Mike Marsland/WireImageHow can Jennifer Lawrence bring both her parents as dates to the Oscars? Aren't tickets too rare to give one person two guests?
—Scotland, via Twitter
It's a good question, given that the Dolby Theater seats only 3,300. But here's an open secret about the Oscars: Studios always "overask" for tickets for their nominees. It's like a negotiation. And at some point the two parties meet somewhere in the middle.
"We had one nominee who requested 11 tickets and got six," a studio source told Variety a few years ago, "and another who asked for eight and got six. But one time, someone asked for six and got six."
Suddenly, two guests for a single nominee doesn't sound all that bad, now, does it?
I've been fielding bunches of Oscar questions from you all. Let's conquer some more!
How much do tickets to the Oscars cost? Can anyone get a ticket if they wait long enough?
—Old Friend, via Twitter
Put it this way: Even Academy members routinely get shut out of their own party. That's right: The very people who put together the Oscars often cannot go, so small is the Dolby Theater. So every year, there's a lottery. And lucky Academy members get to pony up several hundred dollars for the honor of rubbing shoulders with nominees.
How many Spanx will be used on the red carpet? Seems like every star wears 'em.
—Emily, via Twitter
Spanx tells me that 300 of their body-shaping wonders were sent out just for Oscar and Oscar party attendees this year.
How many limos get crushed together during the Oscars? I can't imagine Angelina Jolie in a traffic jam.
—Dr. P., via Twitter
Oh, imagine it. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation has a special office dedicated solely to traffic for large-scale events, like the Oscars. A spokesman for that office tells me, "We expect approximately 800 vehicles to arrive at the red carpet--limos and private vehicles."
The wait time?
"It can range from 20 minutes to an hour depending on when they arrive."
That's right. When you're watching the Oscars on Sunday, imagine the fabulous Daniel Day-Lewis or Anne Hathaway...sitting in a limo...and sitting. And sitting.