What better way to prepare yourself for this year's Academy Awards than by looking back at the most memorable moments of Oscars past? Here, an original video compilation of some of the funniest, sweetest and weirdest bits from previous telecasts.

Last night Los Angeles was drained of star power because super-agencies WME and CAA had house parties with ridiculous security. Things we discovered: bribing people is harder than you think, security guards are scary and we belong among the dregs.

We interviewed two cocaine dealers—one who deals with young Hollywood and one who looks after the old-school connoisseurs. They both expected business to double, but for very different reasons.

For reasons we can't fathom, dudes in Hollywood have really bad hair. Here are the worst offenders so far — in black and white as an homage to those home-made model shots you see in the windows of crappy hairdressers.

PR firm Distinctive Assets is a philanthropic organization dedicated to comforting the world's most bereft and deeply afflicted: Millionaire Oscar nominees who lose. They get vacations in Monaco and Fancy Feast meals for their cats.

Tomorrow's telecast of the Oscars may very well be the least glamorous awards show ever!

At LAX, in cabs, restaurants and traffic jams the talk of Los Angeles is one thing. Oscar weekend. We've been bumbling around in Tuesday's underwear trying to figure out what in fuck is going on. Here's what we've found.

Meet Kevin. He's homeless. Every evening he trawls Hollywood looking for stars and their associated paparazzi. Oscar weekend will be huge for him—because Kevin has figured out how to get celebrities to give him big money.

We'll be liveblogging the Oscars on Sunday evening. In the meantime, Gawker will be on the ground in LA, covering the build up to the big event (and causing a little havoc along the way, hopefully). Do join us.

Hollywood's big gay Olympics are approaching, and the annoying "film buff" in your office is probably pestering you to enter his Oscar pool, which he's convinced he's going to win. We want you to beat the ittle nerd. Here's how!

Research gives us mixed messages about whether award show trophies are any indicator of quality. Well, scholars, we'll break it down for you: It's all just a shell game bought and paid for by the studios.

Nicolas Chartier sent an email to colleagues, including Academy members, asking them to choose his movie "not the $500-million film," a reference to Avatar. That was deemed against Academy rules on disparaging rival movies, so he's out. [LAT]

Despite being biggest thing since Jesus turned the Red Sea into loaves of fish, no one in New York knows much about the Oscars. And they won't fuck Brad Pitt. That's what a shrieking comedian found on the streets, anyway.

The Academy Awards have become more about the clothes and less about the awards themselves. Too bad all the ensembles are bland creations some stylist picked out. It's time to free ourselves from the tyranny of the Worst Dressed List!

The Oscars are on Sunday! Aren't you soooo excited? What's that? It's shaping up to be one of the least-surprising Oscars in recent memory? Well, OK, sure. But we think there are actually a few things to be excited about.