As Crikey goes to press today, Hollywood is handing out awards to its best and brightest, its most beautiful and be-jewelled.

But if you’re not one of the 3,400 film world flim flams who got an invitation, what to do? Firstly, you should be disappointed.

You won’t be getting an Oscars showbag. Last year’s bags contained over $126,000 worth of gifts, including an iPod, an Hawaiian holiday and a vintage silk kimono (try not to picture Jack Nicholson slipping into his), though an IRS crackdown means this year’s bags won’t be quite as generous.

The other downside is that, like a few hundred million others, you’ll have to watch it on TV or the web. The official website carries a live feed for those deskbound and desperate to watch the little golden men handed out in real time. You’ll also get to meet the host, (alleged) comic Ellen DeGeneres, a full list of nominees, and galleries of pics from the red-carpet photo-fest preceding the awards ceremony.

Here’s a quick guide to what else you’ll find online:

  • Variety: leading movie industry trade paper is blogging live from the Kodak Theatre.
  • The Envelope: hosted by the LA Times, you’ll find a gallery of red carpet arrivals, a live news feed, and some great rumours: “Gore, booked as a presenter on the Oscar show amidst swirling rumours that he either will or won’t announce his presidential candidacy onstage at the Kodak …”
  • Oscar Watch: Live from the red carpet, updating almost by the minute. “4:48 – Paging Roger Ebert! Paging Roger Ebert! These poor guys can’t catch a break. Snubbed by Nicole Kidman. Snubbed by Peter O’Toole. Snubbed by Meryl Streep! Poor Richard Roeper and George.” One of most comprehensive of the serious independent bloggers covering the event.
  • Carpetbagger: New York Times blog with videos, red carpet highlights, an interactive ballot and links to features on a range of Oscars related material.
  • Miscellaneous etc: More cutting edge analysis from the blogosphere. “You know, I started calling people ‘man’ again two years ago. Leonardo DiCaprio is totally biting my style in doing it. It’s my thing. It’s the thing that I do!”
  • IMDB: Special mini-site called Road To The Oscars 07. If you’re going to an Oscars party tonight, this will be a handy source of trivia.
  • Gold Raspberries: And the Razzie goes to … Basic Instinct 2. No surprises there. Announced yesterday, the Golden Raspberries are an essential guide to how truly awful Hollywood can be.