Blog Posts by Meriah Doty

Jessica Chastain, right, in 'Zero Dark Thirty' (Photo: Columbia Pictures)The U.S. Senate has dropped its inquiry into the making of "Zero Dark Thirty."

When news broke that the probe -- led by Senators Dianne Feinstein, Carl Levin and John McCain -- was put to bed just a day after the Oscars, some of us were scratching our heads. Then later in the day Feinstein's camp issued a statement indicating the probe ended weeks ago after the Senator received the CIA's response to her initial inquiry about its interaction with the filmmakers of "Zero Dark."

Still, some contend there is a connection between the Oscar race and the Senate's concern with the film -- about the post-9/11 hunt for Osama bin Laden and its depiction of U.S. torture tactics.

Anne Hathaway in the Oscars press room on Sunday (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Perhaps Anne Hathaway knew her backstage audience was filled with dozens of jaded press members waiting to pounce. After all, she has had a bit of an acceptance-speech deficit lately. The 30-year-old was all "thank yous" and genuine humility in the Oscars press room. She even got teary.

9/11 victim Bradley Fetchet (Photo courtesy of CBS News)

The intro to "Zero Dark Thirty" dramatically -- and grimly -- sets the tone for the rest of the film. It is an interpretation of the horror and chaos that occurred on September 11, 2001, in New York. And the sequence utilizes, in part, audio of some of the actual victims who died on that tragic day.

One of those victims' voices was Bradley Fetchet's. And his parents are not happy his last words were used in a commercial film.

Lupe Ontiveros (Photo: (Photo: Everett Collection)We noted earlier the big names that didn't make this year's Oscar show In Memoriam segment; and the late, prolific Latina actress Lupe Ontiveros was one of them.

The late performer, who died in July at the age of 69, appeared in titles, including, "The Goonies" (1985), "Selena" (1997), television's "Desperate Housewives," and the Oscar-winning film "As Good As It Gets" (1997).

On Tuesday, the National Hispanic Media Coalition spoke out against the Academy's omission of Ontiveros, pointing out that she was denied Academy membership. "It is astonishing that an actress of Ontiveros' caliber and experience was denied membership to the Academy," the NHMC wrote in a statement, adding, "We ask that the Academy take a moment to pause and reflect on its commitment to the growing U.S. Latino talent."

A red-headed Shailene Woodley, left, and Kirsten Dunst's prior portrayal of MJ (Splash News/Everett Collection)She has taken over the role of Mary Jane Watson and now she has the hair color to prove it.

Shailene Woodley was spotted walking around the"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" set in New York on Monday with red dyed hair. And from all appearances, her locks are nearly the same color as were Kirsten Dunst's when she portrayed MJ a decade ago -- except that they're decidedly longer.

The comic version of Mary Jane (Photo: Marvel)Woodley has some big Mary Jane shoes to fill as Dunst proved iconic in the prior Sam Raimi trilogy. One count against her: Woodley's MJ has some seeming competition that Dunst's character never had -- Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone.

Seth MacFarlane on the Oscars stage Sunday night (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)Ratings-wise, Seth MacFarlane's Oscarcast was an unqualified success. Seth MacFarlane's jokes … not so much.

Both the Anti-Defamation League and the Parents Television Council today slammed MacFarlane's "offensive" humor.

The ADL zeroed in on MacFarlane's crack (in his guise as the foul-mouthed, pot-toking CGA bear Ted) that you have to be Jewish if "you want to work in this town."

"While we have come to expect inappropriate 'Jews control Hollywood' jokes from Seth MacFarlane, what he did at the Oscars was offensive and not remotely funny," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director.

Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Sure, Ben Affleck showed his appreciation for winning a Best Picture Oscar -- along with George Clooney and Grant Heslov -- but that didn't stop their school-boy giddiness backstage.

"Bingo!" Clooney said jokingly to the swarms of ooh-oohing reporters holding up numbered cards in hopes of being called on to ask the freshly minted Oscar winners a question.

All three winners produced some zingers when asked to review the trajectory of their chances to win:

Daniel Day-Lewis poses in the press room with his Oscar on Sunday (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images))Now a three-time Best Actor Oscar winner, Daniel Day-Lewis is ready for a well-deserved vacation.

Holding his Oscar and answering press questions backstage Sunday night, the 55-year-old said, "It's really hard to imagine doing anything after this." He said he can't imagine any historical figures he would want to portray in the future because "I need to have to lie down for a couple of years. No, I can't think of any. I really can't, no."

During his acceptance speech he gave a heartfelt shout out to his wife of more than 15 years, filmmaker Rebecca Miller, indicating she has endured the proverbial drama that comes along with his commitment to his lauded acting roles. "She knew how to handle all of them in their own particular way," he said.