Viewers Makes Oscars More Inventive Online

From jokes to rumors, the online community had more fun with the show than TV audiences.

 The 84th annual Academy Awards were, by all accounts, a tepid affair punctuated by curmudgeonly nostalgia and poorly-received jokes. But online, it took on another life entirely. 

 Despite social TV tracker Bluefin Labs reporting that online commentary - primarily Twitter and Facebook posts - for the Oscars was relatively small this year (3.44 million "comments," as opposed to the 12 million generated by the Super Bowl and 13 million by the Grammys, which were aided by a slew of Whitney Houston-specific mentions), those who did engage with the show found certain moments taking on lives of their own. 
 
In typical web fashion, a simple slip up or, in some cases, an imagined slip up, can spawn running gags or "memes." The Oscars generated two specifically that spread like wildfire across Twitter. 
 
The first was an alleged "wardrobe malfunction" suffered by presenter Jennifer Lopez. On stage alongside Cameron Diaz to present Best Costume Design, the "American Idol" judge wore a low-cut, shimmery gown. Although Lopez's stylist claimed the dress was custom made and "fit her perfectly to her every inch," viewers swore they saw more of Lopez than she bargained for the story spread despite any actual evidence. 
 
The second moment belonged to Angelina Jolie, whose odd choice of pose - left arm cocked at her side, right leg jutting out awkwardly - not only inspired Best Adapted Screenplay winners Nat Faxon and Jim Rash to make fun of it during their acceptance speech, it also spawned its own Twitter feed. 
 
The feed, called @AngiesRightLeg, began posting almost immediately, with Tweets like "Look at this leg!!!" and "You have to admit I'm one hell of a leg."
 
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