Oscar Video Round-Up: Opener, Chartier, Hurt Locker Victory Laps, Parties, Fashion

There’s some juicy Oscar material out there about the most-watched show in five years. At the Governor’s Ball, where Sandra Bullock was among the nominees getting her Oscar engraved, exhausted producer Bill Mechanic said that he and Shankman had aimed for a more populist show. (Everyone got their own Oscars engraved except Jeff Bridges; notable no-shows were Tivi Magnusson, producer of short The New Tenants, and Sandy Powell, costume designer of Young Victoria.)

Check out the LAT’s panoramas and obligatory best-and-worst-dressed. Here’s the Oscar thank-you cam. And a party round-up. Gawker explains ten Oscar mysteries.

Here’s the Neil Patrick Harris opener—and yes, he’d make a fine Oscar host. While I had no problem with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, and loved the George Clooney staring contests and Paranormal Activity sketch, I’d vote for the next Oscar host to be Ben Stiller, who killed at both the Indie Spirits and the Oscars. He gets it. While I dug the horror tribute, Shankman’s dance number with the film scores was a total snooze.