7 Smart Things to Say at Your Oscar Party

Billy Crystal brings the same old stuff

(NEWSER) - Last night's Oscars, like its Best Picture, was a throwback to a different time in film history. And though the show may have topped last year's Anne Hathaway-James Franco fiasco, it was boring and tired throughout:

• "The whole night looked like an AARP pep rally," writes Alessandra Stanley in the New York Times . "For a town that prides itself on tinsel and titillation, the night was pretty tame." "It all looked very familiar," but that "is perhaps necessary when so few of the nominated films are."

Oscars night opens with a funny montage, followed by song

(NEWSER) - The Oscars ceremony has much to prove tonight ... like will the masses tune in to see a blockbuster-free field, and will Billy Crystal draw any laughs at his ninth go-round? The opening montage was pretty hilarious, complete with a George Clooney-on-Crystal kiss, a Justin Bieber appearance (to help you get the 18- to 24-year-old demo, the singer explained to the host), and an amazing segue from The Help's poo pie into Bridesmaid's infamous bathroom scene. Then, the best of the on-stage jokes: More»

Familiar face tweets that he's replacing Eddie Murphy

(NEWSER) - Who else? Billy Crystal will be the new Oscars host. Crystal himself tweeted the news in joke form, notes the Huffington Post : "Am doing the Oscars so the young woman in the pharmacy will stop asking my name when I pick up my prescriptions," he wrote . "Looking forward to the show." Two sources confirm to the Los Angeles Times that Crystal will indeed be hosting for the ninth time. The move comes after Brett Ratner was ousted as producer, Eddie Murphy stepped down as host, and Brian Grazer replaced Ratner . More»

Best Actress winner donates $10K to struggling Central Falls school

(NEWSER) - Meryl Streep's Best Actress win over Viola Davis was the big upset of the Oscars; even Streep herself seemed surprised, calling the whole process "a crapshoot." But now she's making it up to Davis—in a big way. Streep donated $10,000 to a struggling school in Rhode Island in Davis' honor, Reuters reports. Davis has been championing the bankrupt Central Falls, Rhode Island , where she grew up, inspiring Streep to send a check to the Segue Institute for Learning, a charter school in town facing the loss of its building. Click for more on Central Falls' woes . More»

Angelina gam busting out all over Internet

(NEWSER) - No one can quite shake the image of Angelina Jolie obsessively flashing her toned right leg from the slit up her dress at the Oscars. So what to do? Turn to the new "leg bombing" meme that's a runaway hit with Internet fans. The burgeoning meme has Angelina's leg handing (booting?) an Oscar to a winner, attached to Napoleon and Mahatma Gandhi, being raised at Iwo Jima by soldiers, and sticking out of a lamb carcass being hoisted by Meryl Streep playing Julia Child. Check out lots of variations at Pinterest here or the Sun to get a thighful—or follow AngiesRightLeg with 32,000 others on Twitter ("I just can't get enough of myself," gushes the gam.). More»