Despite the news that most of the Oscars‘ usual after-party-fanfare had been canceled in light of the writers’ strike (shame on you, Vanity Fair, for shame!), there was still plenty of action. The celebrities were in fine moods. Just see how they were behaving on the red carpet (above) — and it only got better. (Well, except for Gary Busey, but we digress.) Most dropped in on Elton John’s AIDS Foundation after-party at the Pacific Design Center. Among those who attended were Marion Cotillard, Harrison Ford, George Clooney, Sean Penn, Sharon Stone, the Coen brothers, Courtney Love, Heidi Klum and Seal, Daniel Day-Lewis, Anne Hathaway . . . and Sir Elton himself, who, when asked if he ever got starstruck, responded: “Of course I get starstruck! Mary J. is coming! Ahhhhh!” We love superstars when they’re being effusive. Check back tomorrow for video from the shindig.

We’re not really into seeing famous people cry, unless it’s Paris Hilton. We just expect them to maintain some sort of stone-faced, plastic composure because you know - they’re famous (and because part of them probably IS plastic). But we got a little misty-eyed after The View women rallied around their pal Whoopi Goldberg, who was inexplicably left out of a montage honoring every Oscar host at the Academy Awards on Sunday night. Also missing was Steve Martin, but that didn’t seem to appease the comedienne, who was the first woman AND first African-American to host the snooze-fest. Not to mention, she won a statue for her work in Ghost! Whoopi got choked up about the whole thing and the result is a touching hugfest that reeks of estrogen. Awww, girl power.

What do you think - did the Academy slight Whoopi on purpose or was it all a big mistake?

The Academy Awards red carpet was a star-studded affair last night. Actresses like Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard and Heidi Klum turned up the heat. Others . . . eh, not so much. We weren’t the biggest fans of Jessica Alba’s outfit, but then we’re not her stylist. Who do you think looked their best?

We can’t say we weren’t excited last night when we saw washed-up actor Gary Busey attempt to tackle Jennifer Garner to the ground in the middle of some vapid interview with Ryan Seacrest and pal Laura Linney. Gary wasn’t trying to hurt or scare the Juno actress, he was trying to shut her up! Or maybe he just wanted to admire her Restalyne-enhanced lips up close. Either way, we have a feeling Busey’s getting a gift basket from Ben Affleck today as a thank you.

At the 80th annual Academy Awards last night, there were a few upsets: Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose) was named Best Actress, taking the honor from the heavily favored Julie Christie (Away From Her); similarly, Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton) took home Best Supporting Actress, despite conventional wisdom holding that the award belonged to Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone). Kudos to Swinton, it must be said, for managing to reference George Clooney’s hugely embarrassing, be-nippled turn as Batman in her acceptance speech.

Elsewhere, as expected, the Coen brothers took home Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for No Country For Old Men. Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor for his portrayal of Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood. Javier Bardem took Best Supporting Actor for his role as Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men. Overnight success-story Diablo Cody won Best Original Screenplay for Juno. And Daily Show host Jon Stewart kept the evening’s proceedings running smoothly, gently cracking wise at the audience’s expense.

There were very few stand-out moments, but our favorite had to be Stewart’s dissection of Democratic Party presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama’s name (Hussein recalling Saddam Hussein; Obama recalling Osama). When he referenced the ill-fated 1944 presidential campaign of Gaydolph Titler, we laughed. A lot.

In case you’ve somehow forgotten about Sunday night’s Academy Awards broadcast, we’re here to remind you that practically everyone with a computer has been offering their predictions online. That includes George Clooney: Mr. Suave sat down with Time magazine to tell them who he thinks will win. (His guesses seem pretty accurate.) In the midst of all this, however, you might have also forgotten about that other art-form generated by all this Oscar-buzz: the parody. Our tireless reporters here scoured the Interweb to find funny versions of the films nominated for Best Picture. Laugh a little — it’s Friday.

No Country For Old Men is good . . . but is it this good?

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Each year the act of predicting which artists will take home a Oscar becomes one of pop culture’s greatest guessing games. Someone picks a category, and everyone becomes a pundit. That includes us. We want your comments, too. Do you think our choices are right? Watch the show on Sunday night, and check back Monday morning for a recap of all the memorable moments.

Best Picture

Atonement
British upstart James McAvoy and stick-thin Keira Knightley play a couple torn apart by World War II — and Knightley’s little sister, Saorise Ronan, whose despicable lies turn the lovers’ families against them. The book was excellent. The movie . . . eh, not so much.

Juno
Canadian cuteness Ellen Page is a knocked-up and very sarcastic teen who attempts to give her unborn child up for adoption to Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner. The script’s verbal pyrotechnics are impressive — as are Michael Cera’s bandied knees — but does it have the heat to beat out No Country For Old Men? In a word: no.

Michael Clayton
It’s George Clooney in the titular role as a fixer for a law firm. When one of the firm’s top lawyers has a mental breakdown in the middle of a deposition, Clooney’s called in to fix the mess, which has to do with a class-action suit against an agricultural manufacturing company. It’s complicated, but then again, good films sometimes are.

No Country For Old Men
When Josh Brolin stumbles across the remains of a drug deal gone bad, he pockets the cash and hightails it away from the scene. Unfortunately, both the law and a merciless, Terminator-like psychopath are hot on his trail. The killer, played by Javier Bardem, has a bad haircut and nasty temper. It’s a quiet, contemplative orgy of violence.

There Will Be Blood
Daniel Day-Lewis is oil prospector Daniel Plainview, whose business conflicts with the religious interests of Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), a preacher in a desolate California town. The lives of the two are inexorably intertwined after an accident at one of the wells. As time goes on, Daniel becomes a capitalist monster and Eli loses his faith. No film this decade has an uglier ending, although No Country For Old Men comes close.

Should win: It’s a toss-up between No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood. Both offer particularly bleak visions of America. In the former, the Coen brothers interpret Cormac McCarthy’s novel as an existential treatise on the meaninglessness of life; in the latter, Paul Thomas Anderson converts Upton Sinclair’s Oil! into a wrenching screed about the seductive evils of capitalism. (Yes, we just wrote “seductive evils.” So what?) That said, for pure brilliance and artistic achievement, No Country is the more successful film.

Will win: No Country For Old Men.

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That’s right: According to DListed, America’s poor little rich girl isn’t going to the Academy Awards on Sunday because she’s not allowed. Sources report: “She cried hot, salty tears when she was banned from the Oscars. She’s desperate to be taken seriously as an actress and hoped she would be able to network with film executives.” Given Hilton’s track record at the box office, we’re amazed at her chutzpah.

Let’s take a walk down memory lane, shall we? Let’s start with 2002’s Nine Lives, a thriller about a group of friends stranded in a Scottish mansion who awaken an ancient spirit . . . and wind up dying one by one. In that straight-to-DVD number, Paris played Paris. She was killed first, if memory serves, which was a blessing — her non-acting was too much to take. Then there was 2005’s House of Wax, another slasher, in which Paris also died, this time impaled through the forehead by a steel pole. While almost certainly a better film than Nine Lives, House of Wax was still so terrible that it earned a rating of 26% on Rotten Tomatoes. Impressive. And, most recently, there was The Hottie and the Nottie, a film that was so excruciatingly bad it only made $28,000 on its opening weekend. (Besides the Hilton family and the fanatics at Best Week Ever, who else went? ‘Fess up!)

When will Paris figure out that a career in film isn’t meant for her? To be fair, there are others in the same boat: Madonna, for instance, someone who actually is an entertainer, still thinks she can be an actress. Those of us who suffered through Swept Away would like to inform her otherwise. Perhaps Paris is bristling at her hostile reception by Hollywood’s power players? We can’t possibly imagine what she’s done that would make anyone think ill of her. Oh, wait. We forgot about the DUI, the jail drama, the sex tape, the shameless apology, the crocodile tears, the fragrance, The Simple Life and Nicole Richie. Maybe that’s what the Oscars are balking at — for some reason the Academy Awards still want to be taken seriously. Imagine that.

The writers’ strike is over and the Academy Awards are on. To prep for the broadcast, VH1 assembled a show of Oscar’s top moments — the remarkable, heart-warming and totally bizarre show-stealing-scenes from Awards past. See the clip above, for instance, wherein fashion-conscious South Park co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker dressed in drag for the 2000 Oscars. They were mocking Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez respectively, poking fun at the Academy’s self-serious mien, and they actually achieved a laugh-out-loud moment. Others on the list include Cuba Gooding Jr.’s over-the-top acceptance speech for Jerry Maguire, Angelina Jolie making out with her brother and the streaker in 1974 who bared all to billions around the globe. The show airs tomorrow night at 9 p.m., but in the meantime, check out this gallery of moments past. And get prepped: It’s almost Oscar-time.

VH1’s 20 Greatest Oscars Moments premieres tomorrow night at 9 p.m. (EST).

Last night’s Screen Actors’ Guild Awards were a sad, somber affair, colored by the shocking death of Heath Ledger and the ongoing writers’ strike. Daniel Day-Lewis, the brilliant Irishman who’s once again at the fore for his role in There Will Be Blood, picked up the show’s best actor award, and dedicated it to Ledger. (Check the clip above for one of the most moving and graceful acceptance speeches, perhaps ever.) Elsewhere, the odds-on Oscars favorites were given their due, including No Country for Old Men for best picture, Julie Christie for best actress, Javier Bardem for best supporting actor, and Ruby Dee for best supporting actress. As for television, Tina Fey won for best female in a comedy series. 30 Rock really is the best thing that isn’t currently on television, isn’t it?

For photos from the SAG Awards, click here.

It’s tough for celebs and arts journalists to rise and shine so early, but once a year duty calls and newfound fame awaits. The Oscar nominations took place in L.A. this morning, and the usual suspects made it to the “Best Picture” category. Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country For Old Men, and There Will Be Blood are all vying for the top prize.

Our Critics Choice Awards, which prides itself on “predicting” the Oscar noms, came damn close to clocking 100% with their Best Actress list last month. Cate Blanchett, Julie Christie, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, and Laura Linney are all part of the Big O list.

The swagger of the actors’ list is staggering. George Clooney, Daniel Day-Lewis, Johnny Depp, Vigo Mortensen, and Tommy Lee Jones are up for the parts.

You’ll be needing to devour the entire list. Go ahead and dig in, and check our CCA site for great red carpet pics, film clips, and fun features.