The Oscars

Ben Affleck could probably use a ladder to get out of that hole he dug himself into at the Oscars last night when he called out the imperfections in his marriage to Jennifer Garner during his "Argo" victory speech.

You could hear the nervous laughter from the crowd when Affleck -- who was racing through his speech -- said, "I want to thank my wife ... for working on our marriage for 10 Christmases."

We respect his honesty ... and Garner was smiling when the camera cut to her ... but how do you think the comment went over at home, behind closed doors?

When he wasn't taking up all of Ben Affleck's victory speech time -- "Argo" producer Grant Heslov says he managed to avoid THE GREAT TOILET DISASTER at the Oscars last night using a time-tested technique ... he held it.

Heslov -- along with his wife Lisa -- took his freshly scored Best Picture statue out to party at Craig's in Hollywood last night ... when we asked about the plumbing catastrophe at the Dolby Theatre.

Heslov told us he wasn't "personally" affected ... but he's one of the lucky ones.

As we first reported, the lobby was soaked in toilet water after a water pipe burst in one of the bathrooms.

So far, officials have not revealed the person who dropped the nasty toilet-bomb that destroyed the pipes ... but our money's on Anne Hathaway.

Someone reportedly unloaded in one of the bathrooms at the Oscars and flooded the lobby ... TMZ has learned.

We're told a water pipe burst inside the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, just before the opening curtain was pulled. The custodial staff handled the situation with vacuums.

No one on stage has mentioned it ... but it's apparently quite a thing.

L.A. City Fire did not know the nature of the leak, but there is one report from someone on scene that a toilet triggered it.

Even with Justin Bieber hair, Oscar winner Charlize Theron is always stunning.

Flawless.

Kristen Stewart carefully made her way down the red carpet at the Oscars with the help of Robert Pattinson Rupert Sanders crutches.

With his gorgeous wife Jennifer Garner at his side, Ben Affleck is ready to not win the award for Best Director at the Oscars on Sunday.

Looking great is the best revenge.

Nicole Kidman made a pit stop at the La Brea Tar Pits on the way to the Oscars.

After the brief blip that was her Mrs. Roper Grammy getup, Adele went back to wearing her black dresses to the Oscars on Sunday.

The biggest star at the Oscars ... is Melissa McCarthy's hair.

Not only is Melissa a presenter tonight, but her movie "Identity Thief" is #1 at the box office for a second week.

Looking fabulous in a blue gown, Robin Roberts was all smiles as she readied to cover the Oscar red carpet on Sunday.

On Wednesday, Robin returned to "Good Morning America" after undergoing a bone marrow transplant to treat a blood disorder.

She's back and working overtime.

With the 85th Academy Awards just hours away, travel back in time and check out the best and worst looks from last year's red carpet.

Law enforcement is on extra-high alert for tonight's Oscars ... given the wave of gun violence across the country ... various law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

The LAPD's official position is that they are always vigilant at Oscar ceremonies and security is tight. But multiple law enforcement sources tell us ... there is "an extra knot" in security this year because of all the shootings that have made big news in the U.S..

One LAPD honcho tells us ... the general climate right now is intense: "When someone from the city gets fired, the city manager of the department calls because they're scared the person who was fired will go postal." The source adds, "People are going crazy with fear."

On the stalker front ... we're told the LAPD gives a private security company -- Security Industry Specialists (SIS) -- an information packet of stalkers who are harassing stars who are attending the Oscars. The packets include pictures of the stalkers, which are distributed to security in the field.

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!