'The Artist' wins Best Picture Oscar
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- "The Artist," a low-budget, black-and-white valentine to cinema's silent era, was named Best Picture at the Oscars in Los Angeles Sunday night.
Moments earlier, the French movie's star, Jean Dujardin, collected the Best Actor statuette, exclaiming: "Thank you! I love your country!"
The Best Director trophy went to "The Artist" director Michel Hazanavicius.
"I have an Oscar," he declared. "I forgot my speech. I am the happiest director in the world right now. Thank you for that."
The film also scored the awards for Best Costume Design and Best Original Score
The absent Woody Allen won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for "Midnight in Paris," while Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash took home the prize for Best Adapted Screenplay for "The Descendants."
"We bow to our fellow nominees," Payne said. "We share this with George Clooney and the rest of the cast for interpreting our screenplay so generously. We also share it with, particularly, Kaui Hart Hemmings, a beautiful Hawaiian flower, for her novel."
Payne then dedicated his win to his mother, who was sitting in the audience.
"Thanks for letting me skip nursery school so we could go to the movies," he told her.
Meryl Streep won the Best Actress Oscar for her work in "The Iron Lady," Christopher Plummer picked up the Best Supporting Actor honor for his performance in "Beginners" and Octavia Spencer was presented with the Best Supporting Actress accolade for her turn in "The Help."
"Thank you, Academy, for putting me with the hottest guy in the room," Spencer joked, referring to her statuette.
She then expressed her gratitude to her loved ones, including her "'Help' family."
"Thank you, world," she said tearfully.
Arrest made in 'Amazing Race' producer's Uganda death
KAMPALA, Uganda, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Police arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly helping U.S. TV producer Jeff Rice buy the drugs that killed him in Kampala, Uganda, officials said.
Moses Kalanzi was arrested Friday and remained in custody at the Central Police Station, the Daily Monitor of Kampala said Monday.
"There was constant communication between the special hire driver and Rice on phone about the purchase of the drugs. So we want to know the source of the drugs and how it is trafficked into the country. He has recorded a statement and investigations are ongoing," a police source told the newspaper.
Rice, who owned his own production company and occasionally worked for American TV's "The Amazing Race," was found dead this month in a Kampala hotel room.
His assistant, Kathryne Fuller, was discovered unconscious with him and remained hospitalized.
Initial media reports suggested Rice and Fuller were poisoned by local thugs after they refused to give into their unspecified demands, but police have said there is no evidence of that and they believe the filmmakers suffered overdoses on cocaine, with Rice dying of asphyxiation as a result.
Cohen as 'Dictator' spills 'Jong's ashes' on Seacrest
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Sacha Baron Cohen, dressed as his despot character from "The Dictator," pretended to spill Kim Jong Il's ashes on Ryan Seacrest on Hollywood's Oscar red carpet.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the Oscars, initially said Cohen was invited to Sunday's event, but only as himself.
Telecast producer Brian Grazer finally relented and said Cohen could dress as the fictional Admiral General Shabazz on the red carpet.
The compromise was reached after Cohen used online video messages to secure permission to take part in Hollywood's biggest night of the year as the outrageous character from his upcoming film.
The New York Daily News said Seacrest, who covers entertainment for E! News, asked Cohen why he was carrying an urn with the late North Korean dictator's face etched on the side, prompting Cohen to reply in character, "It gave me the opportunity to bring my dear friend and double tennis partner Kim Jong Il."
Cohen then appeared to trip and cover Seacrest's tuxedo with the contents of the urn, the Daily News said.
"If someone asks what you are wearing, tell them Kim Jong Il," Cohen told Seacrest, referring to the ruler who died in December at age 69.
UsMagazine.com quoted Cohen as joking he himself was wearing John Galliano, the former Christian Dior designer fired after an anti-Semitic rant in a Paris cafe.
"The socks are from Kmart," Cohen said about his ensemble. "[executed former Iraqi leader] Saddam Hussein once said to me, 'Socks are socks, don't waste money!'"
Winfrey goes for laughs on Kimmel's Oscar special
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- U.S. media titan Oprah Winfrey was seen brawling with other members of the "Book Club Fight Club" in a comedic segment for Jimmy Kimmel's Oscar special.
The actress, producer and TV personality gamely took part in a pre-taped video in which Kimmel pitches her increasingly bad ideas for new shows for her Oprah Winfrey Network, including "The Jimmy and Oprah Interview," in which he and Winfrey could ask celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston questions at the same time and see how she reacts.
In another proposed program, "Oprah Repos Her Favorite Things," Winfrey, dressed in sweats and sunglasses, breaks the window of a car and drives off in it, yelling, "I've got a car!"
Winfrey was known for giving away lavish gifts, even cars, to the studio audience of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which wrapped its 25-year run last May.
Suggesting how he got Winfrey to participate, Kimmel is shown in other footage standing outside her bedroom window with a boom box over his head, just like John Cusack's persistent character does when he tries to win back his ex-girlfriend, played by Ione Skye, in the 1989 teen romance "Say Anything."
Kimmel's special aired on ABC after the 84th Academy Awards telecast.
The program also featured a faux film trailer for "Movie: The Movie," a preposterous Hollywood offering with cameos by George Clooney, Matt Damon, Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep, Gabourey Sidibe, Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bryan Cranston, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Kate Beckinsale, J.J. Abrams, Martin Scorsese, John Goodman and Chewbacca.
