JOHNNY WEIR, YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE: We may have to, yet again, close the books early on our annual Least Surprising News of the Year award, with today's shocking, shocking news that Sean Hayes is, in fact, gay.

IMMA LET YOU FINISH:Via Linda Holmes, Salon explains the "Kanye Moment" during last night's Best Documentary Short presentation--it's the product of a feud between the female producer and the producer/director and involves accusations of being tripped by a cane.

YO, TEACH: Mock Tony Danza all you want, but it's hard not to like him a little more after reading this Inq profile on how his teaching stint at Northeast High is going.

(My July 2009 item announcing this A&E reality project is here.)

A TWO-HOUR MEAT PARADE, A PUBLIC DISPLAY WITH CONTRIVED SUSPENSE FOR ECONOMIC REASONS ... OFFENSIVE, BARBAROUS AND INNATELY CORRUPT: Welcome to our annual Academy Awards liveblog ....

added, 12:18 am: Well, that was a night of firsts -- not only Bigelow's win (obviously), but the first-ever wins for African Americans in any screenwriting (Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire) or directing (Roger Ross Williams, best documentary short for Music by Prudence) category, though in the latter case I forget whether the award technically is for the film itself, its director or the producer -- and Williams was the latter two here.

As for the show itself, the hosts were adequate, and I'm a big fan of spending this much time on the nominated films and performances at the expense of the songs and minor categories. Just, please, axe the interpretive dance!

Our live chat remains archived below the fold. Thanks to so many of you for showing up -- we had a blast.

WHAT'S UP WITH THAT? in case you missed it, Zach Galifianakis' chin made a rare appearance in the final sketch of last night's SNL (and oddly, it, or a reasonable facsimile of the facial hair reappeared for the goodbyes and thank yous). Overall, the episode had a few highlights (the now impossible to resist WUWT? with guests Paul Rudd, Frank Rich and you know who, the bidet sketch, the monologue, and Zach Drops by the Set) and too many lowlights (the Obama opener, the kissing family, the Today Show). Still it was nice to see SNL hosted for once by an actual funny person. Next up is the always hi-larious Jude Law.

added.by.Adam: Here's the backstage video. See Zach shave!

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD: As a reminder, our annual Oscars liveblog starts at around 8:15 pm tonight. (The show itself starts at 8:30p.) Please join us for the festivities, the necrology, and all the insensitive polling and random snark that this community can muster.

added: Linda Holmes reviews the ten nominees for Best Picture.

BOWLING SPERM: Two reflections on last night's television viewing.

First: What a movie Grease 2 could have been had Adam Shankman been in a position to direct!

Second: Parenthood has some potential. Admittedly, the casting of both Peter Krause and Lauren Graham puts the show squarely in my sweet spot, so I am predisposed to give it a shot. The pilot is not troublefree: Graham's first few scenes have an odd flavor of her melancholy Adelaide about them, which made the whole thing kind of clunky, and I'm not sure at all that I buy her as a member of this particular family. (Maura Tierney would have fit into the family better, but talk about an actress with irresolvable melancholy . . .) I am also having trouble overcoming visions of Michael Douglas breaking down a door to reveal a strung-out Erika Christensen naked on a crackhouse bed every time the lawyer sister hits the screen. Oh, and I am bracing myself for the inevitable outcry concerning the show's depiction of Asperger's. But I loved the scene where Graham stormed out of the Chinese restaurant upon realizing what her sister thought her dating prospects were; Crosby's line about losing himself in sport provided some hope that the writers understand my need for catchy patter; and did I mention that Graham and Krause are involved?