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I'm Stephen Metcalf, and this is the Slate Culture Gab Fest, Buzzbee Berkeley Dreams Edition.

This is also the daily podcast from slate.com for Wednesday, March 10th, 2010.

On today's program, the 82nd Academy Awards, lost in Penn Station with our very own Julia

Turner, and the National

Inquirer found eligible for a Pulitzer Prize. Joining me today are Slate's deputy editor,

Julia Turner. Hello, Julia. Hi, Steve. And of course, our film critic, Dana Stevens. Hey, Dana.

Hey, Steve. Great to see you both. Let's dive right in. Any autopsy on the Academy Awards,

it seems to me, can be divided into three parts. Correct me if I'm wrong. There's the ceremony itself. Let's dive right in. Any autopsy on the Academy Awards, it seems to me, can be divided

into three parts. Correct me if I'm wrong. There's the ceremony itself. There's the significance

of the wins and losses, and then there are the speeches. Why don't we take those one at a time?

Steve, you left out the fashion. Crucial fourth part. How the corpse is dressed.

Dana, you're the film critic, so let's not start with you, Julia.

Let's talk about the ceremony itself.

How did they do this year?

I was excited for this year's Oscars in that it was hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin,

two of the funniest men in history, modern times.

I don't know, two very funny men.

And I didn't think it was that great.

They sort of had a weird rapport. Alec Baldwin in particular got almost no funny lines off, which was strange.

...