Oscar Time 2009

Happy, happy, joy, joy. Three cheers for Oscar night!! (Wasn't it WONDERFUL? Love me some Hugh Jackman. But I digress...)

First cheer: I rocked my Oscar pool. Haven't gotten an update as to the winners, but I got 19 out of the 24 categories correct (last year I was an all-time low 13 for 24, and I was 18 for 24 in 2007.)

Second cheer: Anyone mind if I do a dance for Slumdog Millionaire? I LOVED that movie. If you haven't seen it yet, consider this a shove out the door to the multiplex. You'll want to see it in a theater, unless you are so fortunate as to have one of those home theater setups with the wicked surround sound, etc. This is a movie that transports you to India. You won't want to be distracted by neighbors, the phone, or your laundry while you watch on DVD at three in the afternoon.

Third cheer: The GOWNS! This was a prime Oscar year. Very few misses, so I'll get them out of the way right off the bat.

Apologies to the ever-lovely Jessica Biel, but this was Not Good. It looks like someone took took care with her hair and makeup. Then, a nasty stylist came in afterward and thought Jessica looked too pretty. In a jealous fit, the stylist wrapped a very fancy bedsheet from the Ritz-Carlton around Jessica, tucked it up with a few folds in the front, and carefully explained (cough-lied-cough) that the sheet-waterfall look was "the latest thing." She then shoved Jessica out the door, stifling a maniacal laugh as JB tripped over the hem getting into the car:



The dress Jessica wore to host the Sci-Tech Awards last week was much better. Though awfully reflective in photos, I bet it looked better in person. And she can walk without tripping on it:



My other Worst Dressed Female for 2009 must go to Whoopi Goldberg. I swear I could see her bra (and part of its contents) peeking out the top while she was presenting, but I can't find a photo of that particular moment. Still, even assuming the girls were tucked away where they belonged, you tell me. I think she can do much better than this:



Of course, I immediately consulted both the E! Fashion Police and my fave Fuggers to see if they agreed. (They did.) But they liked one dress (for the most part) that I just couldn't love. Check out Heidi Klum in red:



To me, the color works. The cutout in the back works. The bow works. The leg slit works. The top kind of works. However, all these things do not work together. It's too much. I say keep the color (Heidi can rock red), keep the back cutouts, keep the leg, but lose the origami top and the butt bow. What do you think?

And ditto Reese Witherspoon. Either black with the funky cut, or blue with the funky cut. Not all at once:


WHEW. So on to all the good stuff (and there was plenty of good stuff!) First, oh, how I loved Angelina Jolie. True, it was black. But it showed off her figure, and didn't look like the matronly swoops of fabric we've seen on her lately.



Other faves: Freida Pinto (fabulous color), Best Actress nominee Melissa Leo (great fit, pretty, and suited her coloring), and Marisa Tomei (funky but classy.) I also LOVED Anne Hathaway's gown, though from certain angles, it seemed loose in the bust, as if someone taller than her could look right down and see everything. However, I doubt too many people are that much taller than Anne Hathaway, especially when she's wearing killer heels.

(I would put these in a neat-o collage, but I suck at HTML and give up.)





There were LOADS of great gowns, so it's hard to pick my favorites. But these two topped my list. Presenting the Best Dressed Women, Natalie Portman and Penelope Cruz:



I generally don't go for pink, but Natalie Portman's simply rocked. Penelope Cruz's look was a mesh of sultry Sophia Loren and glamorous Grace Kelly.

I'm also going to name a Best Dressed Man this year. Mostly because while I was watching the Oscars, I made my husband come to the TV so I could explain that THIS is how a guy should look for the red carpet:



Bravo, Robert Downey, Jr! Even if my husband said something along the lines of, "Um, okay," before going back to whatever he was doing on his computer, I thought it was perfect. Downey's wife, Susan, looked amazing, too. (And their happy-to-be-together smiles get them extra bonus points.)

Finally, I must mention Heath Ledger's win. He was a phenomenal, multi-dimensional Joker, and I think he'd have won the Oscar regardless of the attention his unfortunate, way-too-early passing brought to his performance. Valerie (the Oscar-loving, Heath-obsessed character from Royally Jacked and its sequels) would have been doing the biggest happy dance of all.

So what do you think? Who was a hit? Who missed? (And though I won't post it here, did you get a look at Sharon Stone's R-rated see-through dress?! Google it if not. It would have been wonderful if it wasn't transparent. But as is, I howled with laughter.)

Go Go Golden Globes

Each year, the Golden Globes marks the beginning of my Rev-Up-The-Workout season. (For most folks, it's New Year's and the resolutions. For me, it's seeing strappy gowns and peep-toe shoes.)

As Kate Winslet gushed her thanks (twice!) last night, I picked up the dumbells and did sets of lunges, squats, overhead presses, you name it. During commercials, I hit the exercise bike at a high resistance and cranked as hard as I could until they cut back to the gowns and speeches. I watch the Golden Globes, the SAG awards, and the Oscars every year, both to see if I can pick the winners (oh, yes, I did call Slumdog Millionaire! And Colin Farrell for In Bruges, which is a GREAT flick) and to see the fashion.

So here are my loves and hates for this year. What do you think?


Anne Hathaway:

The good: the color choice (different for Hathaway), the shape of the dress, the makeup and hair. All perfect.

The bad: if she didn't stand up really, really straight, the dress made her look like she has a tummy she does NOT have. What was with that?!



Christina Applegate:

The good: The dress. It fits her well and is va-va-voom old Hollywood glam.

The bad: What happened to her hair? It flopped in her eyes all night. Every time the camera flashed to her table, she was shoving it out of her face. She has the cutest hair, so I hope next time her hairdresser leaves it loose.


Beyonce and Jay-Z:

The good: Her hair and makeup (always, always perfect.) Her big smile. Her arm candy (the equally smiley Jay-Z.)

The bad: While the dress was gorgeous, she seemed extremely uncomfortable in it. Like there were pins inside sticking her all over and she was trying to suck in her breath just to keep from getting needled. Am I the only one who noticed this?


Susan Sarandon:

The good: Everything. She looked comfortable and happy all night, brought her son as her date, and her outfit was both classy and sexy. She looked incredible when she took the stage as a presenter.

The bad: None that I could see.



Mary Louise Parker:

The good: YEOWZA! Well played, MLP. Loved the color, the hair, the makeup...every time she appeared on camera, she looked like she was having fun.

The bad: No statue to take home. However, she looks so good, she doesn't need one.



Maggie Gyllenhaal:

The good: Her shoes (you could see them when she walked.) Her makeup. The cut of her dress, and the fact I couldn't completely hate it, despite the cockamamie print.

The bad: That horrid print. If it'd been a solid blue, it would've ROCKED. Then again, her style's always a little offbeat, so, again, I couldn't completely hate it.



Renee Zellweger:

The good: She decided to be bold and try something different.

The bad: This was NOT the right choice. But she seemed happy and comfortable in it, so kudos to RZ.



AND...to end on a high note, my fave of the entire night, Elizabeth Banks, Best Dressed:



The good: She took a risk and went with a pale dress despite her pale complexion, and it WORKED. Great cut, great color, and to-die-for ruffle detail that isn't over the top. Best of all, she topped it with a fun, flirty hairstyle that exuded class. This is the way to go glam without opting for the safe black or red.

The bad: NONE!

Tonight, I plan on night two of Rev-Up-The-Workout while I watch E!'s Fashion Police do their best and worst dressed. I can't wait to see if they agree with me on my picks.

Oscar Time

Yes! She lives!

Major apologies...I've missed blogging for the last couple of weeks because I've been 1) away on vacation in the sunny Caribbean, and 2) getting ready to go on vacation. (Why does getting packed and ready feel like it takes almost as long as the actual vacation?!)

I promise to post pics of my trip very soon, but first I have to comment on last night's Oscars. You didn't think I'd plan a vacation that didn't get me home in time for the big red carpet pre-show on E!, did you?!

I doubt I won my Oscar pool this year, as I only got 13 out of 24 categories correct, compared to last year's 18 out of 24. (Really, who would have guessed that Transformers wouldn't pick up either the Sound Editing or the Sound Mixing awards? I was so so sure.....)

However, I'm thrilled that I managed to correctly pick the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and ALL FOUR of the acting awards. (Thank you, Marion Cotillard and Tilda Swinton!) So who knows...I just might pull off an upset.

Speaking of Cotillard and Swinton, I must comment on my fave aspect of Oscar night: the gowns! Whenever I see a Jean Paul Gaultier gown in a magazine, I think, "That's soooo pretty, but who could actually WEAR it?" Now I know. You need to be a) French, and b) cute. In other words, you need to be Marion Cotillard:



Cotillard wins my pick of the night, though I also really liked Anne Hathaway:



I wasn't so sure about the roses on the front at first--don't you suspect she'd catch those flowers on a door handle or some passerby's wristwatch?--but the red is elegant and the dress drapes beautifully. After seeing it a few times, I decided that the flowers add that something "different" without being bizarre.

Some of my other fave looks of the night were--surprisingly enough--worn by pregnant actresses. I'd never have thought feathers + baby bump = high glamour, but check out Jessica Alba:



Nicole Kidman's necklace is also one of those style choices you'd think would be a serious miss for someone with a growing midsection--a bazillion diamonds to draw focus away from your face and closer to your belly? Thankyoubutno. However, with her simple black gown and clean hairstyle, I think the necklace worked. And I wish my skin and hair looked even half as good as Cate Blanchett's. Talk about a glow. Wowza!



I only had two misses for the night, and they were half-misses. The way I figure it, to be a winner, a gown has to both be comfortable and look good. Tilda Swinton told the red carpet interviewers that her dress was comfortable, and she did seem happy with it. But it missed the mark on the "look good" front:



It pains me to say this, because Tilda gave me serious points in my pool with her Best Supporting Actress win, but her gown looked like a velvet lawn & leaf bag. And though you can't see it in this picture, the other sleeve was gone. Just. Gone. Despite the fact it's a Hefty-like horror, I deem it only a half-miss, because you can't fault a person for being true to themselves.

My other half-miss of the night was (sniff, sniff) Renee Zellweger. She has a stunning figure and wore a drop-dead gorgeous dress. You'd think that'd be the whole package, but apparently not:



This is a woman who is NOT comfortable.

Was it the bad weather? The new short haircut? (I think the hair is cute, but it kept blowing in her face with the wind.) Did someone goose her as she stepped out of her limo? Wish I knew, because this should've been a hit, and I usually love her dresses.

So what about you? Which award winners had you cheering? Did you enter an Oscar pool? (I'm still crossing my fingers for good news on mine!)

AND...what were your style hits and misses?