Daily Insider

Wednesday March 03, 2004 06:12 PM EST

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March 3, 2004
MEANWHILE, IN NEW YORK ...
For some stars who didn't make it to L.A. for the Academy Awards, there was fun to be had at Entertainment Weekly's 10th annual Oscar party, held at old-school showbiz hangout Elaine's in Manhattan.

Chris Noth sat with Monica Lewinsky, and later was grabbed by an avid fan – Liza Minnelli – who whispered something to the Sex and the City star. He smiled and answered, "I'm a big fan of yours too."

Sopranos star Edie Falco and Jesse L. Martin of Law & Order were focused on who was winning what. "I'm a big Sean Penn fan,'' said Falco. Added Martin, "I like Charlize Theron. She really, really, really brought her A-game (to Monster) and you can't dispute it."

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's Ted Allen gave a cautious nod of approval to presenter Jim Carrey's newly shaved head. "He's good-looking and I never noticed it," said Allen, the show's food and wine connoisseur. "But he has weird ears, and I wish he wouldn't be so spastic."

Matt Dillon (star of the upcoming Employee of the Month, with Christina Applegate), one of the last celebrities to leave the party, said of the Oscars, "It's fun, but there are never any surprises.''

AH ... CHOO
Talk about a fashion emergency. When E! Television host Melissa Rivers discovered the straps had given way on one of her bejeweled Jimmy Choo stilettos before the Oscars red carpet show on Sunday, she headed straight to the fan bleachers, shouting, "I just broke my shoe. Anyone want it?"

A fan in the crowd, Julie Dodd of Encinitas, Calif., came forward. "I didn't even think twice about it," she said.

Apparently, neither did Melissa. Seems she didn't realize Choo had designed the shoes with real gems, including pink diamonds. Luckily for her, Dodd was still in the bleachers, soaking in the last drops of ambience, and agreed to return the shoe to the embarrassed star. "She just told me, 'I'm going to hook you up,' " Dodd told us exclusively. " 'We'll send you some jewelry from the Joan Rivers collection.' "

SHARON'S NEXT TV GIG
Her talk show may be on its last legs, but don't count Sharon Osbourne out of television just yet. Mrs. O recently shot a guest-starring role on NBC's Will & Grace, playing a lesbian bartender at a gay bar. "I had an absolute blast. I can't wait to see myself on the telly," says Osbourne, who brought along a crew from her show to document the adventure. (A behind-the-scenes segment airs today on The Sharon Osbourne Show.) So how did Ozzy's wife end up in prime time? "The producers saw my performance on Days of Our Lives (on Feb. 9) and were so stunned by my acting ability that they wrote a special part for me on Will & Grace," she jokes. In reality, she bid for the role at a recent charity auction to benefit the Trevor Project, which promotes tolerance for gay youth.

Written by: SEAN DALY
Reported by: SEAN DALY and KEENAN MAYO

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