The winner of this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary Short will debut on HBO tonight.

"Saving Face" is about a plastic surgeon, London-based Dr. Mohammad Jawad, who volunteers his services to help Pakistani women in his home country who have been permanently disfigured by acid attacks. This type of brutal attack is not uncommon in Pakistan, and those responsible (usually a husband or someone close to the victim) are typically given only minimal punishment for their crime.

The film focuses on the stories of two women: 39-year-old Zakia, whose husband threw acid on her after she filed for divorce, and 25-year-old Rukhsana, whose husband and in-laws threw acid and gasoline on her and set her on fire. 

Directors Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy follow Dr. Jawad as he helps these victims, who would otherwise have little or not access to reconstructive surgery, and also follows the push to enact new legislation that imposes stricter sentencing of perpetrators of acid attacks.

"Saving Face" will debut tonight at 8:30 p.m. on HBO.

Watch the trailer for the film below.

IIt's possible I'm just overly sentimental, but I'm really pulling for Billy Crystal to wow us as host of tonight's Academy Awards show.

But deep inside, I admit I'm a little worried he'll come off as corny and be criticized as too old-fashioned, which will depress me. (I know from my own Twitter feed during the Grammys how unforgiving we as a society can be of "old timers" taking the stage.)

So, I'm in your corner, Billy! Entertain us!

The Oscar show officially starts tonight at 8:30 on ABC, but ABC's Red Carpet show begins at 7:00. If you want to get an early start, E! has a Red Carpet show starting at 5:30. If you want to get a really early start, E! has a Countdown to the Red Carpet that starts at 1:30. 

I'll be doing a live recap here tonight starting around 7ish. David Menconi will also live blog from On the Beat.

In the meantime, here's a printable Oscar ballot so you can vote. To keep myself honest, I've attached my marked ballot below. I did a lot of guessing.

Follow us here for thrills, chills, cheers, tears and all-around passion play that the annual Academy Awards telecast brings around every year. I'll be back here around the time the broadcast starts Sunday night, 7:00 on ABC.

Meantime, here's how this went down last year; and you can also follow N&O TV pundit Brooke Cain's commentary here.

7:00 -- Here we go, with a montage of famous faces that hollers HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD, set to a Eurodisco beat. And now it's time for the whole red-carpet routine.

7:03 -- Well, the red-carpet interviewers are starting off the evening by interviewing each other. Rivetting!

7:04 -- Finally, an actual celebrity, best-supporting-actress nominee Octavia Spencer. Nice that she gives a shout-out to her hometown of Auburn, Ala.

7:05 -- And now best-supporting-actor nominee Jonah Hill, with his mother. Who doesn't look nearly old enough to be his mom.

7:07 -- Is there anyone on earth cooler than Maya Rudolph? I think not. Asked for secrets to gracefully getting through an awards show, she advises to sneak in snacks. The nation's theater concession managers are not amused.

7:12 -- Jessica Chastain (like Spencer, nominated for "The Help") appears to be wearing an animal skin of some sort. Ew.

7:13 -- Red-carpet quotes: "Oscar-worthy dresses don't just happen." "Who are you wearing tonight?" I simply do not understand fashion. I'm sure this is a stunning revelation to those who know me.

7:15 -- A bit on Oscar dresses through the years, including a rather astounding concoction worn by Cher in 1986. I guess that was during her French death metal period.

7:16 -- Milla Jovovich "couldn't possibly be more stunning," says ABC's red-carpet man with the mike. Who am I to disagree?

7:22 -- Asked which of this year's co-stars was "most charming," Emma Stone basically says they were all charming in their own way. She is apparently keeping her options open, in case whoever wins the Republican nomination is looking for a female vice president.

7:24 -- Apparently, Jessica Chastain is the leading trend topic on Twitter. Once again, no, I do not undertand fashion.

7:28 -- Viola Davis looks refreshingly normal. Although, because I think that, I'm sure the fashionistas will be savaging her ensemble.

7:30 -- Michelle Williams is in a red dress so piercingly bright, I feel like I should don shades to look at it. Then over to Christopher Plummer, rockin' purple velvet and looking like he's just off the golf course.

7:32 -- Nice little bit on "mominees," mothers of nominees, talking about how proud they are of their kids. Some things are universal.

7:39 -- Kristen Wiig is "speechless," as is her "Bridesmaids" co-writer. But they dutifully tell Robin Roberts who they're wearing (that's never not gonna sound weird to me).

7:40 -- Tina Fey! One of the few folks who can give Maya Rudolph a run for her coolness money; especially for quipping that she only dressed up tonight because she wasn't allowed to wear bike shorts.

7:42 -- Colin Firth just admitted he's planning on knocking back a few tonight. Keep that in mind when he'll be presenting the best-actress award later.

7:45 -- Jean Dujardin from "The Artist" looks weird without his mustache. And sounds weird speaking on-camera (about cinnamon rolls?). That's what happens when you get nominated for a silent movie.

7:46 -- The red-carpet reporters are going on about Michelle Williams' red dress (which is apparently "coral," although I'm not sure it's a shade actually found in nature).

7:51 -- J-Lo really should just walk red carpets in million-dollar dresses for a living...Wait a minute, you mean that's actually all she does? Wow.

7:52 -- With his dark shades and rumpled suit, Nick Nolte looks like an albino member of the Blind Boys of Alabama gospel group. Except he sounds kind of...nuts.

7:54 -- Zach Galifianakis (whose voice I heard earlier today on a "Puss in Boots" DVD, as Humpty Alexander Dumpty) said that most of his Oscar preparation today consisted of "taking a bath." And he's wearing Garanimals. God, I love him.

7:55 -- Wow, even *I* can tell Penelope Cruz looks astonishing. Straight out of Disney central casting's exclusive line of princess divas.

8:00 -- Half an hour before the festivities inside will start. Meanwhile, here's Cameron Diaz on the carpet, wearing Gucci and saying the train is "a little heavy" but "so masterfully crafted." Pay attention, there'll be questions later.

8:02 -- What am I wearing? Wrangler jeans, T-shirt, flannel shirt, thanks for asking.

8:04 -- Gwyneth Paltrow is a collection of very sharp angles and looks like she could use a cheeseburger or three.

8:05 -- Glenn Close looks terrific, too. I had wondered if she was going to show up dressed as Albert Nobbs.

8:10 -- George Clooney and girlfriend, quite possibly the most stunningly beautiful couple on earth. He seems like a great sport, very unpretentious. Someone you'd like to have a beer with. Maybe he should run for president?

8:12 -- And here's Clooney's pal Brad Pitt, looking like he just hopped off a surfboard. Then over to ECU alumnus (whoot!) Sandra Bullock, who also seems like one of the folks. She can come along on our beer run with Clooney.

8:20 -- Ten more minutes to go, as Johnny Cash (happy birthday!) might put it. Inside, Natalie Portman looks like she's wearing a million bucks worth of jewelry.

8:22 -- Tom Hanks gives the backstage tour, showing the walk that tonight's winners will take on their way to running the press gauntlet. I had always wondered where they went after disappearing.

8:23 -- Show producer Brian Grazer looks like a rumpled college professor who is inexplicably wearing a tuxedo.

8:30 -- Here we go with the actual show. Morgan Freeman is out to introduce the proceedings, adding his usual gravitas. It's like the voice of God or something.

8:31 -- Here's the introductory bit where they talk about the drama of getting Billy Crystal back as Oscar host. And yeah, it's good to have him doing this again. Bits with Clooney and Justin Bieber, riffing on various nominated films including "The Artist," "The Help," "Bridesmaids," "Moneyball" (and non-nominated flicks like "Mission Impossible" and "Tin Tin").

8:36 -- And here's Crystal coming out to get started, noting it's his ninth time hosting the Oscars "here at the beautiful Chapter 11 Theatre."

8:37 -- "The movies are the place to get away, to laugh, to cry, to text."

8:38 -- The obligatory medley about the nominees, in which Crystal gets to poke gentle fun at everyone. He's kinda perfect at this.

8:41 -- "That's nine! That's nine! That is the new five!" And Tony Bennett is out in the crowd applauding.

8:42 -- Tom Hanks is out to present best cinematography, which goes to...Robert Richardson for "Hugo." He looks like Santa Claus after a stint at the Duke Weight Loss Clinic.

8:44 -- Next is art direction, which goes to..."Hugo." Would be interesting if that one wound up winning some of the bigger categories, but this might well be it for "Hugo."

8:50 -- Now it's the "Your Name Here Theatre," Crystal says. So far, he's been good-not-great, though. He seems nervous, somehow.

8:52 -- What is it all these movies in this montage are supposed to have in common? "Jaws," "Star Wars," "Forrest Gump," "Ghost," "Titanic" -- that they're all, um, movies?

8:53 -- Back to business, Diaz and J-Lo are out to present best costume design. And the winner is..."The Artist," Mark Bridges.

8:56 -- On to best makeup. Seems like "Albert Nobbs" should win this one, given Close's transformation from woman to man. Major goofiness from Diaz and J-Lo before the Oscar goes to..."The Iron Lady"? Well, I've gotta admit that they sure did have Meryl Streep looking just like Margaret Thatcher in that one.

9:00 -- Testimonials from Pitt, Freeman, Tom Cruise and others on "the magical power of movies," recalling their earliest film-going experiences. Seems like Hollywood is trying to, I dunno, justify its existence. Trying too hard, I'd say.

9:05 -- Bullock says she has been asked to speak in Mandarin Chinese, which she apparently speaks with a German accent. Um, okay. On to best-foreign-language film, which goes to...the Iranian film "A Separation." Iran's first to win this category. Given political tensions surrounding that country, a political statement, perhaps?

9:09 -- Speaking of politics, nice jab from Crystal at the Republican presidential nominees in introducing Christian Bale to present best supporting actress. Melissa McCarthy gets the biggest cheers during introductions.

9:12 -- And the Oscar goes to..."The Help"'s Octavia Spencer, who gives a memorably flustered acceptance speech: "Thank you, Academy, for putting me with the hottest guy in the room!" The poor woman appears to be on the verge of meltdown, but it's great to witness someone so in their moment and willing to show it.

9:18 -- A bit on focus groups, and how one would have responded to "The Wizard of Oz" way back when. I'm not so sure about all of tonight's Hollywood insider stuff; it's making this Oscar ceremony seem even more self-congratulatory than usual.

9:22 -- Tina Fey and Bradley Cooper both cut fine figures as they come out to present best film editor (with a nice dirty joke from Fey). And the Oscar goes to..."Girl With the Dragon Tatoo," done by the same folks who won this award last year for "The Social Network." So far, this isn't shaping up as a landslide for any one film.

9:25 -- On to sound editing, which goes to..."Hugo." Well, that's three for "Hugo," so maybe that one will wind up being the night's big winner?

9:26 -- Being an ink-stained wretch who does my work out of sight of most folks who read it, I like seeing this parade of folks we've never seen before and never will again having their brief moment in the spotlight.

9:27 -- And now sound mixing, which goes to..."Hugo" -- wow, that one is cleaning up in the technical categories, with four Oscars so far.

9:33 -- Kermit and Miss Piggy introduce a Cirque du Soleil performance about "going to the movies." Because there's nothing that enhances watching a movie like a couple of acrobats on wires swirling around in front of the screen.

9:36 -- Is this supposed to make me want to, you know, go see a movie? Because it's not. At all. It's making me wonder what the producers of this show were smoking.

9:39 -- Standing ovation, however. Maybe you had to be there. Crystal says he pulled a muscle just watching that. "We're a pony away from this being a bat mitzvah." Then a shout-out to the 80-something nominees, Plummer and Max Von Sydow.

9:40 -- Paltrow comes out, followed by Robert Downey Jr. -- who is filming a documentary called, he says, "The Presenter." They're presenting best documentary. This is, um, awkward.

9:42 -- And the Oscar goes to..."Undefeated," a documentary about a high school football team.

9:44 -- Whoa, one of the half-dozen "Undefeated" guys just got bleeped. Whoops!

9:45 -- Chris Rock will present best animated feature. But first, he riffs on how ridiculously easy animation work is -- for a million bucks a pop. Must be nice!

9:46 -- And the Oscar goes to..."Rango." Seriously?

9:52 -- Following a painfully awkward introduction by Crystal (who is, alas, not having a great night), Ben Stiller and Emma Stone out to present best visual effects. And this weird Stiller-Stone repartee is just a bit too self-consciously cute.

9:54 -- Finally they get to the nominees, and best visual effects goes to..."Hugo" -- my goodness, that one is up to five Oscars on the night.

9:57 -- The winner notes that winning is "underrated," to nervous and uncertain laughter.

9:58 -- Melissa Leo is on to present best supporting actor. Some very good nominees here-- Nolte, Jonah Hill, Kenneth Branagh, Plummer, Von Sydow. And the Oscar goes to...

10:01 -- Plummer, announced as the oldest Oscar winner ever at age 82. "You're only two years older than me, darling, where have you been all my life?" he asks, quipping that he's been rehearsing this speech since birth. Nice shout-out to his fellow nominees, and his collaborators on "Beginners" -- and his "long-suffering wife Elaine," who Plummer says deserves a Nobel Peace Prize. Funny that the acceptance speeches have been the highlight so far this year.

10:08 -- Crystal's best jokes of the night, "reading the minds" of nominees on the screen. Marty Scorsese, Nolte, Clooney, Pitt and others. Pretty good.

10:10 -- The president of blah blah blah. I'm off to the refrigerator...

10:11 -- "Thank you for whipping the crowd into a frenzy," Crystal says afterward. "Mr. Excitement!" Nice to see him bring the snark.

10:12 -- Cruz and Owen Wilson are out to present best original score, which goes to..."The Artist," which finally lands one in the winner's circle.

10:16 -- Will Farrell and Galifiniakis come out in white tuxes clashing cymbals. Oh, this is good. They're here to present best original song, which goes to...Bret McKenzie for "Man or Muppets," from "The Muppets" -- announced with much dropping of cymbals. To his credit, McKenzie has the good sense to crack some decent jokes about what it was like to meet the Muppets.

10:24 -- Angelina Jolie shows a lot of leg in announcing the nominees for best adapted screenplay, to whoo's from the crowd. And the Oscar goes to...

10:26 -- Alexander Payne and company for "The Descendants." He thanks his mom for letting him skip nursery school to go to the movies. Nice.

10:28 -- On to best original screenplay; and the Oscar goes to...

10:29 -- Woody Allen! For "Midnight in Paris." And of course, he's not here. Perfect.

10:30 -- More of these testimonials from actors about movies, most of which seems pointless. Except for Sacha Baron Cohen admitting that he likes "some really sick stuff," with an impish smile. Dig it.

10:38 -- The cast of "The Bridesmaids" is out to present best short film, with much innuendo about "length." Much nervous laughter in the crowd. And the Oscar for best short goes to "The Shore," a film from Ireland. Heavily accented and very charming acceptance speeches.

10:41 -- On to best documentary short, although of course they turn it into a drinking game when someone in the crowd yells, "Scorsese" and they pull out flasks. And the Oscar goes to..."Saving Face," a film about which I'm afraid I know nothing.

10:44 -- Now it's best animated short, which goes to..."Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore." Charming acceptance speech.

10:50 -- Michael Douglas out to present best director. I'd rather they show clips from the nominated films then snippets of actors talking about what it was like to work with said director. And the Oscar goes to...

10:52 -- Michel Hazanavicius for "The Actor." Finally, this year's expected big winner lands a big one.

10:55 -- Meryl Streep ("either the greatest actress of our time or a really dedicated hoarder") is on to announce the annual "Governors Awards"; which went to Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith.

11:03 -- Now it's time for the memorial segment of folks who have passed on over the past year, accompanied by a choral version of "What a Wonderful World." Jane Russell, Ken Russell, Whitney Houston, Jack Hayes, Peter Falk, Cliff Robertson, Sidney Lumet, Steve Jobs, Ben Gazzara, Elizabeth Taylor...It's always sobering to be reminded of who is no longer with us.

11:13 -- Natalie Portman comes out to present best actor, in which she gets to address all the nominees. Clooney seems as likable as ever; hard not to pull for him, even though he's probably not going to win. And the Oscar goes to...Jean Dujardin, as expected. Looks like "The Artist" is gonna clean up after all.

11:19 -- "I love your country" is a good way to start an acceptance speech, if you want to win an audience over. And it ends on a highly exuberant note.

11:23 -- Colin Firth out to introduce the nominees and present best actress. "Meryl...Mama Mia" -- good one.

11:29 -- And the Oscar goes to...Meryl Streep! Hard to call that an upset, but Viola Davis seemed like the consensus choice going in. This is her third Oscar, but her first in 30 years.

11:30 -- She has the grace to be self-deprecating, and she's enough of an actress to make it cheeky, too. Nice that she starts off by thanking her husband, and also her longtime stylist. "For this inexplicably wonderful career, thank you so much." Well-said.

11:32 -- Tom Cruise will present best picture. Hard to imagine this won't be "The Artist," but we'll play this out and watch all the clips...

11:35 -- And the Oscar goes to..."The Artist," to the surprise of absolutely no one. Out of 10 nominations, it won five, including the big ones at the end.

11:38 -- And that's a wrap. G'night, all.

The Amazing Race (8pm, ABC) - The race continues in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where teams are required to use math skills at the world's largest cattle market.

The 84th Academy Awards (8:30pm, ABC) - The Red Carpet show starts at 7, but the actual awards aren't scheduled to begin until 8:30. Billy Crystal is back as host (his ninth time!), which could either be really cool or really lame. I'm nervous for him. Note: E! has a Red Carpet show starting at 5:30 and for those super-obsessed people, a Countdown to the Red Carpet that starts at 1:30. I'm doing a live recap here later tonight, so check back.

The Walking Dead (9pm, AMC) - A ridiculously tense and suspenseful episode tonight. Do not miss it. Most of the tension surrounds a showdown between Rick and Shane (right), which has been a looonnng time coming. It gave me a stomach ache from stress. Oh yeah, and there's also tons of zombie gore.

The Celebrity Apprentice (9pm, NBC) - The teams produce and perform a medieval-theme show for an audience, but an insubordinate contestant and a serious injury mar the task. Note: Our "Celebrity Apprentice" recap will be late due to the Oscars telecast. Look for it by lunchtime Monday.

Luck (9pm, HBO) - Ace takes the reins when Escalante surprises Gus with his decision to race Pint of Plain with an inexperienced jockey in the horse's debut.

Eastbound & Down (10pm, HBO) - Kenny tracks down Stevie, who's working at Ashley Schaeffer's car dealership, when he heads north with the baby to find April.

Tonight's Academy Awards show, hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway, begins at 8:30pm on ABC. It will go on forever, so have a cup of coffee or a Dr. Pepper or whatever, and forget about getting to bed at a reasonable hour.

Red Carpet arrivals begin at 6pm on E! and TV Guide Network (or you can start as early as 2pm if you want to do the whole "Countdown to Red Carpet" hoopla). ABC's Red Carpet show begins at 7pm.

Happiness is a Warm TV will be live-tweeting the show (and some of the Red Carpet arrivals) from @WarmTV. If you don't follow us, you should!

Click below for more!

Amazing Race: Unfinished Business (8pm, CBS) - The race continues in New South Wales, Australia.

83rd Academy Awards (7pm/8:30pm, ABC) - James Franco and Anne Hathaway (left) host the 83rd annual ceremonies, airing live from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. "The King's Speech" leads with 12 nominations. Go here for links to galleries, live-blogging and live-tweeting, and other Oscar goodies. The actual awards show doesn't begin until 8:30pm, but Red Carpet coverage begins on ABC at 7pm, and on E! and TV Guide Network at 6pm.

Mildred Pierce (8pm, TCM) - If you're not watching the Oscars, watch an Oscar winner. A great classic from 1945 which won Joan Crawford an Academy Award for best actress. HBO's mini-series remake starring Kate Winslet premieres in March. Also, "Annie Hall" airs right after this at 10pm.

Big Love (9pm, HBO) - Bill seizes an opportunity to strengthen the bonds of his marriages, Alby raises the stakes in his quest for power, and Lois is skeptical of Barb's plan for her future.

Shameless (10pm, Showtime) - Frank (William H. Macy) goes on the wagon, pleasing Carl and Debbie. But Lip doesn't believe her father's newfound temperance will keep him off the bottle for long. Meanwhile, Fiona scrambles to find a better-paying job, which leads her to overlook some suspicious behavior at Steve's, and Kev and Veronica open their house to a foster child and get a surprise when they learn her family history.

What the heck, this was fun to do during the Grammys two weeks ago -- so here we go with the Oscar live-blog, recording the thrills, chills and foibles of the 2011 Academy Awards...
 

7:44 p.m. -- Just tuned in the pre-game...er, red-carpet show to see the always-lovely Anne Hathaway with some designer dude who appears to be John Boehner's Martian cousin. I think we have the Worst Makeup Award all sewn up.

7:52 -- Actually, this really is remarkably similar to the Super Bowl pregame show. Reese Witherspoon was just asked how she decided to wear Armani tonight and replied, "It was a game-day decision." Well, then, you go, girl.

8:00 -- I never thought I'd say this, but: Somebody get Jennifer Hudson a cheeseburger. Hard to believe how thin she is nowadays.

8:02 -- And is Natalie Portman really as short as she appears? Downright tiny! Robin Roberts just towers over her. It never ceases to amaze how diminuitive a lot of stars really are.

8:05 -- In a show whose hallmark is awkward small talk, James Franco is most awkward; almost endearingly so. Justin Timberlake, on the other hand, could not look more at ease.

8:06 -- ECU alumnus Sandra Bullock is the second person I've heard utter the word "bromance" tonight. Hmm...

8:08 -- Ben Mankiewicz has just declared Colin Firth a lead-pipe cinch to win best actor. But I'm kinda pulling for someone to pull an Arcade Fire.

8:12 -- And here I thought Natalie Portman was short. Man, Nicole Kidman is lots, lots taller than her husband, Keith Urban.

8:14 -- "Country Strong" star Gwyneth Paltrow was just asked who she would duet with if she had her pick of anyone and answered...Jay-Z? The mind reels.

8:22 -- It's Hugh Jackman's turn to be interviewed. Between him, Kidman/Urban, Geoffrey Rush and whoever else I missed earlier, half the population of Australia seems to be headed inside the Kodak Theatre.

8:24 -- Halle Berry just admitted that the part she likes best is seeing everybody "all dressed up."

8:30 -- And here's the kickoff, a montage of scenes from all 10 best-picture nominees. This is kinda ADHD...

8:32 -- Now comes the bit where hosts Franco and Hathaway are inserted into the nominated flicks. Alec Baldwin is always a fine cameo choice for stuff like this.

8:34 -- Hathaway just decked Franco. Nice...And here's Morgan Freeman; as a narrator, of course.

8:35 -- Hathaway: "I have good news from the future: Microphones get smaller!"

8:37 -- Ooh, nice, a "Back to the Future" riff!

8:38 -- And here they are in real-time. "Thank you, James, you look very appealing to a younger demographic as well," Hathaway quips in response to a compliment.

8:39 -- "Used to be, you get naked, you get nominated." God, I love Anne Hathaway.

8:40 -- It's corny, but I kinda dig the bits with Hathaway's mom and Franco's grandmother both talking smack from out in the audience.

8:41 -- "'Toy Story 3'...Where's the daaaad?" That's a question I've asked myself.

8:43 -- Tom Hanks is out to give the first Oscar of the night, for art direction. And it goes to... "Alice in Wonderland."

8:45 -- What a surprise, the show's first acceptance speech is awkward to the point of excruciating. Even this guy's co-winner looks slightly pained.

8:47 -- On to cinematography, which goes to..."Inception"'s Wally Pfister. In contrast to the art-direction winner, Pfister is much more composed. I dig him rocking the glasses up on his firehead, too.

8:51 -- Venerable 93-year-old Kirk Douglas comes out, with a cane, and gets some laughs for leering at Hathaway. Then it's on to the evening's first acting award, supporting actress. Which goes to...

8:57 -- ...First, however, Douglas builds the tension with some tortured comedy; I feel bad for the nominees, though. C'mon, a joke's a joke. Okay, the winner -- Melissa Leo from "The Fighter." A bit of an upset...

8:58 -- Leo has enough composure to flirt with Douglas, but she looks just overwhelmed. Cool to watch, even when she drops an F-bomb. Whoops!

9:01 -- Leo borrows Douglas' cane on her way off the stage.

9:02 -- Justin Timberlake declares, "I'm Banksy." Then says, "I'm sure there's an app for that." And riffs a bit on Kirk Douglas' comical stalling. He's a cool one.

9:04 -- And best animated short film goes to..."The Lost Thing."

9:05 -- On to best animated full-length. Hard to imagine "Toy Story 3" won't win this (although I quite liked "How To Train Your Dragon," too).

9:07 -- Yep, "Toy Story 3" is the winner. Well-deserved.

9:12 -- In their white jackets and black pants, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem both look like waiters. Fittingly, they're here to present the Oscar for adapted screenplay (since writers are basically the invisible hired help in the movie-making racket).

9:14 -- "The Social Network" takes the prize. The first of many tonight?

9:15 -- Aaron Sorkin's acceptance speech is quite eloquent. Running long, but what the heck. "Roxy Sorkin, your dad just won an Oscar, I'm gonna have to insist on some respect from your guinea pig."

9:18 -- On to original screenplay, which goes to..."The King's Speech." And so the battle between "Speech" and "Network" is on.

9:19 -- Screenplay winner David Seidler: "My father always said to me I would be a late bloomer. I believe I am the oldest person to win this particular award. I hope that record is broken quickly and often."

9:23 -- Hathaway has changed into a tux and is calling out Hugh Jackman in song for standing her up.

9:25 -- And because Hathaway is wearing a tux, now Franco is out in a bright pink dress. Hathaway looks like she's about to cough up a lung from laughing. No wonder Franco seemed awkward and embarrassed earlier, knowing this was coming.

9:26 -- Russell Brand and Helen Mirren (lookin' fine as always) get in a nice bit about playing English royalty -- with Brand telling Mirren she did better playing "The Queen" in 2006 than Firth did in 2010 with the King -- by way of introducing best foreign film.

9:27 -- And the winner is "In A Better World," from Denmark.

9:29 -- Reese Witherspoon is on to present best supporting actor. Will frontrunner Christian Bale win?...

9:32 -- ...Yes indeed, although Geoffrey Rush's bit from "The King's Speech" got the best response from the crowd.

9:33 -- Bale may have one, but dude's got one terrible-looking beard. Looks like he should be playing Bob Weir in a '70s-vintage Grateful Dead tribute band.

9:39 -- Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman come on to present original score, with much pomp/circumstance from the orchestra.

9:43 -- I'm pulling for Trent Reznor's edgy score from "The Social Network."

9:44 -- Yes! And Reznor is even there in a tux! He gives a very nice acceptance speech, too.

9:45 -- Scarlett Johansson and Matthew McConaughey are out to do best sound, prefaced by an awkward introduction where they keep interrupting each other.

9:47 -- That's right, "Inception" came out last year, too, didn't it? At least it won't get shut out.

9:48 -- On to sound editing...which goes to...

9:49 -- ..."Inception" again. Well, Oscar certainly seems to like the way that one sounded.

9:53 -- Marisa Tomei is out to ackowledge the scientific/technical awards presented earlier -- none of whom get named. Oh well.

9:55 -- "All right, congratulations, nerds," Franco says. Then it's on to Cate Blanchett to do makeup, costume designs and such.

9:56 -- "That's gross," Blanchett says in response to what we've just seen. And the best-makeup Oscar goes to "The Wolfman." Co-winner Rick Baker has one of the longest male ponytails I've ever seen.

9:59 -- The costume-design Oscar goes to..."Alice in Wonderland," which has done well on technical stuff tonight.

10:02 -- And here we go with the first best-song-nominee performance. President Obama in the taped intro, Kevin Spacey live. First up is Randy Newman's "We Belong Together" -- yes!

10:03 -- Dang, here's the downside of a job like mine: You forget how much you love certain people because you don't have as much time for casual listening as you'd like. Exhibit A for me would be Randy Newman. Whenever people ask my all-time favorites or desert-island discs, I never remember to mention him. But he's right up there in my pantheon. And "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3" is a nifty little knockoff. Hope it gets him another Oscar. Meantime, I think I'll pull out "Sail Away" to listen to later.

10:05 -- And here we have Mandy Moore (wife of expatriate local Ryan Adams) doing a song from "Tangled." Pretty standard devotional-song stuff.

10:11 -- Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal present best documentary short. Which goes to...

10:13 -- ..."Strangers No More." At a time when half the world seems to be going up in flames, a documentary about immigrants struggling to assimilate seems appropriate.

10:14 -- On to best live-action short. Which goes to...

10:15 -- ..."God of Love." It's cool to see these people in some of these minor categories getting so excited over their moment. This dude looks like he used to play in the MC5.

10:17 -- Ah, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," "Toy Story 3," "The Social Network" and other nominated pictures turned into a song sequence. Um, okay...

10:19 -- My my, Oprah Winfrey is out to do best documentary. Which goes to...

10:22 -- ..."Inside Job," about the 2008 financial meltdown that we're all still suffering from. Co-winner Charles Ferguson is angry that no one is in jail for the misdeeds that led to the crisis. He's not wrong to feel that way, either.

10:26 -- Ooh, Billy Crystal! Still my favorite Oscar host, he really was perfect for this gig (although Hathaway/Franco are doing fine tonight). Great quip about the show running long and going straight to the best-picture award.

10:29 -- Crystal's story about getting flipped off by Bob Hope is priceless, as an introduction to a Hope tribute. And through electronic trickery, Hope's televised image introduces Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.

10:31 -- They do some edgy bantering about Downey's legal troubles over the years while introducing the visual-effects nominees. And the winner is...

10:33 -- ..."Inception," which continues to clean up in the technical categories.

10:34 -- And on to best editing. Which goes to...

10:35 -- ..."The Social Network." Can't argue with that. "Network" was one big jumpcut; it was practically choreographed.

10:41 -- More song-nominee performances, introduced by Jennifer Hudson (who appears to have lost another five pounds since she first showed up on the red carpet tonight). First up is "If I Rise" from "127 Hours," sung by Florence Welch and A.R. Rahman. It's one of those songs that, I dunno, never seems to get started; just sort of ambles along in a murky haze. Gotta be a hook in there somewhere, right? Actually, no. Meh.

10:44 -- Gwyneth Paltrow out to do her song, which is also underwhelming. O.K., now I'm really pulling for Newman.

10:46 -- And the Oscar goes to...yes! Randy Newman!!

10:47 -- Sometimes the good guys win one. Noting that this is only his second win in 20 nominations, Newman manages to thank almost everyone he should and make fun of himself and the Academy, all while not going over his time limit -- either that or the orchestra refused to do the play-off music out of respect. Good for him.

10:52 -- Celine Dion does a nicely restrained version of "Smile" for the memorial tribute to all the movie people who passed away over the last year. The list includes Lionel Jeffries, Leslie Nielsen, Pete Postlewaite, Patricia Neal, Robert Culp, Lynn Redgrave, Arthur Penn, Susannah York, Jill Clayburgh, Dennis Hopper, Dino De Laurentis, Blake Edwards and Lena Horne. It's always amazingly moving to see all these faces like this.

10:56 -- Halle Berry does a Lena Horne tribute, concluding with a clip of Horne singing "Stormy Weather." Nope, they don't make 'em like that anymore. I need to pull out some Cab Calloway to listen to later, too.

11:01 -- Hathaway lets out an actual "whoop" introducing Hillary Swank, who introduces last year's best-director winner Kathryn Bigelow to present this year's award. And it goes to...

11:03 -- ...Tom Hooper for "The King's Speech." Can I just say that I actually found this film rather underwhelming?

11:05 -- Annette Bening out to introduce a segment on the Governor's Awards. Great to see that Eli Wallach won one of those. He'll always be the ugly Tuco to me.

11:11 -- Hathaway is wearing an immensely unflattering purple dress, as she and Franco introduce Jeff Bridges to present best actress. He does a fine job introducing the nominees and setting up their clips. This one is quite a horse race between Bening and Portman. And the Oscar goes to...

11:16 -- ...Portman for "Black Swan." Bening manages to look gracious about being passed over yet again as she applauds.

11:17 -- Nice that Portman thanked her parents; but enough with thanking all the agents and lawyers and casting directors and yadda yadda yadda.

11:18 -- Did she just thank her housekeeper?

11:19 -- And here's Sandra Bullock to present best actor. "Hola" to Javier Bardem -- nice. Followed by a funny little joke about him managing to "scare an entire nation" with his "No Country For Old Men" haircut.

11:21 -- She just called Jeff Bridges "dude." Coolness points soaring.

11:22 -- "Jesse, I'm still waiting for you to accept my friend request on Facebook."

11:23 -- "Colin. Right here. So I hear the Queen saw the film, liked it. Which is good because I assume you're going home sometime?" Bullock should host this next year!

11:24 -- And a nice little jab at Franco (for appearing on "General Hospital"), who probably is not going to remember this night fondly. And the Oscar goes to...

11:25 -- ...Colin Firth, to the surprise of no one. At least he's self-effacing: "I have a feeling my career's just peaked," he deadpans, then threatens to dance. Not bad, although I still am not that enamored of "The King's Speech."

11:31 -- Stephen Spielberg out to do best picture. Hathaway is still whooping, even at show's end.

11:33 -- Gotta say, I'm not a big fan of the Oscars having 10 best-picture nominees instead of five. Seems to me that it cheapens the value of a nomination. And setting the montage of best-picture clips to Firth's speechifying seems a pretty clear signal of what the winner will be.

11:36 -- Yep, "The King's Speech." No. Uh uh. Nyet. I'm just not feelin' it. It was fine. But best picture? Nope.

11:37 -- Standing at the back of the onstage mob, Helena Bonham Carter appears on the verge of yawning as everyone thanks the academy.

11:39 -- A bunch of kids from a school chorus come out to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for the outro. Forced-cuteness alert!

11:40 -- And here are all the winners out, clutching their Oscars. Everybody wang chung tonight.

11:41 -- "Hooray for Hollywood" plays as the credits roll, bringing the 83rd annual Academy Awards to a close. 'Night, everybody...

If you're looking for a really great app to enhance your Oscar viewing experience this weekend, you better be an Apple user.

Sure, there are tons of movie apps out there -- most will have extra content for the Oscars, and many will be available for users on a variety of platforms.

But the best Oscar app we've seen is built exclusively for Apple users (iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch). That would be the Oscar Backstage Pass from ABC Digital. That one blows everything else out of the water.

It's even crazier than you thought.

Salon.com got an interview today with two of Oscar's most puzzling characters: the producer of "Music by Prudence," Elinor Burkett, and the film's director-producer, Roger Ross Williams.

You may remember that Williams was in the middle of his acceptance speech for winning the Oscar for Best Documentary Short when Burkett ran up and interrupted him, totally hijacking his speech in what is being called, "Oscar's Kanye Moment."

The short version of the story: They hate each other's guts. Get the full version from Salon's Kerry Lauerman. 

You thought it was gonna be "Avatar" all night long, didn't you? Suck it, blue CGI people!! Kathryn Bigelow's war movie "The Hurt Locker" won big at last night's Academy Awards Show, on a night when there were not very many big surprises.

Here's the recap, in case you missed something from the 4-hour telecast.

The Neil Patrick Harris opening was perfection. Sure, he's dangling on the precipice of over-exposure, but it was a fantastic song and dance number. Wonderful way to open.