YouTube removed those priceless moments of the Oscar show, at the request of the Academy, even though Ellen's opening monologue and Will Farrell's musical interlude were some of the most-viewed clips. Oscar.com had brief snippets of the musical numbers and the opening monologue. Copyright issues, rather than competition, are the Academy's reasons for strong-arming YouTube.

Variety's On The Town live-blogged the Oscars from the press room:

10:09 Scott Rosenberg is a menace to society. His fawning, self-referential questions cause the NYT's David Halbfinger's head to pitch forward, nearly deleting his story.

Kelsey Grammer is moving his producing deal to 20th after 15 years at Paramount. He brings "an eclectic range of projects" with him, whatever that means.

Dreamworks Animation did indeed drop a steamer on Flushed Away, with $21.3 million fourth quarter loss. Shrek the Third is supposed to rescue DWA, and next year brings a sequel to Madagascar and Jack Black in Kung Fu Panda. Lather, rinse, repeat.