Despite the New York Times calling his work "disarming" and director Joel Schumacher saying he was "smart" and "too good to believe," recently deceased young actor Brad Renfro went unhonored in last night's annual Academy Awards "In Memoriam" montage.

Asked about Renfro's absence, the Academy issued a statement saying, "It is simply not possible to include everyone in that segment." Of course, they did find time to highlight 98 other dead entertainment industry veterans and make some bullshit Norbit jokes.

And people wonder why young stars are so fucked up.

STRIKE TWO? "…the big disappointment, and I hate to say it, was [Jon] Stewart. When he last hosted in 2006, he made a great anti-host for the Oscars, slipping in bits and remarks that sent up the conventions of the awards show itself, making him an ally of the TV audience rather than a sycophant to the stars. This time, he was just an Oscar host–sometimes a funny one, but a pretty conventional one, whose routine was loaded up with kiss-up softballs about how hot Colin Farrell is, what range Cate Blanchett has and what a tomcat Jack Nicholson is. (Not to be morbid, but how will they even have an Oscars when hosts can no longer make Jack Nicholson jokes?)"

The chickens have come home to roost in the coop built by the American film industry's socially liberal politics. All four Oscars honoring acting went to foreigners last night: Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton, Daniel Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard—a Spaniard, a Brit, an Irishman and a Frenchie, respectively. Whaddya think about border security now, Sean Penn, ya pinko?

We hear word that some oddly popular event happened last night in Los Angeles. We're not really sure what it was all about, but we've got pictures of some of the self-congratulatory, insular men and women in attendance after the jump.

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Remember those million dollar shoes we showed you Friday? Well, the price tag came as a shock to Juno writer Diablo Cody, who took to her MySpace page to clear the air:

I must have somehow missed the part where my shoes cost a MILLION F**KING DOLLARS and my 'choice' of footwear would be publicized nationwide. I honestly thought they were just sparkly shoes.

I'm flattered that they picked me (surprise!) to wear the Pimp Shooz… [but] I'm actually really p**sed about this… They're using me to publicize their stupid shoes and NOBODY ASKED ME. I would never consent to a lame publicity stunt at a time when I already want to hide.

Diablo sported gold ballet flats on the red carpet before her big Oscar win for best original screenplay. We tend to agree that the thought of spending a million dollars to craft a pair of shoes seems ridiculous, but this whole thing just reeks of "publicity stunt."

[Source]

Forget the awards ceremony; the best Oscar action happened last night at E!'s coverage of the red carpet. Watch as Jennifer Garner and Laura Linney treat crazy Gary Busey like a deranged homeless man and Ryan Seacrest completely loses it.

We recommend a root canal performed with spoons in place of watching the Oscars tonight. It's less time consuming, and when the whole thing's done you won't be left with the empty feeling that comes after watching a room full of people rich with your money tell each other how great they are. But, if you're a masochist and you're going to check them out, don't do it unprepared.

After the jump, a handy shed-ule letting you know what time each award is being given. (Holy shit, is it ever long!) Use it to plan your pee breaks for when the design nerds are thanking their muses.

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Guess the price tag on this pair of shoes.

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• You will? [Jossip]

• Lindsay Lohan's breasts as art? [DListed]

• Javier Bardem doesn't seem too excited about his impending Oscar. [PS]

• What does Hilary Duff do these days? [HT]

• "A Joker action figure modeled after Heath Ledger’s character in The Dark Knight is going to be released. There are two versions…one with a rocket launcher and another with a knife." [INO]

• How can a premiere happen so many times? [ICYDK]

• Here are some homes much too large for the people inhabiting them. Suck it, homeless situation. [CityRag]

In one of the best ideas ever, Paris Hilton has been banned from the Oscars. Apparently she is "desperate to be taken seriously as an actress and hoped she would be able to network with the film bods," according to a source. Oh, so that's what she was doing in that martini glass. "Networking."

[Source]

Garnerer of minority children and part-time actress Angelina Jolie has lost her Oscar award, says OK! magazine. The trophy, which Jolie won for her role in 1999's Girl, Interrupted, has been missing since last year, though apparently to little worry.

"Angie doesn’t care about awards. Sure, it’s a great honour to win an Oscar, but Angie thinks herself as more of a humanitarian and mother than an actor," a source [said]…

Angelina is as postmodern as hell!

Related: Everyone in Hollywood is sooooooo excited that the strike is ending in time for the Oscars to happen. Because, clearly, very important.

SCHMOSCARS LOSING FRIENDS Vanity Fair announced yesterday that it would not hold its annual Academy Award party…[Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon] Carter told The New York Times, 'A magazine like Vanity Fair is a group of writers and artists, and we are in solidarity with the writers and artists out there. Whether the strike is over or not, there are a lot of bruised feelings. I don't think it's appropriate for a big magazine from the East to come in and pretend nothing happened.'"

Our brilliant toppling Oscar image, of which we are very proud, might prove to be incongruous with reality, as reports surface of an impending end to the WGA strike.

Informal talks between representatives of Hollywood’s striking writers and production companies have eliminated the major roadblocks to a new contract, which could lead to a tentative agreement as early as next week…

Nothing's set in stone, but a deal this week would mean the Feb 24 Oscar ceremony would go off without a hitch, or a picket. The event's planners would be ecstatic, and what better way for Hollywood to heal its wounds than with that too-long, glittery masturbation session?

If the WGA strike remains unresolved on February 24, the date of the Oscars, event host Jon Stewart reportedly has said he will not attend the ceremony. If that is indeed the case, this year's Academy Awards ceremony is set to be a hostless, actorless ("I just hope that the actors are there — I pray that the actors are there") affair consisting of many "old clips of past shows." Working in the Academy's favor is that this sounds only slightly less boring than normal.

HATERS We said it weeks ago. Twice. Others are starting to catch up: "…frankly, I don’t want to see Juno within a thousand feet of the Kodak Theater. I want her and her twee champions stopped at the metal detector. I want her turned away for being underdressed. I want her Toyota Previa to run out of gas on the 405. I want Blood’s Daniel Plainview to barge into Ellen Page’s pre-Oscar interview with Barbara Walters and bellow: 'I drink your Sunny D! I drink it up! Slurrrrrrrrrp!'…'If There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men split the smart-person vote, and Juno actually wins, I will understand, even better than I do now, how the Unabomber felt in his cabin all those years.'"

Representatives for the WGA and the major film studios met for a second consecutive day yesterday, sparking rumors that the talks, intended to end the three-month writers strike, have been productive. Um, great, we guess.

Listen, not that we're not excited to see more 30 Rock, but is there any way we can keep this thing going until after the Oscars?

The 2008 Oscar nominations were announced this morning despite the strong possibility that the show will not go on due to the continuing Writer's Guild strike. After the jump, the nominees, only some of whom will be disappointed when their Oscar win doesn't include an opportunity to publicly thank God and their manager.

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STRIKE OUT THE OSCARS…MAYBE "…Writers Guild of America West president Patric Verrone reiterated Tuesday that he does not anticipate granting the Academy Awards a waiver unless the striking writers and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reach a deal…Without a waiver, it remains to be seen whether the Screen Actors Guild membership would skip the Oscars as it did for the Globes…The WGA already turned down a request to use clips for the Academy Awards…"