The Oscars

Seth MacFarlane says his joke about Harvey Weinstein at the 2013 Oscar Nominations wasn't just meant to be funny ... it was a deliberate shot at the Hollywood honcho on behalf of his friend, Jessica Barth.

MacFarlane claims Barth -- who he's worked with on "Family Guy" and the "Ted" films -- confided in him in 2011 about Weinstein's attempted advances ... and it pissed off Seth so much, he ripped Weinstein at the Oscar noms event.

He says ... "I couldn't resist the opportunity to take a hard swing in his direction. Make no mistake, this came from a place of loathing and anger. There is nothing more abhorrent and indefensible than abuse of power such as this."

As we reported ... MacFarlane joked about Weinstein's sordid reputation for making moves on actresses. Now, like countless other celebs, he's speaking out against Weinstein and commending the women who've come forward.

Michael Rooker calls director James Gunn a "dreamer" for saying he'll win an Oscar for his role in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" ... but he has his eyes on another prize.

We ask the guy who plays Yondu in 'GOTG2' at LAX if he ever thought he'd be famous for playing a blue superhero with a fin on his head ... his answer is hilarious.

As for that fin, Rooker wants it for his own but has been unsuccessful ... but he MAY have acquired another awesome prop from his days on "The Walking Dead."

Casey Affleck has avoided doing 2 things since winning Best Actor at the Oscars last month -- trimming his beard, and doing A LOT of laundry.

Paps got the younger Affleck brother Saturday on his way to a laundromat in Vancouver, where he appeared to be lugging an NFL-sized football gym bag full of clothes.

The teenager Casey Affleck watched over in this year's Oscar-nominated "Manchester by the Sea" had 2 girlfriends in the film ... but uncertain if that translates to real life.

We got Lucas Hedges -- who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor -- who tells our photog he can't really measure his love life in the wake of his hit movie quite yet. Something about how he's not a normal 20-year-old anymore ... whodathunkit?

He also speaks to the controversy over Casey winning Best Actor, despite being accused of sexual harassment by 2 women a few years ago. Sounds like Lucas has his back.

Jaden Piner, one of the kid stars from "Moonlight," might've walked the Oscar red carpet, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have to take out the trash at home.

We got 13-year-old Jaden at LAX where he told us he got a real taste for how the stars live by attending the awards show, but according to his mom, Natalie, it's not his day-to-day.

Miles Teller thinks PricewaterhouseCoopers is doing right by not firing the employees responsible for the Best Picture screwup, and for one solid reason.

We got Miles and his hot GF, Keleigh Sperry, Thursday at LAX. When our photog told them the PwC employees won't be allowed back at the Oscars but get to keep their day jobs ... Miles breathed a sigh of relief.

As for the Academy recruiting a new accounting firm -- Miles whipped out the ol' "I'm just an actor" card. Well played, sir.

The Oscars fallout is getting scary for the PricewaterhouseCoopers employees responsible for the Best Picture debacle -- they're in such fear for their lives, their bosses have hired security to protect them.

Sources connected to the firm tell TMZ ... PWC decided bodyguards were necessary for Brian Cullinan, Martha Ruiz and their families because of death threats they've received after their role in fumbling the Best Picture and Best Actress envelopes.

Some of the social media threats included, "You f****** idiot, i will f*** you every day" ... and "I hope you get fired and get cancer."

We're told PWC felt pictures that surfaced online of Ruiz and Cullinan's homes made it clear something had to be done to watch their backs.

The PricewaterhouseCoopers employees who were responsible for the biggest Academy Awards flub of all time won't make the mistake again ... because they've been booted from working future Oscars.

The film academy president says Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz have been permanently relieved of their duties of handing out the award envelopes. As we reported ... Brian was the guy who handed Warren Beatty the wrong envelope for Best Picture, possibly because he was distracted while tweeting like crazy.

Sources close to PWC tell us ... Brian and Martha are still keeping their jobs with the firm, and won't face any further punishment. We're told Brian and Martha are devastated over the screwup, but call it an "honest mistake."

Our sources also say Brian's use of social media was approved and actually encouraged by the Academy.

"Gary from Chicago" -- the tourist who unknowingly crashed the Oscars with his fiancee -- was in prison as a third striker with a history of stealing ... TMZ has learned.

Gary Alan Coe -- who said he had been in jail for the last 20 years before Sunday night's award show -- was received by California Department of Corrections in 1994 for grand theft exceeding $400, and got locked up again in '97 for petty theft with priors ... and, because it was his third strike, it led to a sentence of 25 years to life with parole.

Law enforcement sources tell us he was resentenced in early 2017 under Proposition 36, and had his 25 year bid reduced to just 6. With pre-sentencing credits and time served ... he walked out a free man last Thursday.

One last detail ... Coe's attorney says he has a prior from 1975 for attempted rape when he was a teenager that required him to register as a sex offender ... but the 20 year sentence was for theft.

"Gary from Chicago" -- the tourist who stole the show at the Oscars -- was released from prison 3 days before he was hanging out with Denzel Washington and kissing Meryl Streep.

Gary Alan Coe did 20 years in the California prison system ... according to WLS TV, and just got out last week. Gary reportedly was in for committing multiple felonies -- he wasn't more specific about his crimes, but said he met his fiancee, Vickie, while in the pen.

Even though Gary and Vickie live in California now, he's a Chicago native and he's become the toast of the town. The Bulls offered him tickets and Gino's East wants to hook him up with free pizza.

The Denzel moment was cool and all, but Gary says he and Vickie are still planning a real wedding this summer.

Donald Trump's finally weighing in on the Oscars, and thinks the whole Best Picture snafu happened because the show's producers were busy throwing insults at him.

The prez says "I think they were focused so hard on politics they they didn't get the act together at the end." It was Trump's first comment on the award show and he wasted no time jabbing back at the production.

He told Breitbart News, "It didn't feel like a very glamorous evening. I've been to the Oscars. There was something very special missing, and then to end that way was sad."

As Trump's shots go it was pretty subtle, but sure seems like he was paying attention to Jimmy Kimmel mocking him during the show, and the epic screwup at the end.

This is the guy who we're told is responsible for the biggest screwup in Oscar history ... the guy who handed Warren Beatty the wrong envelope.

His name -- Brian Cullinan -- an accountant at Pricewaterhouse. He's a veteran ... 30 years at the accounting firm.

Here's the thing ... Brian was supposed to discard the spare Best Actress envelope and hand Warren Best Picture.

As for why ... we know this. Brian was tweeting like crazy during the ceremony, posting photos ... so he may have been distracted. Brian has since deleted the tweets, but one was a pic of Emma Stone with her Oscar. If it was tweeted right after her win, that's exactly when Brian should've been prepping for the next category ... Best Picture.

No word on whether discipline is in store.

We're told the firm is issuing an apology to all concerned.

Warren Beatty ain't the first guy to announce the wrong winner during a live TV event -- it also happened to Bruce Buffer at UFC 205 ... and now he's got some advice for the Hollywood legend.

Remember, Buffer incorrectly told Tyron Woodley he was the winner during his UFC 205 matchup versus Stephen Thompson ... and announced the wrong information to a live audience.

When Buffer got the right info (the fight was a majority draw) he collected himself and announced the correction.

So, when Buffer saw Beatty's screwup at the Oscars -- he felt his pain and knew right away it WAS NOT Warren's fault.

Buffer also has some advice for ALL people making announcements on live TV ... so the 2018 Oscar hosts better pay attention.

"Moonlight" star Ashton Sanders says everything happens for a reason ... INCLUDING that epic Best Picture screwup at the Oscars.

Ashton -- who plays the teenage version of the main character -- was getting the hell outta la la land Monday at LAX ... when we asked if the mistaken announcement put a damper on his movie's win.

Warren Beatty gave Faye Dunaway what she demanded during rehearsal ... the honor of reading the winner of Best Picture, and he watched as she failed in spectacular fashion.

Sources who were present at Saturday's rehearsal tell us, both Faye and Warren wanted to announce the winner and went back and forth, but eventually Warren backed off and Faye got her way.

In fact, we're told their rehearsal was contentious from start to finish ... they wouldn't go onstage together to block their walkout ... they did it separately.

Watch the clip closely ... you see Faye angling to get the envelope as Warren tries to make sense of it ... as if she fears he might jack the moment and read it himself. Warren didn't warn her ... he just passed the envelope.

And watch how quickly Faye reads the winner ... it's almost as if she worried Warren would beat her to the punch. It's pretty apparent ... Warren knew something was wrong and she just jumped.

We've reached out to Faye and Warren's reps for comment ... so far, no word back.

It took more than 2 minutes for the crowd at the Oscars to realize "La La Land" did NOT win Best Picture, and the looks on their faces in the moment speak volumes.

Take a look at the instant everyone noticed Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway and/or Oscars producers screwed the pooch by announcing the wrong Best Pic winner.