Oscars - 10 Things You Don't Know

8 months ago 27th Feb 21:02

There aren’t many people who know what really goes on backstage at the Oscars. Bruce Vilanch is one of those few. The funnyman has been a writer for 19 Academy Awards.

And talk about a rush job. "Last week was nuts, because I was in Las Vegas until Thursday doing Bette Midler shows, because I really thought that the Oscars would be postponed a month to the old date at the end of March," Vilanch says. "But I was wrong. So, I had many balls in the air. I came in from Vegas and sort of like plummeted into it."

But now he has some time to sit back and relax. I got the chance to catch up with Vilanch earlier today to give you my second annual list of 10 Things You Don’t Know About the Oscars.

10. No Country for New Jokes:

The strike prevented Jon Stewart and his team from creating more elaborate hijinks. "They had a film piece, but it involved Javier Bardem, and he wasn’t available," Vilanch says. "They just couldn’t put it together in two weeks. That’s what happens when my guild strikes."

9. The Write Stuff:

More than a dozen writers worked on the show. "There were four of us on the West Coast, and John had his squadron of 10 or 12 who came out from New York," Vilanch says.

8. America's Most Wanted Jon:

Stewart’s debut as Oscar host in 2006 may have gotten less than stellar reviews and ratings, but no matter. "I always thought they'd ask him back," Vilanch says. "I thought he was nervous...but I think he did fine."

7. Moore Not Less:

Vilanch says he and the rest of the writing crew were disappointed that Michael Moore didn’t win Best Documentary for Sicko. "We were counting on him to come up and do something incendiary," he says. "It would not only liven up the show, but it would also be something we could use as fuel for the rest of the evening."

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