Pharrell's shorts, Travolta's gibberish and, of course, that selfie: Oscar burning questions answered

The 2014 Academy Awards had Ellen DeGeneres in charge, Jared Leto's ombre locks on display, and a pizza guy delivering slices to the front row. And as always, a few questions remained after the last envelope was torn open.

Shorts at the Oscars?At the Golden Globes, Pharrell Williams made headlines with his enormousSmokey Bear-style hat, which recently sold for $44,000 in an eBay charity auction. On Sunday, he again stirred up fashion buzz by wearing black shorts with his tuxedo. Oscar night has a strict dress code — women aren't even permitted to wear sneakers under their long dresses. So was Williams allowed to go that casual? An Academy librarian told TODAY, "His pants were short, but it was still a formal look. It was a fashion statement, it seems." Later on, for his performance of best song nominee "Happy," he put on full-length pants and another big ol' hat.

Who was the guy next to Bradley Cooper in Ellen's epic Oscar selfie?
Oscar's most recognizable image this year turned out to be a selfie orchestrated by DeGeneres right around the mid-show mark. The photo's cast was about as A-list as it gets — there's Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Kevin Spacey, Jared Leto, Channing Tatum and Bradley Cooper — until you get to the dapper man on the far right — yeah, that guy blocking Angelina Jolie. That's no party crasher; turns out he's Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o's brother Peter Nyong'o, Jr. , who she called her "best friend" during her best supporting actress speech. 

If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscarspic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014

In case you were wondering, the star-studded selfie is now the most re-tweeted photo of all time, surpassing the "Four more years" photo Barack Obama sent out after winning re-election. 

And while DeGeneres took the image with what appears to be a Samsung phone (Samsung was a sponsor of the show), sharp-eyed cell-phone watchers noted the host switched to an iPhone for backstage tweeting.

Minutes after promoting Samsung on the #Oscars stage, Ellen returns to her iPhone. Incredible. pic.twitter.com/LVsD2YIoXj

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) March 3, 2014

Was that a real pizza guy?Midway through the show, a pizza deliveryman walked out on stage and presented DeGeneres with boxes of pizza from Big Mama & Papa’s Pizzeria, a small chain in the Los Angeles area that’s a favorite of DeGeneres’ talk show. He was no actor, but a real employee of the restaurant. The shop is known for its Giant Sicilian, which is cut into 200 square slices and serves 50-70 people, although the pizzas delivered onstage were of normal size.

Audrey Hepburn returns from the dead to sell chocolate?Oscar fans may have been startled to see beloved icon Audrey Hepburn appear in an ad for Dove chocolate. The ad's production company scanned a photograph of a Hepburn lookalike to create a template, but then built a 3D model of the actress using old footage. The result is stunningly, obviously Hepburn, but it disturbed some fans who felt the star shouldn't be appearing in ads she never posed for. It also generated comments on Twitter, including one particularly funny one from Will Arnett:

I think it's cool that Audrey Hepburn's ghost likes chocolate

— Will Arnett™ (@arnettwill) March 3, 2014

Did John Travolta botch Idina Menzel's name?The Broadway belter behind "Frozen's" Oscar-winnning best original song, "Let it Go" is a powerhouse singer (and occasional "Glee" actress) but her name wasn't very familiar to John Travolta, it appeared. The actor did just fine introducing her, until he stumbled on her actual name. What did he say? It sounded like "Adela Dazeem" to one person's ears, and that wit immediately set up a fake Twitter account for the name. 

THANK YOU, JORN TROMOLTO!

— Adela Dazeem (@AdelaDazeem) March 3, 2014

Naturally, Twitter fans had plenty to say on the subject.

John Travolta just introduced gibberish. #Oscars

— Mike Birbiglia (@birbigs) March 3, 2014

"And now, here to sing 'Let It Go'...Aidianana Mezendeldezel" - John Travolta

— Josh (@RadioTFB) March 3, 2014

Who was Ryder Buck, and why was he called the "guardian angel" of "Frozen"?
"Frozen" co-director Chris Buck acknowledged his son, Ryder Buck, with a mention and look skyward at the end of his acceptance speech for best animated feature. The 23-year-old Buck, a young musician was in the news in October 2013 when, just a few days after completing chemotherapy treatments, he was killed on a Los Angeles freeway as he attempted to cross the road. 

Some quick final hits...Google reported that during the Oscars, fans had some other questions they were asking the search engine: Who presented with Matthew McConaughey? Answer: Actress Kim Novak, best known for her appearance in 1958's "Vertigo." Who is Jennifer Lawrence dating? Answer: Reports indicate she's seeing actor Nicholas Hoult (the "boy" from the 2002 film version of "About a Boy"). And when is Kerry Washington's baby due? Answer: Rumor has it that she'll give birth in the spring, but no exact due date has been shared.

Backstage at the Oscars: Pitt, Leto, Blanchett and others talk partying, pjs and dog poop

The Academy Award winners had more to say than just the thank yous and musings they shared from the stage on Sunday night. Behind the scenes, those with Oscars in hand talked more about what it meant to win — as well as how they prepped for the big day and how they'd be partying into the next one.

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Brad Pitt and Steve McQueen.

Brad Pitt and Steve McQueen, best picture, '12 Years a Slave'

• McQueen, on what inspired his onstage jump (at the end of his acceptance speech): "You saw the jump; I'm so ecstatic for us all. It's not a dream, it's a reality. Van Halen — JUMP!"
• Pitt, on what he did to prepare for Oscar day: "I had to clean up dog poop today. In my bedroom."
• Pitt, on developing and working on the movie: "I love this movie. As a lover of film, this heroic story, it's counterintuitive to the way films are made today. ... It’s important we understand our history not for any kind of guilt but so we can understand who we were and better understand who we are now ... and most importantly understand who we’re gonna be."
• McQueen, on the current relevance of '12 Years': "The background characters are now in the foreground. It’s indicative of what’s going on now. ... I think people are ready for this narrative. Before it was, of course, quite painful. People want to look at it, embrace it. Like Brad said, if we don’t know our past, we’ll never know our future." 

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Matthew McConaughey.

Matthew McConaughey, best actor, 'Dallas Buyers Club'

• How it feels to hold an Oscar: "It feels, I’m not gonna say surreal. I did not expect it. ... I’m standing here now — I got a prize for excellence for work I do. It’s not my job, it’s not my fad, it’s not my hobby, it’s my career. That’s a very special thing."
• What is it like to be behind the scenes of the 'McConnaissance'? "Someone first said that to me at Sundance. I don’t know what that is but it sounds good."

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Cate Blanchett.

Cate Blanchett, best actress, 'Blue Jasmine'

• On being the first Australian two-time acting winner: "Don't you (expletive) forget it!"
• You were the front-runner all season, does that add more pressure? "YES! An intense, unbearable pressure which I’m so glad it’s over."
• What's the post-Oscars plan? "Putting on my pajamas, going dancing. Maybe it's easier dancing in your pajamas."

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Jared Leto.

Jared Leto, best supporting actor, 'Dallas Buyers Club'

• Why he talked about his mom so much: "She has inspired me in ways that I can talk about for days, so I was really proud to bring my mom tonight, to bring my brother tonight — the two most important people in my life. And to be able to thank them in such a unique and grand way."
• When did he realize he could be an Oscar winner? "Never in a million years did I dream I would be here talking to you. It was not even a fantasy of mine. It was so far-fetched."
• How will he celebrate? "Celebrating to the break of dawn, trust me. Look me in the eyes and see that I will revel tonight. If they only knew what was gonna happen tonight ... the stories we will have to tell."

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Lupita Nyong'o.

Lupita Nyong'o, best supporting actress, '12 Years a Slave'

• Did you ever dream this big? "No. No. No. I’m a little dazed, can’t believe this is in my hands. I can’t believe this is real life. I’m just, ugh, I don’t know. I’m really overwhelmed."
• You've been the It Girl on this Oscars journey, what are you going to take with you from this journey and what do you understand now about the human spirit? "I don’t know whether I can answer that question. What I will say is that what I've learned is I don’t have to be anybody else and myself is good enough. And when I am true to myself, I can avail myself to extraordinary things."
• You are always so humble and poised, where do you get that from? "I have phenomenal parents. My father is famous in his own right. He’s done amazing things for our country, Kenya. And my mother is a trailblazer and a pioneer. To watch those two people do so much for everyone, to have the humility to serve. Their example ... at the end of the day, I feel my deeds are more important than my fame."

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Alfonso Cuaron.

Alfonso Cuaron, best director, 'Gravity'

• How does it feel having two Oscars in hand right now? "Balanced!"
• On how he doesn’t think enough praise went to Sandra Bullock for her performance: "Under the conditions she was performing, the relationship we had as actor/director was as if we were sitting in a dinner table. There were no obstacles around all the physicality, the strain, the complicated amount of cues and the make believe that was required on her part. She had to serve absolutely everything. Sandra’s amazing."

Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho, best animated feature film, 'Frozen'

• Jennifer Lee, on the biggest reward from 'Frozen's' success and its message about true love: "People are relating to the characters from any part of the world and all types of families, and that’s been huge for us. We love all the interpretations of our characters. That’s the greatest thing you could do as a filmmaker."

Paul Buck / EPA

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

Robert Lopez, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, best original song, 'Let it Go'

• Robert, on the inspiration behind the song: "We thought of our girls. We have two girls just like Elsa and Anna, and we wanted to instill in them that shame and fear should not prevent them from being the magical people they really are."

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

John Ridley.

John Ridley, best adapted screenplay, '12 Years a Slave'

• What do you think of the fact that Solomon Northup's book is now a bestseller and it’s on school curricula? "I want to be very clear about something. Before I started this project I didn’t know Solomon’s name, I don’t know his story or anything about his life. The fact that it’s out there in the public domain and people choose to pay their money, that means the world to me. Our hope and desire was to entertain, but if you can inspire people, I think about the movies and stories that inspired me, that is so special. It makes a difference when people choose with their pocketbooks."

Jordan Strauss / AP

Spike Jonze.

Spike Jonze, best original screenplay, 'Her'

• On normally being known as a director, and now being a writer: "I don’t think I could have written a screenplay when I was younger. I think it took me a long time to learn how to write. Now, I feel like I’m ready to write what’s in my heart and what I have to say. That’s what this chapter of my life is gonna be."
• On what he was trying to do with the movie: "I wanted to use the future as a heightened version of the world we live in now; we don't get lost but there's loneliness."

Morgan Neville, best documentary feature, 'Twenty Feet From Stardom'

• On the fact that backup singer Darlene Love broke into song accepting the award: "They sing all the time. That’s how they express joy. I just had the biggest goosebumps."

Golden night at Oscars for '12 Years a Slave,' McConaughey and Blanchett

Unflinching slavery drama "12 Years a Slave" took home the Oscar for best picture at Sunday's Academy Awards, and its star Lupita Nyong'o added to the film's trophy case by claiming the best supporting actress award.

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Best actor winner Matthew McConaughey, best actress winner Cate Blanchett, best supporting actress winner Lupita Nyong'o and best supporting actor winner Jared Leto pose with their Oscars.

"Everyone deserves not just to survive, but to live," director Steve McQueen said when accepting the award. "I dedicate this award to all the people who have endured slavery and the 21 million that still suffer slavery today." 

London-born McQueen is the first black director to take home a best-picture award.

In a teary, heartfelt speech, Nyong'o saluted her enslaved character, Patsey, and Solomon Northup, the free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841, and wrote the memoir upon which the film is based. The film also won the best adapted screenplay award.

Fans of Matthew McConaughey are feeling "alright, alright" after the actor proved the road to "McConaissance" is indeed paved in Oscar gold when he won the best lead actor award for "Dallas Buyers Club," in which he plays Texan Ron Woodroof, who smuggled unapproved drugs into the United States to fight AIDS.

McConaughey, who was at one time known for his turn in rom-coms, showed off some of his charm when he gave a nod to his late father, telling the audience he envisioned him dancing around in heaven with a pot of gumbo, a lemon-meringue pie, and a cold can of Miller Lite. Naturally, he closed out his speech and a stellar awards season with his iconic line from 1993’s “Dazed and Confused,” shouting “alright alright alright."

LUCY NICHOLSON / Reuters

Matthew McConaughey won the best actor Oscar for "Dallas Buyers Club."

McConaughey's “Dallas Buyers Club” co-star Jared Leto won the best supporting actor award for playing transgender Texan Rayon.

"This is for the 36 million people who have lost the battle to AIDS," Leto said in his acceptance speech. "To those of you who have felt injustice because of who you love and who you are, I stand here with you and for you." 

But it wasn't all serious talk for Leto, who also mentioned the conflict in Ukraine during his speech. Before even winning his award, host Ellen DeGeneres joked that he was the "most beautiful" person at the ceremony (with his enviable ombre highlights and crisp tux, can you deny it?). And after he won, backstage observers reported that he was passing his Oscar around and allowing others to be photographed with it — until Academy officials requested he stop.

As expected, Cate Blanchett took home the best lead actress Oscar for her role in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine." Although Allen made headlines lately regarding molestation allegations involving his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow, Blanchett acknowledged him in her acceptance speech, saying, "Thank you so much Woody for casting me, I appreciate it."

It was Blanchett's second Oscar, coming a decade after her 2004 best supporting award for "The Aviator."

On a fairly predictable night, DeGeneres lightened things up with some surprises — taking a celebrity-studded selfie, having pizza delivered to the audience, and suddenly appearing in full pink pouf as "Oz's" Glinda the Good Witch.

Something's afoot! Jennifer Lawrence tumbles again at Oscars

Jordan Strauss / AP

Cake might not have been on Jennifer Lawrence's mind on Sunday night.

Jennifer Lawrence can always be relied upon to do something fun during award shows, intentionally or not — after all, who can forget her memorable tumble on her way to accept her lead actress Oscar at last year's ceremony? And on Sunday night, she made it two-for-two, stumbling right as she stepped onto the red carpet.

The culprit? Not Lawrence herself — she's a stand-up chick. Instead, it appears that the "American Hustle"-nominated actress tripped on a traffic cone. Making a quick grab at the back of the woman ahead of her, she didn't pancake entirely, and was quickly helped back onto her feet.

"I'm not safe," she confessed during ABC's pre-Oscar show.

It was notable enough that host Ellen DeGeneres even worked it into her show-opening monologue, suggesting to Lawrence, "If you win tonight, I think we should bring you the Oscar."

If there's more to the story, undoubtedly Lawrence will share it in the coming weeks. When she did her famous trip last year, she later explained to W magazine that cake was to blame: "I was at the Oscars, waiting to hear if my name was called, and I kept thinking, 'Cakewalk, cakewalk, cakewalk.' I thought, 'Why is cakewalk stuck in my head?' And then, as I started to walk up the stairs and the fabric from my dress tucked under my feet, I realized my stylist had told me, ‘Kick, walk, kick, walk' ... You are supposed to kick the dress out while you walk, and I totally forgot because I was thinking about cake! And that’s why I fell." 

But she apparently held no grudge against the dress's designer — both last year and this year, she wore Dior. This year, it appears she's just a supporting actress who could use a little more ... support. 

Ajaz Khan gets movie offer from Rohit Shetty

After creating quite a furore at the Bigg Boss house, Ajaz Khan is busy whipping up a storm in Cape Town forFear Factor with both his off and on camera hi-jinks.

While his presence on the show riled Kushal Tandon and Gauhar Khan enough to send them scampering back to India, Ajaz's stunts for the show seem to have impressed the yesteryears' super stunt-man Mudhu Balwant Shetty's son Rohit Shetty enough to offer him a major role in his next film Ajay Devgn- Kareena Kapoor starrer Singham 2. 

Says a source from Cape Town, "Rohit Shetty has made the announcement of casting Ajaz on camera. Rohit was impressed not only by Ajaz's stunts on camera he also found him entertaining and funny off camera. On an impulse Shetty offered Khan a role."

I tried to congratulate Ajaz. But he quickly begged off any comment. Apparently the channel Colors has placed a blanket ban on all media interaction with the Fear Factor contestants after the Kushal- Gauhar- Ajaz tamasha in Cape Town.

Sunny Leone builds a 'connect' with auto-rickshaw drivers

For many a 'rickshaw wallahs' in Mumbai and Delhi, it's going to be a call of 'Aaj Din Hai Sunny Sunny Sunny' starting tomorrow morning. Not just would Sunny Leone be meeting a select few in mumbai and chatting with them, she would also be flagging off the rickshaw branding campaign for Ragini MMS 2.

"'Ragini ka naya MMS dekha kya?', 'Ragini yahaan baithi thi', 'Do mein zyaada mazaa hai' are some of the tantalizing captions that would be plastered on close to 7000-odd rickshaws in the two cities. Since these vehicles are on the move through the length and breadth of the city, it makes for a continuously engaging campaign," informs our source. 

Since Ragini MMS 2 is aiming for a wide section of audience, a teasing campaign like this with Sunny herself getting into an interactive mode is being looked at as a masterstroke by many. 

"We had done this earlier during Ragini MMS back in 2011 and the feedback had been overwhelming. Scores of others aped us subsequently. An auto rickshaw campaign tends to gain good visibility. Sunny enjoys unprecedented popularity among the masses and the Ragini franchise reaches out to the lowest common denominator," says Tanuj Garg, CEO - Balaji Motion Pictures. 

However, while that happens, we would first like to see the reactions of Mumbai's auto rickshaw drivers who will find themselves with sunny tomorrow morning in Andheri.

"Nothing is more important than my father's health" - Suniel Shetty

No films, no commitments, not even the captaincy of the CCL. Suniel Shetty has put aside his entire career and priorities for his father's sake. To make sure his ailing father is comfortable, Suniel Shetty has converted an entire flank of his home in South Mumbai into an ICU.

At the moment nothing matters more to the worried son than his father's health. 

Sighs Suniel, "I haven't had a proper night's sleep for three months now. It's a very mixed kind of feeling for me. On one hand, my daughter Aathiya is getting ready for her film career. On the other hand my father is very unwell. So the excitement of Aathiya's debut is sadly diminished. At the moment we're all focusing on looking after my father." 

This is the reason Suniel Shetty has not been playing the CCL matches. "I haven't been able to practice for the matches. So how can I play? In fact I cancelled my flight to Hyderabad on the morning of the game this week. Aftab Shivdasani who is the vice-captain is far more familiar with the one-day format of the game. I do play cricket. But I belong to the old test-match style of cricket." 

Suniel is aghast about the stories that he had an on-field fracas with Aftab. "How can I 'come to blows' with anyone, least of all a guy as sweet and gentle as Aftab? It is very embarrassing to read such stories, especially at a time when I am going through a personal crisis. Right now nothing is more important to me than my father's health." 

Suniel is in fact saying no to movie offers. "There will be many opportunities for work later. The time spent with my father now is much more vital and valuable." 

Suniel is not the least perturbed about his precious darling daughter's shooting schedules outside Mumbai. "I know she's in completely safe hands. Salman Khan's production crew is like family to us. They look after both Aathiya and Sooraj like their own children." 

Suniel gives Salman a pat on the back for standing by Sooraj. "Salman instinctively knew the boy was being victimized. He stood by Sooraj, insisting that he will make Hero only with Sooraj and Aathiya. I think it requires courage to stand by people in this industry."