The 80th Academy Awards (host: Jon Stewart) aren't until February 24 but starting today you can register for a chance at a bleacher seat overlooking the red carpet. Thousands applied for 300 spots last year along the 500-foot-long red carpet, but you're feeling lucky, right? The chosen voyeurs will be randomly selected next Monday at noon, and notified in March. Submit for up to four tickets per person. http://www.oscars.org/bleachers/ Dangerous Liaisons devotees look for......

Just when you think we'd be done with our Oscar coverage, we get this in our email box, an open letter from a documentary film nominee who is upset at how Jerry Seinfeld introduced the category. Which we thought was odd since after Jerry was done with his bit we were thinking, "why the heck hasn't Seinfeld been the host of the Oscars?" Our pals Seattlest are also pro-Jerry. Although we're not in the......

Dear LAist, On Sunday both Ellen DeGeneres and Vice President Gore said something along the lines of there being a billion people watching the Oscar broadcast. When the Neilson (sic) ratings came out it said that only 37 million Americans watched the program. Did 963 million foreigners really watch that show the other night? If they did, I now understand why they let that guy speak Italian for what seemed forever. - TF, Highland......

Last week all you had to do was stroll down to Hollywood & Highland or take the subway there, then stand in line for a short while and you'd get to hold a real Oscar trophy. Every day we kept forgetting to mention it and then kicked ourselves when it was over. And now The Hollywood Reporter's Risky Biz blog has posted video of regular people holding the award and mugging for the cameras.......

Most vanilla Oscars ever. Ellen DeGeneres wasn't a bad host. But she wasn't a good one. Her mildly funny jokes and conversational good nature made it feel like we were watching a daytime talk show host wallowing in the oversized britches of a big-time awards ceremony. Oh wait, we were. Thank you, Ellen DeGeneres, for proving that queers can be as bland and conventional as breeders. Jerry Seinfeld's presentation of the feature documentary award was......

Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and John C. Reilly brought the biggest laughs to a pretty ok Oscar telecast in this musical jab at how the Academy doesn't reward comedic actors as much as dramatic ones. The singing from this trio wasn't as great as the "Dreamgirls" medley, but it was way better than Celine Dion's tune, and it filled the gaping hole left by the lovable Three 6 Mafia, who we now know are......

What were we thinking? Just a quick jaunt to our neighborhood Trader Joe's to grab some nibbly things and vino and appetizers (and, okay, some stuff to brown bag for work lunches this week) and we'd be in and out in plenty of time to catch the Red Carpet Arrival brouhaha on any of a handful of channels. Of course, everyone and their mother--like the gal and her mother we kept bumping into around every......

This is what the streets of Hollywood around the Kodak Theater looked like just hours before the big bar-b-que, or whatever the hell they're doing over there. LA blogger and industry insider Peggy Archer was nice enough to let us feature some of the pics she took this afternoon which can be found after the jump.......

Last night, about 15 miles west of the Kodak Theatre -- a veritable light year -- Taylor Dayne and Doogie Howser starred in film awards gala skits of their own. Little Miss Sunshine took Best Picture, Director, and Supporting Male honors at Film Independent's Spirit Awards. Half Nelson took consolation for losing Best Picture by capturing Best Male (Ryan Gosling) and Best Female Lead (Shareeka Epps) awards. And America Ferrera set the bar for Oscar......

Being a high-stakes online journalist is brutal, brain-taxing, soul-bruising work. But every now and then you get the little bit of recognition (read: free stuff) that makes it all worthwhile. On Friday I had the chance to attend the Haven/Elle magazine pre-Oscars "gifting suite" along with LAist's own Lisa B.* We made our way to the hills of Beverly Hills and after fighting our way through a forest of monstrous Cadillac Escalades -- what......

BONUS: Santa Monica-based Yahoo! Media Group presents: pre-Oscars video / hype; latest Oscar news/gossip, and MORE.......

It's not about presence, it's about presents. And "gift suites," the latest rage in Hollywood tax-dodging, have been in full swing this week, with the Oscar masses foaming at the mouth for the latest in fashion handouts, scented swag, diamonds, massages, fancy cheese and chocolate luxuries. In a Beverly Hills mansion situated high above Hamburger Hamlet, LAist went undercover yesterday to one of these special events, called Haven -- a glam affair put on......

As happens every year, the wattage from the collective star-power gathered for the Oscars turns the universe into a dim bulb. But just before the big day, local braniacs at Cal-Tech have managed up another amazing astronomical feat. Using the Spitzer infrared Space Telescope, scientists peered at two planets, (360 and 904 trillion miles away) and for the first time, were able to identify molecules in an extra-solar atmosphere. The problem observing planets orbiting......

What Oscar Says... Here are the street and sidewalk closures according to them: Friday, Sautrday, Sunday, Monday. City Streets (According to the City) The City of Los Angeles will strictly enforce the parking restrictions and will cite and/or impound vehicles parked on streets at times shown (complete list after the jump). Hollywood Boulevard has been closed between Highland Avenue and Orange Drive since Monday for the construction of press risers, fan bleachers, and pre-show......

A Word Or 71: Hey, thanks for calling me on my BS mistakes yesterday, it pleases me that some people have been reading my little list of shows and snarky comments. Have a great weekend - the only thing that will get me through Oscar night is alcohol, here's a link to an Oscar's Drinking Game but there's got to be better ones, please post your own or links to better ones in the comments.......

The Oscars are right around the corner, everyone's an expert, so let's see what ya got. After the jump we have ten big categories for Sunday's award show. To enter out your picks in the comments and leave your real email address so we can contact you. Please follow this format: 1. Penelope Cruz 2. Jennifer Hudson 3. Forest Whitaker etc... Here are the AMAZING prizes we have for the winners The Grand Prize Winner......

What if... Jennifer Hudson doesn't win? Sometimes the one sure thing turns out not to be the one sure thing. Then who wins? The ten year-old. None of the others are in the running, and I say that thinking that Rinko Kikuchi should win, even though I had tons of problems with Babel. Everyone likes the ten year-old. Don't count out the ten year-old. What if... Eddie Murphy doesn't win? Then the theory that......