Live Coverage: The Red Carpet Blog

Good friends Julia Roberts and George Clooney walked the red carpet together Monday night at the Met Costume Institute gala—with none other than fashion legend Giorgio Armani in tow.

Check out E!'s Giuliana Rancic putting gorgeous George's Italian-translating skills to the test—and for more celeb antics, don't miss E!'s Live From the Red Carpet: Met Gala, Thursday, May 8 @ 8 p.m.

Sharon Stone sure knows how to get people to pay up.

She was a guest auctioneer at Elton John and David Furnish's Oscar gala benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation. And while coaxing one fella to bid $1 million for a 1971 Stingray Corvette donated by her family, Stone sneered, "Don't be a p--sy!"

Sir Elton joined Stone onstage to try to get even more money for it. "Elton and I will sing a duet," Stone joked.

Better yet, John announced, "I'll take my trousers off."

Also up for bid was a rare black-and-white print by the late photographer Helmut Newton. X-Men: The Last Stand director Brett Ratner bid first with $150,000. When bidding hit a high of $900,000, the auctioneer pleaded with Ratner to go for a million. "You have the money," the auctioneer said.

Ratner didn't bite.

Around 9:50, John started the night's performance with "The Bitch Is Back." Here's what else went down...

Get this: Whoopi Goldberg has emceed the Academy Awards telecast four times. She was the first woman to do so and the first African-American. Heck, she even has an Oscar of her own.

So, why was she nowhere to be found in the lingering clips of memorable hosty moments during Sunday's telecast? (As was, for the record, Steve Martin.)

An emotional Whoopi opened up about the snub on The View today, discussing the great-hosts montage with her cohosts. "Undoubtedly, I pissed somebody off yet again," she said, before nearly and clearly choking up.

What do you think? Was this a goof or a snub? Vote below, and sound off in Comments.

You people have so many questions about Sunday's Oscars. They've created an avalanche in my in-box, so let's dig out, shall we? Mostly, you're pestering me about Brad Renfro and Miley Cyrus, but I'll do you better. I'll nail all your answers here in a special Academy Awards Lightning Round from E! Online's Answer B!tch.

Why are certain nonmovie stars, like Sean Combs and Miley Cyrus, invited to attend or present at the Oscars? Shouldn't this prestigious event be just for those nominated and industry heavyweights?
—Julie, New York

Cyrus recently released a film version of her concert, and that technically makes her a movie star. ("Other than that," an Academy spokeswoman says, "I don't know what to tell you.") She also attracts a young audience, something the Oscar producers probably wanted. (Not that the strategy worked. The Oscars were a ratings nightmare.) Hence Cyrus' position as presenter. As for Combs, I suspect that the diamond-seeking sensor array implanted in his brain drew him to the corner of Hollywood and Highland, and the security people stood aside to prevent any gem-related violence.

Who was that cute little girl sitting next to Viggo Mortensen at the Oscars?
—Ruth, Miami

That is his niece Sydney.

Why was Brad Renfro not mentioned in the annual montage tribute to those who have passed during the 80th Academy Awards broadcast?
—Juice, Fresno, California

I quizzed a spokeswoman about this, and here's what she said...

Big winner/handsome man Javier Bardem may have brought his mother to the Academy Awards, but he wisely swapped out arm candy before a night of partying. Here, he's leaving Villa nightclub with his brand-new Oscar and, of course, Penélope Cruz. Earlier, the two were spotted dancing and snuggling at Prince's postshow party.

Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder. Fonder for parties, that is.

I hear one of the highlights of Madonna's post-Oscar party with Demi Moore and Guy Oseary, held at Oseary's L.A.-area manse, was the Le Tourment Vert absinthe. Yes, absinthe! (Yep, the strong green stuff's legal again.)

While the party was superVIP and closed to the press, I've got some more details for you.

Among the guests were Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Cameron Diaz, Forest Whitaker, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Orlando Bloom, Jeremy Piven, Wesley Snipes and, fresh from their megastar AIDS fundraiser with Chopard and VH1, Sir Elton John and David Furnish.

No official word on this, but I hear Kate Hudson wanted to bring more than one guest to Madge's bash. A source tells me the starlet was told she'd have to personally call Moore to ask. No word yet if Hudson ever made it to the party or bothered to call.

Most of the party was in Oseary's tented backyard. The tennis courts were covered and transformed into a lounge area.

—Filed by Marc Malkin

We hit you with scoop of this new couple earlier, but play the video above to get an even more intimate look at love in bloom. As in, the night's Best New Item Sean Penn and Petra Nemcova leaving Elton John's Oscar party to a flurry of flashbulbs, in the wee hours.

Talk about a royal performance. Prince took center stage in the middle of his living room last night to jam for about an hour during his post-Oscar blowout.

He even rolled out a purple carpet, I'm told, for guests like Oscar winners Marion Cotillard and Tilda Swinton, plus Eva Longoria Parker, Kate Beckinsale, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Rosario Dawson, Dane Cook, Jonah Hill, Macy Gray and directors Spike Lee, Julian Schnabel and Brett Ratner. And then he performed with a full band, starting at about 1:30 a.m.

At one point, Stevie Wonder and John Legend joined in.

Also there? Undercover couple Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz. "Javier had his arm around Penélope and his Oscar in his hand," one partygoer said. They also danced together in one room of the house that was dubbed the Citizens of Humanity 3121 Lounge, another guest said.

Newly minted lovebirds Sean Penn and Petra Nemcova also stopped by.

The party, held at Prince's recently rented $50 million estate in Beverly Park and sponsored by Citizens of Humanity jeans and Klipsch speakers, didn't start until about midnight. Prince mingled with guests in a white suit before changing into a blue ensemble for the performance. And then, for the closing number, "You've Got the Look," he came out in a little more casual white shirt with a multicolor print. "People were going wild," a partygoer told me.

There were several bars at the party, plus a menu of appetizers, including spring rolls, dumplings and sweet-potato crisps.

That's not all from last night's soirees...

Onetime Oscar nominee and professional oddball Gary Busey went on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM morning show today to "explain" his Oscar-night red carpet ambush of Ryan, Jennifer Garner and Laura Linney.

Among his more enlightening comments: "The truth requires no questions" and "spontaneity comes from an invisible idea that is there before the creation began."

That all clear? Good. Anyway, get the full report here.

Little Sparrow Marion Cotillard initially wasn't going to be allowed into Elton John's bash because she wanted to bring an entourage of 11 with her. Well, the Oscar winner ended up getting into Elton's party after all. Guess no one says no to you when you have a gold statue in hand!

Meanwhile, over at the Mercedes-Benz bash at the Four Seasons, everyone was all abuzz about a Hilton...but it wasn't Paris for once. Barron Hilton was back on the scene, along with parents Rick and Kathy. Yes, this is the same boy who was busted two weeks ago for a DUI at 8:30 in the morning and spent the day in the slammer.

Apparently, that kind of behavior doesn't get you grounded or disowned but instead a parental chaperone on Oscar night. And speaking of questionable, Paris' mom was seriously underdressed for the occasion. While everyone else was all elegant in dresses and updos, Kathy was in pants and boots with her hair hanging down.

She saw it on the floor lying right by the bathroom and picked it up thinking she'd return it to the front desk. But once she saw whose it was, she kept it as a souvenir.

Guess he wanted to be well-coiffed in case he won an award...

Were Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart arrested outside Elton John and David Furnish’s Oscar party?

Nope.

But they were spotted driving away in the back of a squad car.

Huh?

Turns out the superstar couple had some, well, car trouble at the end of the night.

“They were standing outside waiting for their car to pick them up,” a source reports. “They called and called and called the car, but the driver never showed.”

Deputies from the West Hollywood Sheriff's Station came to the rescue. They offered Indiana Jones and the Brothers & Sisters star a lift.

"Harrison and Calista accepted and were taken home in the back of a squad car!" says my source.

A spokesman for the Sheriff's Department insists the missing car became a public safety issue because people were crowding around Ford and Flockhart. They were driven less than a mile to the Sunset Tower hotel to visit some friends, the rep says.

—Filed by Marc Malkin

Big night. Lots happening. Stars. Awards. Lights. Cameras. All that. In case you missed it, we've blogged every angle from arrivals to parties to backstage outpourings, and here's what we know so far (beyond that, like, those guys from Superbad totally look like they sneaked in):

1. Pregnant woman in expensive gowns are hot.

2. Dark-haired dudes in tuxes are not as hot, but still pretty damn hot.

3. No Country for Old Men was, obviously, the big winner, with four Oscars. The Bourne Ultimatum cleaned up, too, with three. There Will Be Blood and La Vie en Rose, two each. Transformers? Zero. Sorry.

4. Gary Busey is a strange man.

5. Jon Stewart is a funny man.

6. If you take away the bad haircut, the cattle gun, the coin and the sawed-off, Javier Bardem is really a nice, handsome man who deserved to win and talks to his mom in their own secret code.

7. Sean Penn and über-model Petra Nemcova are an item, apparently. Or at least they want us to think so.

8. Best Actress Marion Cotillard will totally sing for you, if you bug her enough.

9. Tilda Swinton does look an awful lot like Eric Stoltz.

10. A little rain isn't enough to keep Donny Osmond away.

Want to know whose ass John Travolta can't stop grabbing at the Kodak? You might be surprised. I sure as hell know I was. Almost has shocked as Tilda Swinton was when I asked her about her famously infamous threesome love life backstage—more salacious deets in my column.

—Filed by Ted Casablanca

9:12 p.m.:  I get the first crack at the night's big winners: No Country for Old Men's Joel and Ethan Coen. Noting their success, I ask how Roderick Jaynes, their alter ego, was dealing with "his" loss in the editing category. "We haven't talked to him," says Ethan. "We know he's elderly and unhappy, so probably not well."

9:14 p.m:  "It's a good thing he's a writer," a nearby reporter cracks as Ethan, who wasn't all that chatty on the telecast, stumbles, stammers and finally gives up on answering a question.

9:16 p.m.:  Between them, the Coens won six Oscars tonight, covering their shared wins for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, and yet I don't see a single one on stage with them now. I guess they needed a third Coen brother to handle all the hardware.

9:20 p.m.:  Unlike virtually every other winner back here tonight, Best Supporting Actor champ Javier Bardem is not speaking in French. He's speaking in Spanish, which I studied for three years in high school. And then forgot.

9:23 p.m.:  Muy! Bardem just said muy! That means very.

9:24 p.m.:  I'm not going to lie, that'll be the extent of my translating work tonight. Unless Cotillard runs back in and shouts oui! In which case, I'll be happy to tell you that that means yes. (Don't mention it.)

9:25 p.m.:  "You know, I said some pretty good things there in Spanish," Bardem jokes when he at last fields a question in English.

9:27 p.m.:  Bardem is delivering quite a beautiful soliloquy about all the things he loved in his fellow nominees' performances. In case Casey Affleck is interested, his work was likened to a "piece of jewelry."

9:28 p.m.:  Bardem uses more humble imagery when it comes to his own achievement. "This is a lottery. I won," he says simply. "That doesn't mean I am better than the rest, that's for sure."

9:34 p.m.:  Best Actor winner Daniel Day-Lewis doesn't seem nearly as scary-intense as his There Will Be Blood character, so I feel safe in asking him whether he expects to be comped with milkshakes in the near future. "I'm very much looking forward to all the milkshakes I can drink for the next 25 years," the good sport says.

9:36 p.m.:  Another reporter asks the esteemed thespian, who doesn't strike one as an individual who spends a lot of time on YouTube, if he's aware of the "I drink your milkshake!" phenomenon. "I am completely aware of it," Day-Lewis says. "I think it's fantastic."

9:38 p.m.:  There's a simple reason Day-Lewis kissed George Clooney after he won. "George has been there for me," Day-Lewis says with a somewhat straight face, adding, "I had to kiss someone. I kissed my wife, and in the interest of parity, I kissed George."

And with that, I'm kissing the 2008 Oscars goodnight.

—Filed by Joal Ryan