Oscar Recap

Since I posted my Oscar picks here in the blog, you know how I fared.  The bad news?  This year was my worst ever.  Sixteen right out of a potential 24.  (My previous worst was 17, I believe.)  However...the good news is that I still ended up taking second place in my pool.  Clearly, it was an odd year at the Oscars!

Not so odd:  the fashions.  There were surprisingly few misses this year.  I was hoping the music from Burlesque would be nominated simply so we could see Cher on the red carpet, but no dice.  Without Cher, I often must rely Celine Dion to wear a wacky outfit (like the backward tuxedo she wore several years ago.)  But no dice there, either.  Celine was one of my best-dressed women this time.  She wore a tasteful, white gown with a not-too-low and not-too-high v-neck that emphasized her statuesque figure.

My worst-dressed woman ended up being--the surprise of the night--Scarlett Johanssen.  From the back, her burgundy lace gown looked transparent.  That happens, and it's unfortunate (and nope, I will not post a tranparency photo.  It's NOT pretty. But you can guess.)  Worse than the gown, however, was the hair.  It looked like she rolled out of bed.  While there are any number of men who would love to see Johansson with bedhead, I don't think that's how she intended to appear at the Oscars.  Scarlett has a fabulous figure.  Surely a stylist somewhere in LA could have made her look better? Or run a comb through her hair?

My night was made when Penelope Cruz made an appearance. I was afraid she wouldn't, despite the fact hubby Javier Bardem was nominated for Best Actor for his role in Biutiful; she just had a baby, and post-baby bodies aren't usually gown-worthy, especially when cameras are everywhere.  Cruz proved me wrong.  She wore a stunning wine-colored beaded gown that emphasized her curves and hid what little leftover baby tummy she may have (hard to tell in her gown...kudos to her on her choice!)

Helena Bonham Carter didn't wear a peacock-colored gown, as I predicted.  She went black.  BUT...it wasn't dour. It was as HBC-loopy as ever.  She carried a fan, wore her round-rimmed sunglasses when the cameras weren't snapping away, and once or twice while walking the carpet she stopped to raise the hem and show off a Union Jack temporary tattoo that had been applied to her leg.  Sounds wacky, but I loved it.  I know she'll end up on many fashionistas' worst dressed lists, but not mine.  The woman is true to herself, and that rates high with me.

My best and worst dressed of the night were (drumroll) Scarlett Johansson as Worst-Dressed Woman, with Cate Blanchett a close runner-up in her pink, strong-shouldered number, which looked like something Mr. Bubble would wear into battle.

Jennifer Lawrence, who was nominated for Best Actress for her role in Winter's Bone, is my Best-Dressed Woman.  Her red gown had clean lines, a classy cut and color, and it fit her well.  Better still, she didn't go for heavy makeup or over-foofed hair...in other words, a home run.  Future nominees, take note! I hope Lawrence is back next year, because I'd love to see how she tops this.

What were your hits and misses?  Post to comments if you'd like!

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.  LOVED her white lace gown.

Cotillard wins my pick of the night, though I also really liked Anne Hathaway's swoopy red gown.  I wasn't so sure about the huge 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 was elegant and the dress draped 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 Jessica Alba looked phenomenal in her strapless purple gown.  By the same token, Nicole Kidman's necklace was 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 black velvet lawn and leaf bag. Plus, one sleeve was gone. Just. Gone. However...despite the fact was 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 silver dress. You'd think that'd be the whole package, but apparently not.  She had a pained look on her face the entire night.  You knew that was a woman who was 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 it 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?