Matthew McConaughey's victory dance (and other Oscarcast highlights)

Matthew McConaughey dances. Bill Murray snarks. And Ellen DeGeneres serves pizza. Read all about it here.

Today's burning question: Seth MacFarlane, threat or menace?

But seriously, folks: The ratings for last night's Oscarcast reportedly are up a whopping 19 percent over last year's show. Was it because the top races were so competitive? Or could the reason be -- dare I say it? -- Seth MacFarlane? In any event, here's my instant analysis of the extravaganza.

Oscar and Argo and Jimmy Carter

Could a Best Picture win for Argo be the latest step in the "rehabilitation" of President Jimmy Carter. Douglas Brinkley of The Daily Beast makes a persuasive case that our 39th POTUS could benefit just as much as Ben Affleck at tonight's Oscarcast. Even though Carter himself has noted that the movie takes a few, ahem, liberties with historical facts.

At long last Oscars

Tonight is the night. And my final predictions are here.

I liked it. I really, really liked it.

Props to Social Network screenwriter Aaron Sorkin for his shout-out to Paddy Chayefsky -- the writer of that "other" Oscar winner with Network in the title -- while claiming his Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. And a tip of the hat to co-host Anne Hathaway for her tongue-in-cheeky allusion to a genuine injustice: She didn't get a Best Actress nomination for Love and Other Drugs. ("You know, it used to be you get naked, you get nominated!") My other observations about Sunday evening's Oscarcast -- which, judging from Tweets and blog posting I have sampled, I enjoyed much more than most folks -- can be found here.