•  Anne Thompson was at the Governor's Ball, and she has a thing or two to say about it. (Lucky!) [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  Jeffrey Wells has 11 observations on the night's festivities, including some stage coaching for the Coens, a cheers to Colin Farrell for supposedly urging producers to let Marekta Irglova speak, and some fashion criticism for Jon Stewart. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  Even though it was a tight, swift show, apparently no one watched.  Maybe it has something to do with the vast unpopularity of the nominees? [The Hollywood Reporter]

•  Sasha Stone sticks it to the jerks who can't help themselves but continue to give Diablo Cody hell. [Awards Daily]

•  David Carr rounds up the show and the Ball. [The Carpetbagger]

•  Tom O'Neil rounds up the critics' reactions to the show, which was apparently "a bore and a sporadic thrill."  Uh, ok. [Gold Derby]

•  David Poland spoitballs reactions to the festivities. [The Hot Blog]

•  New York Magazine wraps up its coverage with some Jon Stewart talk. [Vulture]

•  David Edelstein, meanwhile, has some reactions as well (he dug the decision to bring Irglova back as well). [The Projectionist]

•  Pete Hammond writes up what is becoming the most over-done talking point of the past 12 hours: the international love fest that was the Oscars. [The Envelope]

•  David Halbfinger files for the Gray Lady. [New York Times]

•  And Erik Davis thinks the performance of "Falling Slowly" was the night's best moment. [Cinematical]

Alright, during the first commercial break, the testosterone section here at Poinsettia and Sunset talked Jon Stewart's on-the-mark opening monologue and costume design, of all things.  The guys thought "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" deserved the win, though I might be a little torn.  The threads in "Sweeney Todd" were quite amazing, I thought.  But the first award of the night is out of the way, and here's what we had to say about it.

•  Anne Thompson reports on last night's Miramax shindig before offering up her last minute guesses for tonight's awards. [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  David Carr was there, too, adding his unique spin on things. [The Carpetbagger]

•  Jeffrey Wells isn't too keen on "Juno" winning big at last night's IndieSpirits, but he sure did get low and close for a nice Ellen Page shot. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  Sasha Stone writes up her final "State of the Race" column, with predictions to boot. [Awards Daily]

•  Regarding predictions, by the way, yours truly is on the record. [In Contention]

•  Mary McNamara writes a "Dear JON" letter to Oscar host Jon Stewart. [The Envelope]

•  Tom O'Neil speculates about what this "special award" might be that Nicole Kidman is set to present this evening. [Gold Derby]

•  David Poland iphones it in fromthe Indie Spirits. [The Hot Blog]

•  Last minute snarkiness from The Reeler.  But at least it's a shade of different. [Little Gold Men]

•  Nathaniel Rogers writes up the Best Actress race one last time. [The Film Experience]

•  A.O. Scott finalizes the year by poo-pooing the Oscars, admits he wishies the strike had shut down the show.  No rhyme or reason, just Gray Lady distaste and snobbery. [New York Times]

•  "Into the Wild" camera operator Jacques Jouffret wins big at the SOC (Society of Capera Operators) Awards. [Variety]

•  Andrew O'Hehir wades into the Oscar season with a dense consideration of the rift between the Academy and movie-going audiences, perceived or otherwise. [Salon]

•  Sasha Stone checks in with the bookies. [Awards Daily]

•  "For this...," "For that..."  Anyway, Scott Rudin chats it up with Patrick Goldtein. [The Envelope]

•  Tom O'Neil wonders how Jon Stewart will fare in his sophomore attempt at hosting the Oscar bash. [Gold Derby]

•  The Oscars as mobile art?  Are we losing our minds? [The Carpetbagger]

•  Anthony Breznican sits down with composer and Oscar first-timer Michel Giacchino. [USA Today]

•  If you're itchin' to be the best, enter MCN's Oscar prediction contest for a shot at the entire Stanley Kubrick collection on DVD. [Movie City News]

•  T.L. Stanley ventures some predictions of her own. [Gold Rush]

•  Meanwhile, here's a cute set of predictions from "Jose the cab driver." [Cinematical]