to the gathering crowd. Love Ron Howard's smile (Best  Director nominee "Frost/Nixon"), he could brighten up an entire room. Drat! Missing the Barbara Walters special. Is it worth it? You betcha!

7:30 p.m. Marisa Tomei looks incredibly young. Side-swept do is a keeper. Frames her face well. Robin Wright Penn looking slightly dreary in black. Lots of colors on the red carpet tonight. Creams, reds, golds, wow! Beyonce makes a bold statement in black and gold mermaid gown. Absolutely gorgeous! Mickey Rourke's makes a first time appearance at the Oscars, calls his "last minute" white suit his version of a tuxe and wears a necklace memorializing Lokey, his dog.

7:35 p.m. Diane Lane looking majestic along side of Best Supporting Actor nominee Josh Brolin ("Milk"). Jewels fit for a queen around her neck and gem-toned long gown. Evan Rachel Wood ("The Worst Liar") looks incredible with a pale gown matching the color of her skin against bold, vibrant makeup and red hair. For once, Meryl Streep (Best Actress nominee "Doubt")  is completely dolled-up, almost like a Greek goddess, at least she's trying. 

7:40 p.m. Am I the only one wondering what happened to Brangelina? Less than an hour to go before the ceremony. Finally, they arrive! Angie in a sleek sleeveless black gown with emerald green earrings. Brad, of course, fashion perfect in tuxedo. Jessica Biel is out of this world beautiful, but not liking the cream colored gown. Looks like a towel you'd fold over your body when getting out of the sauna, only longer and more shimmery. Better luck next year. Ah, she's only attending tonight.

7:50 p.m. Hats off to E! Live, the best red carpet coverage (and backstage coverage) around. Brad Pitt still sporting his "Frankly, Scarlett, I don't give a damn" moustache, starting to weary of its "Southern charm." Daniel Craig's wife also wearing red, I'm telling you, red is a big color tonight. Kate Winslet's (Best Actress nominee "The Reader") gown is a winner. She might be my favorite look of the evening. Different color purples mixed together, transparent beaded black, off the shoulder gown. She looks amazing! Penelope Cruz (Best Supporting Actress nominee "Vicky Cristena Barcelona") resplendent in chiffon cream gown, ruffled, and absolute perfection.

7:56 p.m. Oh no, is that Tilda Swinton? Not enjoying the two-toned contrast of her gown. Kate Winslet admits to being "extremely nervous." Her parents and husband Sam Mendes are here tonight for moral support. Tuxedo-clad Harvey Weinstein waves from behind. Ben Lyons predicts that "Slumdog Millionaire" will win best picture. 65% of folks watching went with his pick. "Rachel Getting Married" set to come out on DVD March 10th. That's one I'll be reserving in my Blockbuster que.

8:02 p.m. Alicia Keys is knock-down drag out gorgeous. I'll bet she's wearing the most original color of the evening. Fuschia? A mixture of pink and purple? Hard to describe. Okay, changing red carpet coverage. Timm Gunn and Robin Roberts give the official coverage on ABC live.

8:10 p.m. Eh, not much new. Decided to enable a live chat. Have fun (crossing fingers that it works). Scroll to bottom of this page.

8:20 p.m. Okay, computer freeze. Not fun. But was very funny when red carpet correspondent (Sam?) from ABC didn't know that Robert Downey Jr.'s "date" is actually his wife Susan. Time for a celebrity refresher course. Also think I heard him mispronounce Judd Apatow's last name.

8:27 p.m. Ceremony is scheduled to start in 5 minutes. I'm almost as nervous as the assembled crowd. Will my computer spaz out and freeze again? Sure hope not. They're interviewing Richard Jenkins. I L-O-V-E-D "The Visitor," but it doesn't look like Jenkins will get a statuette tonight. Young star from "Slumdog Millionaire" promised an introduction to Miley Cyrus, but it didn't happen. Miley looks fabulous in long jewel-encrusted off-white gown. Tim Gunn gushes over Marisa Tomei's gown and he's right. It is luscious. Zac Efron admits all he wanted to do was meet Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire"), well, luckily for him, he got his wish. Okay, now they're prefacing the ceremony. Looks like we're going to get a Copa Cabana look and style.

8:33 Hugh Jackman singing a conglomerate of best picture nominees. "Slumdog Millionaire" stage scene looks like a second grade class stage setting. Who put that together?

8:37 p.m. Who is the Academy trying to kid with the stage scenery for the opening number? Really juvenile. Ooo, Anne Hathaway looks like she removed the top of her gown and it's still stunning. But she'll never pass for Richard Nixon, even with the sweaty upper lip. Were those "The Reader" dancers supposed to be blobs of contrasting nothing? Really, how were they related to the movie? Okay, Hugh just ended by saying that he's wolverine and the crowd seems to have eaten it up. Standing ovation. Have to admit, he CAN sing.

8:42 p.m. Sorry, Hugh Jackman, Mickey Rourke does not look great, well, okay maybe, great for him. The hair looks like it hasn't been washed for weeks, he's missing teeth, and his face looks like a poorly paved street after a snow storm. Now they're paying tribute to Meryl Streep's record-setting 15 Oscar nominations with splotches of "Thank You" from other award winning actresses. Meryl Streep won her Best Actress awards for "Kramer v. Kramer" and "Sophie's Choice."

8:50 p.m. Past Best Supporting Actress winners, Eva Marie Saint, Whoopi Goldberg, Goldie Hawn, Tilda Swinton, and Anjelica Houston on stage introducing each nominee. I'm pulling for Penelope Cruz. Amy Adams sits nervous next to Meryl Streep. Ugh! What is Whoopi wearing? Animal print mumu cinched at the waist? Not exactly an alluring sight. But Goldie looks fabulous, although she probably had a lot of work done to look that good. And the first winner of the night is .... Penelope Cruz. Who says acting in a Woody Allen movie is not a good career move? Cruz turns her acceptance speech into an impromptu Spanish lesson.

8:57 p.m. Did Tina Fey lose weight? Best Orginal Screenplay presenter. She's a presenter and she's looking fabulous. Hehe, Steve Martin has some funny lines, "The man who wrote that is dead... every tiny tree on earth was placed here" by their made up religion head. Oh, those two! Such kidders. Hey, did anyone see "In Bruge?" Funny action film, worth a look. I enjoyed it tremendously. And the Oscar goes to ..... Dustin Lance Black for "Milk." Who knew he was from a conservative Mormon home? Hmmm, probably everybody by now. Awwww, his mom loved him when there was pressure not to. Now that's a testament to the power of Milk.

9:02 p.m. Moving on to the award for Best Adapted Screenplay, it's still Tina and Steve. "Don't fall in love with me," Steve admonishes as Tina looks at him longingly. Left field, anyone? I'm kinda liking the way they're presenting the nominees. Snippets from each film with the words from the screenplay overlaid. Nice idea. And the Oscar goes to ... Simon Beaufoy!! A no brainer. 

9:06 p.m. Simon Beaufoy is married? Dang! Love the accent. Also the brillance. And, double dang. Tina Fey really is looking hot! Even hotter than Jennifer Aniston, maybe, who is out on stage presenting 2008 animations with Jack Black. Jeffrey Katzenberg liked that comment about Pixar. Did I just see Wall-E throw an Oscar into the junk heap? Naw. Couldn't be.

9:08 p.m. And the Best Animated Feature Oscar goes to .... "Wall-E." So far batting 100% on my predictions. Andrew Statton specifically mentions producers Jim Morris and Lindsay Collins - they should be up on stage with him. Hey, this guy was Barnaby in "Hello Dolly." Explains a lot about "Wall-E."

9:11 p.m. Aniston and Black still on stage to award the Best Animated Short. And the winner is ... "La Maison and Petit Cubes" Kunio Kato. I don't think they expected him to win. Neither did I. Just killed my prediction quotient. Oh well. Loved that quip about "Mr. Roboto." That is what he was talking about, wasn't he?

9:19 p.m. Production designers will now get their award from Daniel Craig and Sarah Jessica Parker for Best Art Direction. She looks amazing, retro-chic with beautifully curled auburn locks. And the Oscar goes to ... The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Donald Graham Burt and Victor Zolfu. They recognize David Fincher, their director. Classy. But the first speech went a little too long, cutting the second off. Too bad.

9:22 p.m. Wow! They are really racing through these awards by using the same presenters twice. Good idea. Makes the whole show move faster. SJP and 007 still attending. And the winner for Best Costume Design ... Michael O'Connor "The Duchess." He thanks Rachel Portman for the fantastic music bringing him to the stage or in the movie? Unclear.

9:25 p.m. Did I say they were using the same presenters twice? Make that thrice. And perhaps vice (jk on that last one). And the Oscar for Best Makeup goes to ... "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Greg Cannom. He's shooting off his "thank you" list like a bat out of hell. Hard to keep up. Manages to thank the actors too. Good thing. Otherwise they may not get any nods tonight.

9:29 p.m. My teenage daughter just squealed. Robert Pattinson with Amanda Seigfried presenting a collage of 2008 love movies, "Twilight," "Momma Mia," "High School Musical III," "Sex and the City" and "Last Chance Harvey" included. I think they may have left some out. For instance, "The Dark Knight." Now there's a romantic comedy!

9:36 Ben Stiller. What a jokester! His Joaquin Phoenix impersonation is going over with mixed results. Love how he is wandering the stage and saying he may take up cinematography. Natalie Portman still looks stunning in a tight purplish gown. Anthony Dod Mantle for "Slumdog Millionaire" wins Oscar for Best Cinematography. Go "Slumdog!"

9:39 p.m. Jessica Biel takes the stage in her glorified spa towel to read the teleprompter for sci-tech "thingamajigs." They already handed out these scientific technical awards, so with all the time they seem to be saving, they should have highlighted the winners more. And now.... more commercials.

9:44 p.m. Splicing "Pineapple Express" with "Momma Mia," "Doubt," "Tropic Thunder," "Happy-Go-Lucky," "The Wrestler," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," crew from "Saving Private Ryan," and "Don't Mess With The Zohan" may be comic genius. Here come James Franco, Seth Rogenm and Yanush Kaminsky (hope I spelled that right), first DP to ever present an Oscar. They are presenting nominees for Best Live-Action Short.

9:48 p.m. I can't wite the name correctly and Rogen laughed as Franco tried to pronounce the winner. Really sorry, Jochen Alexander Freydank, the winner for "Spielzugland (Toyland)."

9:58 p.m. Baz Luhrmann looked really debonair. He created that Beyonce lip sync number. She did lip sync, right? Sorry, B, but you've been called out. And now .... more commercials. Getting to be too many for my taste.

10:04 p.m. "Oim really quite speechless." "If you get to be old enough, you get to be new again." Or as Tommy Lee Jones paraphrased, "baldness is not such a big deal." Great quotes from past winners, I suppose. Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, Joel Grey, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Kevin Kline now on stage to present Best Supporting Actor award. What is Philip Seymour Hoffman wearing on his head? It looks like a cat dropped dead. Cuba Gooding, Jr. kids Robert Downey, Jr. about his new film work: principal photography on "Shaft." Funny. But really, why take a part away from a hard working brother? Kevin Kline gets the last word. Pays tribute to Heath Ledger. Does anyone dount Heath Ledger will win? And the Oscar goes to ..... of course, who else? Heath Ledger.

10:11 p.m. Catherine Ledger (Heath's sister), Kim Ledger (father), and his mother (Sally Bell) accept the award on behalf of Ledger. The audience looks sad. But who did we just spy in the audience? Jennifer Aniston with John Mayer. WTG! Back together at last, or just edging for a prime seat at the Oscars? At least they are giving the Ledgers a long time to express their thanks. Glad about that.

10:16 p.m. Bill Maher can't be too funny following the award to Heath Ledger. Pity that. Oscar for Best Documentary Feature goes to "Man on Wire," James Marsh and Simon Chinn. They call down the film's star who makes it on stage in less than 20 seconds. Hey, don't promise to give the shortest speech in Oscar history and then going on to thank the Academy for believing in magic and a whole lot of other thank you's. But nice that the principal of the film was there to help accept.

10:19 p.m. "Smile Pinki" Megan Mylan wins for Best Documentary Short. Honestly, this show is going down pretty fast. I think it may actually be the first year that it ends precisely at 11:00 p.m. and manages to air every single commercial.

10:24 p.m. Hugh Jackman is finally back. Haven't seen very much of him tonight. And now for "the cool stuff." A lot of CGI, no doubt. Kinda liked that Jimmy Kimmel Live commercial with Tom Cruise. For some reason, the word "cat" has been popping up a lot tonight.

10:28 p.m. Will Smith takes the stage to award the Best Visual Effects  because he loves "action movies" and movies that have a lot of fans. These movies get big budgets and lots of special effects. No joke. And the Oscar goes to .... "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Craig Baron, and one other (sorry about that miss). Only allowed Barba to give the acceptance speech.

10:30 p.m. Smith continues to present for Best Sound Editing. "The Dark Knight" Richard King wins! This is one guy who likes his job. Recognizes Christopher Nolan. Nice.

10:34 p.m. Still Will Smith presenting. Doesn't that guy ever get tired? And the Oscar for Best Sound Mixing goes to .... "Slumdog Millionaire" Resul Pookutty, Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, and Patu "KuKuKaChub" (just kidding on that last one - possible real name: Pattu Pogathae - still checking).

10:36 p.m. Will Smith is still presenting and jokes that Hugh Jackman must be napping. I think he got caught in the bathroom. Nerves. And the Oscar for Best Film Editing goes to .... "Slumdog Millionaire" Chris Dickens. Danny Boyle, up for best director is all smiles. Can't wait to see him win his award later tonight.

10:47 p.m. Drat. Computer crashed again. Eddie Murphy presented clips of Jerry Lewis past. Jerry Lewis accepts the Humanitarian Oscar (The Jean Hersholt Award) and made a Halloween face at the end of his acceptance speech. I love Lewis. No, I am not French.

10:51 p.m. And Hugh Jackman is back. Presenting Best Song nominees. I take back what I predicted about ending on time. No matter what this show does, it can't come in under 2-1/2 hours. Solution? More time for the Oscars!! Start at 8 p.m. Make everyone show up for the red carpet a half an hour earlier. Problem solved.

10:55 p.m. Zac Efron and the gorgeous Alicia Keys present the Oscar for Best Original Score. Winner ..... AR Rachman for "Slumdog Millionaire." Yea, it is running away with all the big awards. Ha! Last time Rachman was so excited was during his marriage. That got a nice laugh.

11:00 p.m. Staying on stage to present the Best Original Song Oscar (oops, Keys messes up by saying they're presenting for Best Original Score again, but a minor slip) are Zac and Alicia. Some well-executed song and dance numbers. These could have come out earlier in the program and been very entertaining. John Legend looks hot. Is that what he wore on the red carpet? Can't remember now. I have a feeling the "Slumdog Millionaire" number, Jai Ho, is also going to walk away with the big prize, but wish it was "Wall-E."

11:04 p.m. Yep. Slumdog walks away with best song too. Is there no end to the awards for this megahit?

11:08 p.m. Frieda Pinto ("Slumdog Millionaire") and Liam Neeson (an Academy Award nominee they say, but I think he may be a winner - am I wrong? Okay, quick check reveals that I am - Tom Hanks won that year, Best Actor for "Philadelphia") take the stage to present the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. And the winner is .... "Departures" from Japan. Big upset. Director takes the stage. He is "very happy." At least five people on stage, but none of them merit their names on the screen. Looks like the production crew messed up. Should have had the names on hand.

11:14 p.m. Another production blooper. Giving Queen Latifah center stage while the names of deceased Academy members flash almost unseen behind her (too tiny). Really, the only thing people want to see are the names and people flashing across the screen. What gives? Okay you people in the production booth, I am getting dizzy. Bad move weaving in and out with the cameras. This is not cinematography.

11:16 p.m. Oh, that was nice. Paul Newman getting a big cheer and outtakes. He deserved it.

11:21 p.m. Ew. Not liking that dress on Reese Witherspoon. The black shoulder straps look like suspenders. She manages to get in a dig at Ben Stiller. I don't think it was appreciated. After all, his dig at Joaquin Phoenix WAS funny! Witherspoon presents for best director. And the Oscar goes to .... Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire." There is no stopping the beast! WTG! If Danny Boyle is Tigger, color me Pooh. I'm glad they gave him extra time to make his acceptance speech. Very classy.

11:26 p.m. Next up, best actress. "Hello, gorgeous," from Barbra Streisand is still probably the best outtake. Marion Cottilard, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, and Shirley MacLaine take the stage to present. Love what MacLaine said to Anne Hathaway. Said she expects to see her again and that she sings really well. Very gracious.

11:32 p.m. I think Halle Berry discussed Melissa Leo's nomination because they both look fantastic! And for an elderly actress, I can't get over how in shape Sophia Loren is! That woman's body never ages. But even with a ton of makeup, she can't really hide it all. She shouldn't have to. Loren is one of the greats and gorgeous no matter how much she ages.

11:34 p.m. And the Oscar for Best Actress goes to .... Kate Winslet! Hooray! No more a bridesmaid. Finally, a bride. Go, Kate. You're right. It's not a shampoo bottle now. One of the best real moments of the night. Kate calling out for her parents to whistle and proud papa letting out the biggest whistle of the night. Loved seeing that smile. Kate is so classy. She remembered not only to thank her husband, but also her children, and fellow nominees in the company of Meryl Streep, as well as the Academy. One of the best acceptance speeches of the night.

11:37 p.m. The only thing that would really top off my night is seeing Mickey Rourke win best actor. Sir Ben Kingsley, Anthony Hopkins, Michael Douglas, Adrien Brody, and Robert De Niro take the stage to present. The crowd goes wild as each name is announced.

11:41 p.m. "How did he do it? How did all those years Sean Penn get those jobs playing straight men," asks De Niro? I have to wonder too. Still pulling for Mickey Rourke.

11:43 p.m. As Sir Ben says, "Why do we care about one bleached blond bruiser?" The answer, "Mickey Rourke. We're better off having you in the ring. Welcome back. The returning champ. Mickey Rourke." But the Oscar goes to .... Sean Penn, "Milk." Oh well.

11:47 p.m. "You commie, homo-loving sons-of-guns, " says Penn as he starts his acceptance speech. Exactly! This is exactly why it is so hard to love him. He goes through a long list of all the great people in his life to thank and leaves out his long suffering wife, Robin. That poor woman. I really feel sorry for her. Then he goes into rambling Hollywood stroking politics, thanking the man in the White House, thinking he is being as elegant as Barack Obama. And he wasn't even an early supporter! Penn....sorry...very disappointing.

11:50 p.m. Can I just say that I am so glad the Academy continues to recognize the outstanding talent of Steven Spielberg? I remember early in his career when they kept ignoring him and no matter what he put out there, they just wouldn't give him his due. Here he is presenting the best picture award. But before then .... a retrospective of best pictures and clips from the nominees.

11:53 And the Oscar for Best Picture .... "Slumdog Millionaire" Christian Colson producer. The whole cast takes the stage. Rightfully so. This is one year when best picture is a masterpiece. Now Miley Cyrus will have to meet that cute little boy in the front of all the winners.

11:56 p.m. Okay was I wrong about the ending time? Was the show supposed to be over by midnight? If so, it came in right on time. They even had enough time to show all the ending credits. Larry David in "Whatever Works"?? No wonder "Curb Your Enthusiasm" has been on hiatus.  How long has "Old Dogs" been in production? I swear I saw a promo for that at last year's Academy Awards. Oh well. G'night everyone! Hey, where was Clooney?

NEXT DAY: Tallying up correct predictions. Looks like I got 16 out of 21, mostly coming up short on the independent films, documentary features/shorts, foreign language film, and the like. Just missed one of the big awards, most likely because I am not a big fan of Sean Penn. Oh, heck, I'm not a Sean Penn fan at all. Hoping Mickey Rourke make more good pictures. Fans will be rooting for him. 

And check out pictures from the event here.