Oscar winner Mo'Nique looked perfectly at ease during her interview with Barbara Walters for the veteran journalist's final Oscar night special. It was Walters who looked surprised as Mo'Nique discussed the fact that she was sexually abused by her older brother since the age of 7, that she and husband Sidney Hicks are in an open marriage, and that she tried shaving her legs once as a teen and hasn't done it since.

It was Mo'Nique's description of her open marriage to childhood friend Hicks -- which she has discussed in the press before -- that seemed to astound Walters the most. Mo'Nique explained: "Could I have sex outside of my marriage with Sidney? Yes. Could Sid have sex outside of his marriage with me? Yes. That's not a deal breaker. That's not something that we would say, 'Oh my God, because you were attracted to another person and because you happened to have sex, let's end the marriage.'"

Tabloids tried to spread rumors that Mo'Nique had been especially difficult about giving Walters the interview, which was taped in Atlanta before Oscar night.

Mo'Nique went on to win the best supporting actress Oscar for her role as abusive mother Mary Jones in Precious: Based On The Novel 'Push' By Sapphire.

Brooke Burke is the new co-host of Dancing With the Stars. The season seven champ's new gig was made official Monday (March 8th) morning, when it was announced she'll take the stage with Tom Bergeron in place of Samantha Harris.

After the announcement she wrote on her website, "Today is one of the most exciting days ever!!! With the exception of my family and children, today tops the list of all my professional endeavors!!!"

Burke had reportedly been up against several high-profile finalists that included Melissa Rycroft, Vanessa Minillo and former Spice Girl Mel B.

Brooke came into her audition with both the mirror ball trophy -- and a slew of hosting experience. She previously fronted shows like Rock Star: INXS, Rock Star: Supernova and E!'s Wild On.

Dancing With the Stars returns to ABC on March 22nd.

KATHY IRELAND SAYS SHE WASN'T MEDICATED ON THE RED CARPET: Kathy Ireland is attempting to defend herself in the wake of harsh criticism for her performance on ABC's Oscar red carpet. The former supermodel -- who was called a "hot mess" after her awkward interviews -- adamantly denied speculation that she was medicated for the show. Ireland tweeted, "No meds or alcohol Angel===just J.O.Y.! Never use drugs and that as a Mom is not a cool or funny suggestion." She later added, "Some say I looked pregnant.LOL! Not true...others say I was drinking...would LOL if it were not so sad. Just excited 2 be involved. Grateful."

WAS SEAN PENN BANNED FROM OSCAR PARTY? Sean Penn was reportedly banned from an Oscar after-party following "some sort of backstage confrontation" with one of The Hurt Locker producers who is supposedly dating his estranged wife, Robin Wright. A source told E!, that minutes after Penn and Greg Shaprio came face-to-face, "Academy officials said he was banned from the Governor's Ball." Penn's rep contends that the actor "chose not to go to the Governor's Ball," and says there was no altercation. Wright filed for divorce from Penn in August. She and Shapiro have been romantically linked since last month.

RYAN O'NEAL 'STUNNED' AT OSCARS FARRAH SNUB: Ryan O'Neal joins legions of fans who were upset at Farrah Fawcett's exclusion from the "In Memoriam" segment at the Oscars. The late actress's partner told RadarOnline.com, "It was a terrible decision and very hurtful -- Farrah was a member of the Academy for over 40 years and we could not believe she did not get a mention...Quite frankly, we were stunned at the decision not to include her in the tribute and I feel that the Academy should be scolded for that, everyone was shocked." The Academy of Arts and Sciences is not apologizing for leaving the Charlie's Angels star out, explaining, "I would not say that it was an oversight . . . No matter how carefully and how conscientiously people address who is included, there are people who just simply can't be."

It was a feud no one knew existed, but the issues between Oscar winners Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett spilled out onto a national stage as Burkett pulled a "Kanye" moment while Williams was accepting their award for best documentary short. Salon.com spoke to both parties and uncovered the beef that led producer Burkett to cut off Williams in the middle of his speech.

She told Salon, "What happened was the director and I had a bad difference over the direction of the film that resulted in a lawsuit that has settled amicably out of court. But there have been all these events around the Oscars, and I wasn't invited to any of them. And he's not speaking to me. So we weren't even able to discuss ahead of the time who would be the one person allowed to speak if we won. And then, as I'm sure you saw, when we won, he raced up there to accept the award. And his mother took her cane and blocked me. So I couldn't get up there very fast."

Williams contended that, "I own the film. She has no claim whatsoever. She has nothing to do with the movie. She just ambushed me. I was sort of in shock." As for Burkett's cane claim, he said, "My mother got up to hug me. And my mother is 87 years old. She was excited."

When told that the incident was being likened to Kanye West at the MTV Video Music Awards, Williams exclaimed, "She did! She pulled a Kanye. And it's a shame, because this is such positive, happy film."

BETTY WHITE CONFIRMS 'SNL' APPEARANCE: Although the prospect of a Betty White SNL appearance was recently brought into question, the former Golden Girl assured fans that she will indeed be part of a future production. When asked if she's doing the show, White told People magazine, "Yes." She didn't offer any details about the gig, and it remains unclear when she will appear -- or in what capacity. As for the popular Facebook campaign that been championing the appearance, White said, "I don't know why or how, but it's been wonderful."

ANOTHER JOHN HUGHES FILM IN THE WORKS? Even though he passed away last year, there's still hope for another John Hughes film. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the director left behind an unproduced screenplay called Grisbys Go Broke, which is about "a wealthy Chicago family" who lose everything and are "forced to move to the sticks." The screenplay's fate is unclear.

DEBRA MESSING PILOT DEVELOPMENTS: Almost Famous star Patrick Fugit has joined Debra Messing in ABC's comedy pilot Wright vs. Wrong. Messing will star as "Evelyn Wright, a driven conservative pundit who tries to maintain her public persona despite facing her own vulnerabilities."

BROOKE SHIELDS WRITING MEMOIR: Brooke Shields is writing a memoir -- in which she'll give her account of marital troubles with ex-husband Andrew Agassi. The actress told Ladies' Home Journal that when she was on the set of Friends, Agassi threw a tantrum when she licked Matt Le Blanc's hand in a scene. He stormed off, drove home and smashed his tennis awards. Brooke said, "Does he mention I spent the next three years replicating those trophies? He doesn't say that, does he? Of course not. That'll be in my book!"

Ratings for the 2010 Oscars were way up from the previous year. The Nielsen Co.'s overnight ratings showed that 41.3 million people tuned in on Sunday (March 7th) night -- up 14 percent from 2009. The figure also marked the largest Oscar audience in five years.

Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin's joint hosting was generally well received, but critics attacked the show's length and focus on teen stars.

Alec agreed with the positive response to his performance, telling Usmagazine.com, "I think it went great! I think it went really well. We decided it wasn't about Steve and me, it's about the nominees and the presenters. You don't need to see us!"

The New York Post printed, "The two seriously funny guys got seriously funny. Having all the Best Actor nominees on stage at once was great because it gave the hosts a way to start riffing on them all as they sat down... Instead of the usual deference to the stars, and/or spoof of the movies' openers, Martin and Baldwin cleverly roasted each of the nominees -- and some of it was hilarious."

The Washington Post noted that, "Twilight's Kirsten Stewart still looks like your sullen, no-one-else-was-available babysitter," while the Los Angeles Times mused, " This year's Oscars seemed to suffer from a crisis of confidence. Although studded with entertaining and emotional moments, it just never seemed to get going."

FUNERAL HELD FOR MARIE OSMOND'S SON: A funeral service was held for Marie Osmond's son yesterday in Utah. Her publicist confirmed that a private gathering was held in a Mormon chapel to remember 18-year-old Michael Bryan. Police in Los Angeles have said Bryan died from an apparent suicide after jumping from the eighth floor of an apartment building on February 26th. An official cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy and toxicology tests.

SEAN HAYES TALKS ABOUT HIS SEXUALITY: Former Will & Grace star Sean Hayes is finally opening up about his sexuality. The actor, who played the flamboyant Jack McFarland on the NBC hit, has never admitted to being gay despite widespread belief. However he recently told the Advocate, "I am who I am. I was never in, as they say. Never." Responding to those who are critical about his perceived silence, Hayes said, "I feel like I've contributed monumentally to the success of the gay movement in America, and if anyone wants to argue that, I'm open to it. What more do you want me to do? Do you want me to stand on a float? And then what? It's never enough."

JAMIE FOXX DATING STACEY DASH? Is Jamie Foxx dating Clueless alum Stacey Dash? That's the buzz after the two were spotted together at the Oscar ceremony and the after parties. PerezHilton.com noted that they looked "mighty fine together."

MIXED REPORTS ON TOM CRUISE MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT: There are conflicting reports circulating on the internet about whether or not Tom Cruise was involved in a motorcycle accident over the weekend. HollywoodLife.com claims the actor was "slightly hurt" after crashing his bike at a Los Angeles intersection while trying to avoid colliding with a car, but his camp denies it. A post on the star's official Twitter page reads, "Tom NOT in motorcycle accident 2day (today) . . . Tom tells us he hasn't been on his bike in days due 2 (to) the weather, but when it clears up, look out."

The short-lived partnership between Lindsay Lohan and the fashion line Emanuel Ungaro appears to have come to an end. Ungaro's owner confirmed that Lohan -- who was universally panned for last year's collaboration with the fashion house -- is not currently serving as their "artistic advisor."

Before their show at Paris Fashion Week on Monday, Asim Abdullah told Women's Wear Daily that Lohan "is not involved in this collection."

When asked about Lohan's 2009 design disaster, Ungaro designer Estrella Archs told reporters that "you have up and downs and you learn a lot, more from the downs than from the ups."