"oscars" news and stories

Could there be a new Oscars Diet in the works? Seems most of the nominees were on an egg kick to get them through the big night, according to Entertainment Tonight. Before Best Supporting Actress winner Melissa Leo dropped the F-bomb at last night's Academy Awards ceremony, she told ET that she'd chowed down on some "soft-boiled eggs and rye toast."

She wasn't alone. Seems that many stars went with brunch-like meals before the ceremony, which started at 5:30 p.m. Los Angeles time. Leo's fellow Fighter nominee Amy Adams forgot the yolks and went with egg whites and tomato, for "protein and vitamin C," and Wolverine Hugh Jackman noshed on a 12-egg-white omelet (along with steak and chicken). X-Men, we guess, require more protein than the average Joe. But Wolvie, watch the cholesterol.

Not every star was on the "Incredible, Edible Egg" plan. The winner of the "I Eat Like a Teenager, Dammit" category, was True Grit star, 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld, who told ET she had a burger and pizza. Yep, only someone under 18 wouldn't bat an eye about lumping the two together.

Care for a Black Swan Cosmo or a True Grit Martini? Umm....we'll pass. Around this time every year, bars and restaurants create some pretty corny Oscar-inspired cocktails. Rather than trying to invent a drink based -- we shudder to think -- on 127 Hours, we've come up with a list of classics and modern classics that honor Hollywood's golden age. Mix one up this Sunday during the Academy Awards ceremony and you'll have fun no matter who wins.

No, you're not seeing things. That poster really does say "Toy Nachos 3," and yes, Woody and Buzz are clutching cheese-covered tortilla chips. The nacho-obsessed minds behind Nachos NY have redone all 10 of this year's Oscar-nominated film posters with cheeky new titles and nacho-themed art. "True Grit" has become "True Nachos," and "The King's Speech" is now (of course) "The King's Nachos." Our hands-down favorite is "Black Swan Nachos" -- converting Natalie Portman's eyes into firey jalapenos was a stroke of genius.

Check out the Nacho-ed movie posters at NachosNY.com.

It's not often that midwestern farmers speak out against a motion picture, but the movie Food Inc. may have hit a bit too close to home. Inspired by the blockbuster books The Omnivore's Dilemma and Fast Food Nation, the movie's criticism -- that industrialized crops are detrimental both to our bodies and the environment -- centers on corn. Hollywood has expressed its de facto support by nominating the film for Best Documentary; now the corn industry is responding. Loudly.

Bob Dickey, a farmer in Laurel, Nebraska, doesn't usually comment on the Academy's voting process, but as the chairman of the National Corn Growers Association, he has something to say. "U.S. corn farmers are proud of their work," he insisted in an official NCGA response to Food Inc. "This film's producers don't like the steps government, the food industry and commodity groups like NCGA have taken to keep food prices low and help feed the world's hungry. We have the least expensive food of any nation, and for that we're grateful."

Oh, the glamor of it all -- painted-on eyebrows, slicked-back hair, ruby-red lips...and tiny little cocktail glasses. Stars and starlets of long ago often included a cocktail in hand as part of their sex appeal onscreen.

In 1930, gorgeous Greta Garbo spoke this famous line: "Gimme a whiskey. Ginger ale on the side. And don't be stingy, baby." We love the fact that one of the first talkie films mentions the makings of a whiskey highball.

Sipping Champagne is made even more fun when you dip a potato chip in it. (Thanks, Ms. Monroe, for that suggestion in The Seven Year Itch). However, we prefer a sugar cube and some bitters and maybe some brandy in our bubbly. In the 1942 flick Casablanca, head waiter Carl serves up more than one Champagne cocktail in Rick Blaine's Café Americain bar. We can't ensure that those cocktails won the film's three Oscars, but they sure didn't hurt any.