Kirk Douglas' Laughter and Melissa Leo's Gaffe - Los Angeles Times

For a time, not so short, the Oscar was "The show Kirk and Melissa."

On an evening marked by predictability, when Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas and actress Melissa Leo, perhaps spontaneously - and beeped - order of the ceremony, during the presentation of Douglas won the best supporting actress. Douglas deals now, while Leo, who defeated the price for her portrayal of matriarch scary in "The Fighter", said the word F.

The unusual twist of events happened early in the show, shortly after the 94-year-old center. Enchanted by the commands in the night, the first standing ovation, seemed to Douglas to the big announcement. Instead, he engaged in a game of hand over hand on his walking stick with the man handed him the envelope as to see who is the winner.

Then, as the candidate waited in suspense Douglas not open the envelope, teasing the audience again and again by simulating a series of tangents that start with "you know ..." When Douglas finally declared the winner of Leo, the limits of the actress you win the stage where they are before the three plays nominated actor bowed and asked what he would later in the evening. (Douglas had to awkwardly escorted by Leo so they start their speech.)

After several deep breaths, Leo, for their "Frozen River" lost the Oscar race for lead actress Kate Winslet called "The Reader" to let slip: "When Kate was here until two years ago seemed so [ expletive] long. "

The sequence was one of the jokes night running. Justin Timberlake has a vamp Douglas while presenting the award of the animated short, while Christian Bale, who won a supporting actor said for "The Fighter" in his acceptance speech that he did not fall "of an F-bomb" as his co-star.

Leo apologized backstage for his crude language, "I had no idea these words have offended someone, that excuse is a big part of the English language is in my mother tongue ...."

She also had praise for Douglas and his stall in the big moment. "You know, it's really funny, you know, because he is an old actor," said Leo. "In fact, he made us all a great favor, because the more he pulled apart to me to be quiet. "

greg.braxton @ latimes.com