News From The Oscars®

INSIDE EDITION reports from the Kodak theater in Hollywood where stars were sparkling on the red carpet.

Sandra Bullock said, "I'm so happy that we're here. It's just a good night."

Zac Efron said, "This carpet is just, it's a different feeling than anywhere else."

Penelope Cruz said, "You always get nervous."

Sandra Bullock was Oscar®'s golden girl. It was her first nomination and her first win for Best Actress. We spotted best actor winner Jeff Bridges making time for fans before taking his seat. His competition, George Clooney, joked about his chances for Oscar® gold.

George Clooney said, "I'm good, ready to lose!"

The Best Supporting Actor winner, Inglorious Basterds Christoph Waltz, was relishing his first Oscar® experience, saying, "It is infinitely more than I expected."

Helen Mirren said, "The Oscars® are so extraordinary, such a very special thing. I'm certainly not tired of it."

Steve Carell said he and his wife are, "Constantly pinching ourselves that any of this has happened."

Samuel L. Jackson said, "I like being here and I like seeing all my friends. Something we dreamed about when we were kids."

It was celebrity gridlock! Hollywood hunks, Ryan Reynolds and Avatar's Sam Worthington were locked in serious conversation. Best Actress nominee Gabourey Sidibe needed help through the crowd from a friend who carried her long train. It all took place under an elaborately constructed tent.

It was raining so hard before the awards, there was a sheet of water coming down just outside the entrance to the Kodak theater.

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are getting mostly rave reviews for their hosting duties. The Los Angeles Times says, "The two were, as expected, the best hosts the show has had in years." Ratings for the show were up 20 percent from last year.

Kathryn Bigelow made history as the first woman to win Best Director. Bigelow said in her acceptance speech, "This is the moment of a lifetime."

The Hurt Locker director won the much anticipated battle of the exes with her ex-husband, Avatar director James Cameron. But the two couldn't have been more friendly in the audience, with Cameron pretending to strangle his ex.

The drama about the war in Iraq also won the biggest award of the night, Best Picture. Star Jeremy Renner, who brought his mom instead of rumored girlfriend Jessica Simpson, told INSIDE EDITION about the spectacular rise of the small budget movie.

Renner said, "It makes it very sweet because we started in a very deep hole and this is the top of Everest for an artist, that I'm finding. And I couldn't be more blessed."

Another Cinderella story belongs to Sandra Bullock's co-star in The Blind Side, Quinton Aaron, who was about to lose his home before he was cast in the movie.

INSIDE EDITION's Jim Moret  asked Aaron, "It must be like a dream come true."

"It is definitely that, definitely that, a dream come true. This movie's been a blessing to me because without the movie I wouldn't be here, I'd probably be homeless," said Aaron.

Moret caught up with some of Hollywood's youngest stars popping up all over the red carpet.

Moret asked Zac Efron, "Tell me what it means to be here tonight?"

"It's a huge honor, this is a big deal," said Efron.

Winners were filmed backstage thanking everyone who they didn't name on stage. Jeff Bridges spoke for seven minutes!

"They told me I could go for as long as I want," said Bridges.

And Sandra Bullock took time to thank her neighbors, saying, "I want to thank my neighbors for giving me a snickerdoodle cake."

She also gave playful coaching to the winner of the best cinematography award who forgot to thank his wife.

There's a storm of controversy about the acceptance speech for Best Documentary Short, which is being called "Oscar®'s Kanye moment," a reference to Kanye West's obnoxious behavior at the MTV awards. The producer of the documentary cut off the director, who looked mortified as she spoke for the entire allotted time. It turns out that they're in the midst of a feud and don't speak to each other. Director Roger Ross Williams said, "She just ambushed me."

Jim Moret spoke to producer Elinor Burkett today in Los Angeles. Moret asked, "What would you say to Roger if he were here?"

Burkett replied, "Oh come on, grow up. The point of this is, can we focus on the film, not on ego?"

There's also controversy over the glaring absence of Hollywood legend Farrah Fawcett in that tribute to those in the film industry who died last year. All the big names were included; Patrick Swayze, Brittany Murphy, Michael Jackson, but no Farrah.

A spokesperson for the Academy® says, "Every year it's an unfortunate reality that we can't include everybody."