Inside the Oscars...The Morning After

Only Hollywood's "A" list are invited to attend the Academy Awards each year, but nearly 3,400 Ordinary People won the opportunity to sit in the spectacularly-decorated Kodak Theater early, early Monday morning while the seats were still warm.

They came sleepy-eyed but excited for "Live! With Kelly" the KABC morning talk show with An American Beauty, host Kelly Ripa, which broadcasted for the first time from Los Angeles following the 84th Annual Academy Awards. Ripa was joined by co-host Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother") and some the night's Titanic winners as guests: Best Supporting Actress winner Octavia Spencer for "The Help," Best Actor winner Jean Djardin for "The Artist" and several of his Best Picture award winners, including Uggie, Hollywood's newest Slumdog Millionaire.

There also was a breath-taking, Greatest Show on Earth opening performance by Cirque du Soleil from their hit "Iris." Unfortunately, the show ran long and they were bumped from the closing act.

The morning started early for everyone; many of the guests were already in line when the gates to the Hollywood Bowl (used as a staging area) were opened at 1:30 a.m. My Fair Lady and I arrived at 2:30 a.m. After standing in the cold darkness, in a line that went From Here to Eternity, for two hours and taking a short bus ride to the theater, we were in our seats on Mezzanine 1 by 5 a.m., one hour before Showtime.

An eight-hour morning for a one-hour show, but at least we could say, It Happened (Only) One Night.