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?