The Oscars

The Oscars are here again ... and TMZ users are split on their value. Are the Oscars still relevant? We gotta ask ...

While the votes are in for the 85th Academy Awards, there is still one vote that has yet to be cast ... and the winner's fate is in your hands!

Don't let this handsome duo distract you from the task at hand. Try and spot the hidden differences in the two studly snapshots before you get distracted by the overwhelming sexiness!

We're guessing Oscar, Hollywood's man of the hour, is dying a little inside today ... because somebody invited 18 42-year-old trainwreck Courtney Stodden to one of his pre-parties.

Yes, Tara Reid was busy.

U.S. Customs treated Oscar-nominated Palestinian director Emad Burnat like a NATIONAL THREAT last night at LAX -- putting him and his family in an isolated room and ordering him not to use his cell phone -- so says the director ... but law enforcement says he's exaggerating.

You'll recall ... Burnat's friend Michael Moore flipped out while Burnat was detained at the airport, tweeting like mad about the injustices of U.S. Customs and Border Protection ... and today, Burnat joined us on TMZ Live to discuss his experience.

Burnat -- whose documentary "5 Broken Cameras" is up for an Academy Award -- told us, he was stopped by immigration upon his arrival in the States ... and what followed was nightmarish.

Burnat says the customs officers did not believe him when he told them he was an Academy Award-nominated director ... so they put him and his family into an isolated room to question them, threatening to deport them back to Palestine.

Burnat says he tried to show the agents the email he received from the Academy -- which contained his Oscar invite -- and even tried to show his hotel reservation ... but they weren't having it.

When he tried to text and email friends for help, Burnat says he was instructed not to use his phone. Luckily, Burnat says he was able to slip a message to Michael Moore informing Michael of the situation ... and Michael sounded the alarms, notifying Academy officials who then contacted their lawyers.

Burnat says he was detained for roughly an hour-and-a-half total -- and when he was finally released, he was never given an apology.

But law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Burnat is embellishing the story ... and that he was only sent to a secondary screening area simply to answer questions ... and was only detained for 25 minutes, total.

Director Michael Moore is outraged ... claiming his friend -- a Palestinian director whose film is nominated for an Oscar -- was detained at LAX last night because officials didn't believe the man was REALLY in town for the Academy Awards.

Moore tweeted a play-by-play of the incident ... claiming his friend, Emad Burnat -- whose film "5 Broken Cameras" is nominated for Best Documentary Feature," was held for an hour-and-a-half while officials grilled him about his visit.

Moore tweeted, "Emad, his wife & 8-yr old son were placed in a holding area and told they didn't have the proper invitation on them to attend the Oscars."

He continued, "Although he produced the Oscar invite nominees receive, that wasn't good enough & he was threatened with being sent back to Palestine."

"Apparently the Immigration & Customs officers couldn't understand how a Palestinian could be an Oscar nominee. Emad texted me for help."

"I called Academy officials who called lawyers. I told Emad to give the officers my phone # and to say my name a couple of times."

"After 1.5 hrs, they decided to release him & his family & told him he could stay in L.A. for the week & go to the Oscars. Welcome to America."

"'It's nothing I'm not already used to,' he told me later. 'When u live under occupation, with no rights, this is a daily occurrence.'"

Moore concluded ... "He was certain they were going to deport him. But not if I had anything to do about it."

There's supposed to be some epic Bonding at the Oscars -- the buzz is ... all 6 actors who have played James Bond may appear on stage. But now we're hearing one of them may be a no-show, and shockingly ... it could be Pierce Brosnan.

Brosnan confessed yesterday in Malibu, "Well, they'll be missing one."

It's unclear, but his tone and body language seems to suggest he is the one that wants no part of it.

The people who select the Oscar nominees clearly HATE Ben Affleck, 'cause he didn't get a Best Director nod for "Argo" this morning ... but it WAS nominated for "Best Film."

So, did Ben really get snubbed??? Depends who you ask -- here's how the argument is breaking down in the TMZ newsroom:

Matt -- Yes, Ben was snubbed ... "Argo" was as good as the other movies that were nominated. As a director, "Argo" was very well done. I think he was snubbed because of who he is.

Kelly -- No, Ben did NOT get snubbed ... sometimes you're nominated, sometime's you're not ... Ben has a long career ahead of him. He'll be fine.

Shevonne -- No, Ben's not that great.

Max -- I don't think he was snubbed because I know nothing about directing.

Harvey -- Yes, Affleck's being snubbed because people are fawning over him too much ... I think there's a lot of jealously in the Academy.

Van -- HUGE snub ... it was a well-directed film and it was enjoyable, one of his best. Incredibly well paced.

Jumping on the Angelina leg Internet meme trend, Jennifer Lopez did a little Jolieing and flashed her gorgeous right leg backstage at an "American Idol" party in L.A. on Thursday.

It was a mini French revolution when Best Actor Oscar winner Jean Dujardin arrived back home in Paris to a chaotic mob of fans, cameras and police at Charles de Gaulle Airport on Tuesday.

The 39-year-old "The Artist" star got a hero's welcome and made his way through the pandemonium with his Academy Award in hand.

Jennifer Lopez couldn't contain her laughter when she learned about the drama surrounding her maybe/maybe not nipple moment at the Oscars last night ... this according to her personal stylist.

TMZ spoke with Rob Zangardi ... who personally zipped J.Lo into her Oscars dress ... and then helped her change into another low cut outfit after the show.

Rob tells us ... he and fellow stylist Mariel Haenn personally informed Lopez about the buzz surrounding her areola during the outfit change ... and J.Lo simply laughed it off.

Rob says ... Lopez then assured the team she was so tightly packed into her dress, there was no possible way a nip could've slipped.

So what WAS the mysterious object that appeared on Jen's chest? Rob's convinced it was a shadow from the lighting.

So we gotta ask ...

Angelina Jolie looked INCREDIBLY skinny at the Oscars last night ... too skinny ... alarmingly skinny.

Just two days after leaving rehab at the Betty Ford Center, a refreshed and healthier looking Gerard Butler hit up the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in L.A. on Sunday.

Butler spent three weeks in treatment after realizing he was relying too heavily on prescription medication.

TMZ broke the story ... Butler began using pain meds to deal with the pain caused by the intense physical training regimen to get in shape for "300" ... and the problem became exacerbated after he injured himself in a surfing accident while filming "Of Men and Mavericks" back in December.

It's the Oscars, time to honor the best in this year's films and, more importantly, critique what everyone wore!

Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz presented a pair of awards at the Oscars and they may have been joined on stage ... by JLo's areola.

The debate is raging on Twitter ... was it a nip slip? Maybe a shadow? Watch the clip and tell us ...

Sacha Baron Cohen took shameless promotion to a whole other level on the red carpet of the Oscars tonight -- not only did he show up dressed as his character from the upcoming movie "The Dictator" ... but he spilled an urn filled with fake ashes of Kim Jong Il all over Ryan Seacrest on live television.