Oscars 2013: A joyful night at the Governors Ball

On the elegant stairway up to the Governors Ball, a man was having fun with the name of the event he was about to attend, loudly proclaiming it — or, rather, a variation of it that suggested a part of the male anatomy — to anyone who’d listen.

The man could be excused for a burst of adolescent delight: He was George Clooney, and the actor-filmmaker had just won the best picture Oscar for his work on “Argo,� a fact evident from the statuette he was gripping triumphantly.

Inside the ball — the swanky post-show event for Oscar attendees at a ballroom atop the Hollywood & Highland complex — winners and losers mingled and nibbled on Wolfgang Puck-made pot pies and pizzas as musician Michael Feinstein took the stage and played a few swingy numbers.

Oscars 2013: Winner list | Red carpet | Highlights

Hugh Jackman moved confidently through the crowd, putting on a face that suggested he was OK with his loss to Daniel Day-Lewis for lead actor. A moment later Ben Affleck strode past, holding his Oscar and walking with a brisk purpose that suggested the confidence of a man who had just walked out of a room with the big prize — or, perhaps, one who needed to get out of Iran. He shook hands of well-wishers seemingly without stopping as he quickly headed to a group at the other side of the room.

Nearby, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, fresh off a twinkle-toe performance early in the Oscars, nearly stepped on Jennifer Lawrence’s long train. He made an exaggerated expression of “I don’t want to be the cause of her second fashion-related disaster of the night� and gingerly stepped away. The lead actress winner, evidently not seeing the incident, continued moving — slowly — toward a banquette.

Across the room, Gordon-Levitt’s dance partner Daniel Radcliffe was looking extremely relieved. “I’ve been really nervous,� the actor stopped and told The Times. “I haven’t slept much in the last few nights thinking about the number. I keep hearing the beats as I tried to go to sleep.

“It will be nice not to worry about it as I lie in bed tonight.�

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PHOTOS: Celebrity portraits by The Times