On Sunday's ABC telecast of the 83rd Academy Awards, viewers didn't see a quick kiss and dance between presenters Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin -- but it wasn't on purpose.



Despite speculation that the network may have censored the two actors' smooch, Oscar producer Bruce Cohen insists it was because directors had already decided beforehand they would cut away to focus on the audience and Bardem's wife, Oscar winner Penelope Cruz, who recently gave birth.
"It [the dance and the kiss] was unscripted, and the plan in the truck was always to cut to Penelope in the audience applauding Josh's and Javier's introduction," Cohen explained in a statement to AfterElton.com, which had originally questioned why the moment didn't make it to the broadcast, noting that the 2006 Oscar telecast included a "Brokeback Mountain" spoof that starred Jon Stewart and George Clooney in bed. (Not to mention that Bardem is from Spain, where kissing is a traditional greeting among close friends.)
"So that is what happened, just as they were starting to dance. Josh and Javier's moment… would have made a great TV moment, but since no one knew it was coming, we cut to the gorgeous Ms. Cruz as planned. By the time, we cut back from her close-up, Josh and Javier were walking to the podium," added Cohen, who didn't see the kiss himself. (Two eyewitnesses from The Hollywood Reporter who were in the audience remarked that it was a fast peck.)
AfterElton.com first speculated that the kiss wasn't shown because of the complaints the network received after "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert made out with one of his male dancers while performing at the American Music Awards in November 2009.
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Infamous Oscar Fashions

The Academy Awards' red carpet is all about style and sophistication, but in addition to delivering its fair share of glamorous gowns and daring new trends, the arrivals line is notorious for its fashion faux pas. Take a look back at the big-screen stars whose Oscar looks turned into big-time bombs.
 1988: Nearly 20 years before Cher took Sin City by storm, the diva donned this showgirl-inspired Bob Mackie mess of a dress at the 60th Academy Awards.
 2001: Many style mavens consider Bjork’s swan-adorned disaster -- courtesy of Macedonian designer Marjan Pejoski -- to be the biggest fashion faux pas in Oscars history. Do you agree?
 1993: Surprisingly, Whoopi Goldberg was asked to host the 1994 Academy Awards after petrifying everyone the previous year in a purple and neon-green silk jacket and embroidered jumpsuit.
 1999: Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion made a titanic mistake by sporting an ill-fitting backwards John Galliano for Christian Dior suit and matching fedora to the 71st annual fete.
 2001: While the color of the dress Kate Hudson wore to the 73rd Academy Awards was lovely, the overall design was downright dowdy. And don't get us started on that catastrophic coif of hers!
 1989: Demi Moore topped the worst-dressed list at the 61st Academy Awards when she dared to wear a self-designed gaudy gold skirt, bustier, and biker shorts to the all-star soiree.
 2002: Gwyneth Paltrow's alarming look -- which she debuted at the 74th Academy Awards -- featured a childish coif, a shabby skirt, and an unsightly, unsupportive, sheer Alexander McQueen top.
 1992: Not only did Best Actress nominee Geena Davis ("Thelma & Louise") lose to Jodie Foster at the 64th Academy Awards, she also easily lost the red carpet rumble thanks to her mullet-like monstrosity.
 2004: Diane Keaton took her love of menswear a tad too far in ’04 in this Ralph Lauren Collection suit, which she paired with a pinstripe vest, polka dot tie, bowler, and boutonniere.
 2002: Country cutie Faith Hill looked far from tasty in the tacky, snow cone-colored creation she unveiled in 2002 at the 74th Academy Awards.
 2000: She may have taken home an Oscar on March 26, 2000, for her powerful role in "Girl, Interrupted," but that night Angelina Jolie didn't take home any awards for her gothic, Elvira-esque Versace ensemble.
2004: Uma Thurman looked more prepared to serve up some smoked turkey legs at a Renaissance faire than to walk the red carpet at the 76th Academy Awards in her frumpy, lace-and-satin Christian LaCroix frock.
 1991: Before Nicole Kidman became a fashionable red carpet favorite, the Aussie actress -- who attended the 63rd Academy Awards with her then-husband Tom Cruise -- was known to overindulge in atrocious trends such as velvet mini dresses and gigantic sequined belts.
 2002: Eight years ago, "A Beautiful Mind" star and Best Supporting Actress winner Jennifer Connelly looked anything but beautiful in a beige Balenciaga bomb and ragged peach scarf.
 1990: Kim Basinger has never been a style standout, but she certainly stood out (in a bad way!) at the 62nd annual ceremony in a self-designed, Disney-like debacle and layers of troubled tresses.
 2000: "Top Model" hostess with the mostest Tyra Banks wasn't runway or red carpet-ready at the 72nd spectacle in a chintzy-looking Vera Wang prom bomb.
 1995: Sharon Stone resembled an unfortunate Hershey's Kiss at the 67th Oscars in an unfashionable, foil-like Valentino frock.
 1999: A few years before she asked Carolina Herrera to become her go-to dress designer, Renee Zellweger donned this doily-enhanced eyesore to the 71st Academy Awards.
 2007: The color of the custom-made Oscar de la Renta dress Jennifer Hudson wore to the '07 soiree was spot on, but the metallic bolero Vogue Contributing Editor Andre Leon Talley demanded she don was disastrous.
2005: Cane? Check. Cast? Check. A desperate-for-attention Melanie Griffith embarrassing herself at the 77th Academy Awards in a shoulder-baring Versace dress? Check!
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10 Most Bizarre Oscar Moments

10 Most Bizarre Oscar Moments

The Academy Awards are, for the most part, an elegant and tightly controlled affair. But wacky things can and do happen sometimes -- and those are the moments viewers remember the most.
Since the Oscars are on Sunday and since there are now 10 best-picture nominees, we've decided to double the weekly Five Most list with a look at the 10 most bizarre moments in the show's history. So here they are, in no particular order -- because really, it's an honor just to be nominated:

The "South Park" guys show up in drag (2000)

The "South Park" guys show up in drag (2000): Trey Parker and Matt Stone arrived to support the feature film version of their animated series, "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut," which earned Parker and Marc Shaiman an original-song nomination for the jaunty "Blame Canada." But they couldn't just wear tuxes like everyone else. Since they've made a career out of skewering celebrities, Stone donned a replica of the pink gown Gwyneth Paltrow wore a year earlier when she won best actress for "Shakespeare in Love," while Parker wore a knock-off of the plunging green Versace number Jennifer Lopez famously filled out at the Grammys. So much chest hair ... and so hilarious.

The streaker (1974)

 The streaker (1974): Just as host David Niven was about to introduce Elizabeth Taylor, a naked man came running across the stage behind him, flashing a peace sign. (It was the '70s.) The whole place naturally went wild with laughter, but Niven, being the epitome of British class and cool, didn't miss a beat. He deadpanned: "Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was almost bound to happen. But isn't it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?"

Marlon Brando sends Sacheen Littlefeather on stage (1973)

 Marlon Brando sends Sacheen Littlefeather on stage (1973): Brando won best actor for his iconic portrayal of Don Corleone in "The Godfather." But he refused to accept the award, and instead sent a woman who said she was an Apache named Sacheen Littlefeather to speak on his behalf. Brando was protesting what he believed to be stereotypical treatment of Native Americans in the film industry. Littlefeather's speech drew a mixture of applause and boos, as well as questions about whether she was truly a Native American herself.

Rob Lowe's duet with Snow White (1989)

 Rob Lowe's duet with Snow White (1989): Allan Carr injected an element of high camp when he took over as producer of the Academy Awards. He was, after all, the man behind such splashy movie musicals as "Grease" and "Can't Stop the Music," and he won a Tony for the Broadway hit "La Cage aux Folles." But his Oscar ceremony is considered one of the biggest flops in the show's history. It included a 20-minute opening dance number with a squeaky-voiced Snow White-lookalike singing "Proud Mary" with Lowe, who was just getting over a lewd videotape scandal. Just try and watch it without cringing.

Bjork's swan dress (2001)

 Bjork's swan dress (2001): Being notoriously daring and different as she is, Bjork dazzled and bedeviled everyone when she showed up at the planet's most-watched red carpet in a white, fluffy gown with a swan's head draped around her neck. (The Icelandic singer and actress was nominated for best original song for "I've Seen It All" from Lars von Trier's "Dancer in the Dark.") It is arguably the most famous outfit ever worn to the Oscars. It inspired many a Halloween costume.

Jack Palance's one-armed push-ups (1992)

 Jack Palance's one-armed push-ups (1992): Palance already had been nominated for an Oscar twice before, both for best supporting actor, for 1952's "Sudden Fear" and 1953's "Shane." Four decades later, when he finally won the award for the comedy "City Slickers," he proved he was just as virile as ever at 72. In the middle of a raunchy acceptance speech, in which he was explaining how reluctant producers can be to cast older actors, Palance stepped away from the podium, dropped to the stage and did a series of one-armed push-ups. Who wouldn't hire him?

Roberto Benigni's seat climbing (1999)

 Roberto Benigni's seat climbing (1999): Speaking of acrobatics, there's Benigni. Ever the clown, the Italian actor and director couldn't just walk up on stage and give humble, teary-eyed thanks when his "Life Is Beautiful" won the Oscar for best foreign-language film. Instead, he leaped from one seat back to another, whipping the audience into a frenzy, before hopping up the steps and giving presenter Sophia Loren a long, tight bear hug. ("Life Is Beautiful" also earned a best-actor Oscar for Benigni and one for its original score.)

"Ordinary People" beats "Raging Bull" for best picture (1981)

 "Ordinary People" beats "Raging Bull" for best picture (1981): Not so much a wacky moment but a befuddling one. How could the Academy get this one so wrong? In retrospect, Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" emerges as a small masterpiece, intimately powerful in black and white, gorgeous -- even its brutal violence. "Ordinary People," Robert Redford's directing debut, feels like a respectable and well-made if austere family drama. But that's not as bad as ...

"Dances With Wolves" beats "Goodfellas" for best picture (1991)

 "Dances With Wolves" beats "Goodfellas" for best picture (1991): Ten years later, the Academy gets it wrong again, and Scorsese is on the losing end again. Sure, Kevin Costner's "Dances With Wolves" is a sweeping epic, visually impressive in its enormity, but looking back it feels condescending and a little corny. "Goodfellas," meanwhile, is an example of Scorsese's virtuoso filmmaking at its finest -- funny, brash, evocative and always riveting. Scorsese eventually got his due, though, with Oscars for best picture and director for 2006's "The Departed."

You like Sally Field (1985)

 You like Sally Field (1985): "Places in the Heart" earned Field her second best-actress Oscar -- the first came for 1979's "Norma Rae" -- but this one meant more to her, she said in her acceptance speech as she clutched the golden statue, giddy and beaming. This time, she said she finally felt the respect of her peers: "I can't deny the fact that you like me. Right now, you like me!" It's a line that would be endlessly parodied -- and misquoted.
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Predictions: Who Will Take Home an Oscar?

The template for this year's Oscar race was carved in stone in September when "The King's Speech" premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and "The Social Network" opened the New York Film Festival. In one corner, you had a film that had seemingly checked off every box in its appeal to Academy voters -- Royals! Period piece! Lofty British drama! Triumph over disability! Triumph over Nazis! -- and, in the other, you had a movie with an unlikable, socially awkward genius protagonist directed by David Fincher, an unlikable, socially awkward genius director.

That dynamic -- young vs. old, Facebook vs. Mr. Darcy -- hasn't changed in the ensuing four months. And even with the late entry of three critically acclaimed box-office successes -- "True Grit," "Black Swan" and "The Fighter" -- this year's best picture trophy will recognize either the emotional uplift of "The King's Speech" or the exhilarating immediacy of "The Social Network."
And, from all appearances, it looks like voters are going with their hearts and not their heads.

Here's how the top races will go:

BEST PICTURE

The nominees: "Black Swan," "The Fighter," "Inception," "The Kids Are All Right," "The King's Speech," "127 Hours," "The Social Network," "Toy Story 3," "True Grit," "Winter's Bone"

The winner: "The King's Speech"

Possible upset: "The Social Network"

Why limit the 10 picture race to just these two films? For starters, no movie wins Best Picture without a nomination for its director, which eliminates half the field. And you're out, too, if you don't have a screenplay nomination. That leaves four films, with "The Fighter" and "True Grit" joining the two favorites.

One month ago, everything pointed to "The Social Network" winning. The film had taken every critics prize and the Golden Globe for drama. It's only the third movie since 1975 to win the top awards from the Los Angeles and New York film critics groups, the National Board of Review and the Globe. The other two, "Schindler's List" and "Terms of Endearment," went on to win the Best Picture Oscar.

All that history was wiped out when "The King's Speech" swept the Producers Guild, the Directors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild. These people vote for the Oscars. Critics do not.

So what happened? It'd be easy to chalk it up to another one of Harvey Weinstein's scorched-earth Oscar campaigns, where his minions wheedle Academy voters and Harvey himself calls in the heavy ammunition. (If Queen Elizabeth loved "The King's Speech," it must be terrific!) But, simply put: Academy members like Harvey's movie best. They feel an emotional connection to "The King's Speech." As for "The Social Network" ... well, it's just not that kind of movie.

Time will tell whether a win for "King's Speech" will be a source of embarrassment to the Academy akin to, say, "Ordinary People" beating "Raging Bull" or "Dances With Wolves" prevailing over "Goodfellas." I'd argue that Fincher's movie is nowhere near as accomplished as the two Scorsese films and that naysayers undervalue all the ways "Speech" goes against conventionality. But "Social Network" supporters tend to stamp their feet when differing viewpoints are offered, so my reasoning would probably fall on deaf ears anyway.

BEST ACTRESS

The nominees: Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"; Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"; Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"; Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"; Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine"

The winner: Natalie Portman

Possible upset: Annette Bening

Not much of a contest here. Yes, Bening delivered a fine performance (though "Kids" co-star Julianne Moore one-upped her in terms of range), but Portman goes to another stratosphere in "Black Swan." Plus, it's a movie that speaks to the sacrifices performers make for the sake of their art.
You don't think that's going to resonate with this crowd?

BEST ACTOR

The nominees: Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"; Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"; Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"; Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"; James Franco, "127 Hours"

The winner: Colin Firth

Possible upset: Firth doesn't deliver a witty and gracious acceptance speech.

Firth could well have won last year for "A Single Man." In fact, if he had bested Bridges, who prevailed for playing the boozy country singer in "Crazy Heart," it would be Bridges' turn to win the Oscar this year. And, one could easily make the case that Firth delivered a more nuanced, affecting performance for "A Single Man," and that Bridges' Rooster Cogburn was a superior example of a redeemed drunkard.

But that's just rummaging through apples and oranges in a race that, because of the way the Academy votes, belongs to Firth and Firth alone.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

The nominees: Amy Adams, "The Fighter"; Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"; Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"; Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"; Jackie Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"

The winner: Melissa Leo

Possible upset: Hailee Steinfeld

Leo ruffled a few feathers recently when she had the gall to buy her own glossy (i.e. tacky) trade ads featuring a glamorous shot of the 50-year-old actress along with the word "Consider." And, with the Academy Awards, you just don't do that kind of self-promotion because, as we all know, nominees don't actually campaign for the prize. No, they just hit the talk-show circuit and attend awards shows and press receptions and Academy screenings to promote the movie, not themselves.

"She just lost my vote," one Academy member reportedly told The Hollywood Reporter, a comment that concisely sums up the inane logic some Academy members use in marking their ballots. God forbid they actually vote on the work and not the sideshow.

That said, there's always a backlash to the backlash. The sniping might actually cement the win for Leo, who has long been the frontrunner in the category (a status that makes her ad purchase a doubly curious choice.) But if she loses, don't blame the misguided self-promotion. Having fellow "Fighter" cast member Adams in the category could split the vote, giving newcomer Steinfeld the win.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

The nominees: Christian Bale, "The Fighter"; John Hawkes, "Winter's Bone"; Jeremy Renner, "The Town"; Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"; Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"

The winner: Christian Bale

Possible upset: Geoffrey Rush

The one nominee who didn't glad-hand this year was Bale, proving again that you don't have to make the rounds on the rubber chicken circuit to win an Oscar (Mo'Nique sure as hell didn't last year). Of course, you can afford that luxury only if the work makes voters' teeth drop from the get-go, and Bale's did. From the moment you glimpse his hollow cheeks and wiry frame, you know Bale has done another full-bore freefall in the name of art or insanity or some irresistible combination of both.

At any rate, there's no way he loses. Unless the Academy, really loves "The King's Speech" in a way that transcends categories and common sense.

BEST DIRECTOR

The nominees: Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"; Joel and Ethan Coen, "True Grit"; David Fincher, "The Social Network"; Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"; David O. Russell, "The Fighter"

The winner: Tom Hooper

Possible upset: David Fincher

And, circling back to transcending categories and common sense, look at the nominees in this category. The Coens. David O. Russell. Aronofsky. Fincher. Four (counting the brothers as a two-headed single entity) of the greatest filmmakers working today. You could program a wonderful week-long film festival with their work and still have movies left over for, as they say, further viewing.

And then you have this year's likely winner, Tom Hooper, a Brit who spent most of his career working in television before making "The King's Speech."

You could argue that each of the indisputably great directors has made better films. And you could also note that Hooper invested his movie with plenty of interesting, intelligent visual touches. He moves the camera elegantly and his sense of composition is flawless. He also seems to have a way with actors. But that doesn't make it feel any less ... wrong (there, I said it) to be giving Hooper the Oscar over four equally deserving candidates, directors who have contributed so much to the past quarter century of cinema.

Fincher could still sneak in and win this. But chances are he'll get his Oscar 20 years from now for some halfway decent movie starring Brad Pitt, who will, by that point, have assumed the elder-statesman mantle from Jack Nicholson and be sitting in the Kodak Theatre's front row, applauding with gusto.
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