10 Things You Don't Know About the Oscars: Part 1

Eric Charbonneau/WireImage.com, Nancy Kaszerman/ZUMAPress.com

Bruce Vilanch knows Oscar. Ellen DeGeneres' debut as the show's host marked Vilanch's 16th year as a writer for the Academy Awards. I spoke to him yesterday from his Hollywood home, where he said he was recovering from the big gig by laying in bed reading books and chomping on Bonbons.

Today, I give you the first half of "10 Things You Don't Know about the Oscars." Check back tomorrow to learn who has repeatedly turned down an offer to be an Oscar host, the one thing writers couldn't make funny and why there were no jokes about Britney Spears. 

10. Fashion Emergency
DeGeneres nixed Vilanch's idea to open the show in an evening gown. "I wanted her to come up from under the stage, posed in this Balenciaga creation all the way up to her neck, and it's just gorgeous," Vilanch says. "And then she moves her hand and...unhooks it and steps out of it—it's actually a sculpture. She's not really in a dress at all. She's in a tuxedo. But she didn't want to do a sneaky entrance. Steve Martin is her role model so she just wanted to be simple and elegant." 

9. Supreme Surprise
Diana Ross was invited to take part in the Dreamgirls medley. "But she didn't want to be on the show at all," Vilanch says. "I think she wanted to avoid a show that celebrated Dreamgirls." 

8. Three Amigos
Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas didn't rehearse their schtick for Best Director until a half hour before going on stage. "We went over it in the greenroom," Vilanch says. "It was wonderful watching them direct each other." 

7. The V Word
There was one word that got censored prior to the broadcast. Any guesses? It begins with a V, if that helps. "You couldn't say Volkswagen," Vilanch says. "So, any one of those Little Miss Sunshine references, you had to say minivan. Volkswagen probably wasn't a sponsor, and some other minivan was. I said, 'How about VW?' They said that couldn't go either!" 

6. Girls Gone Wild
Vilanch had hoped to get some young—albeit controversial—starlets on the show. When producer Laura Ziskin first proposed having best costumes showcased on real-life models, Vilanch suggested using Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and Tara Reid. "I said, 'Let's get all these girls—the ones you find throwing up in the gutter at Hyde and have them wear these outfits," Vilanch says. "They thought that was cheap. Then I thought maybe you have those four and then Jane Russell. Some fabulous sexpot from the old days who comes out as The Queen."

Okay, that's it for today. Come back tomorrow to get the top five...