Let's just get the fashion of the night out of the way, shall we?
Best Dressed
I could not have been happier about the return to Hollywood glamour on sight at this years awards. The men all looked dashing in classic tuxedos and the women in, mostly, fuller skirts. My best dressed of the night is Marisa Tomei- stunning! Anne Hathaway would have taken top honors but she got to wear more dresses than anyone else. She was absolutely stunning as well and a pure delight to watch. I totally want to be her friend. No, you are not mistaken, that is Helena Bonham-Carter up there. This was perhaps the best (and most normal) she has ever looked!
Worst Dressed
Christian Bale's beard and Jennifer Hudson's hair was amongst my least favorites of the night. I know everyone else loved Gwyneth Paltrow's silver, modern dress but I did not. Annette Bening, who has looked very nice all season, chose a shapeless dress that did nothing for her. Same can be said for Mrs. Robert Downey Jr (a producer I love) but who chose a somewhat matronly dress. Also, what was up with the wings on Nicole Kidman's dress?
Eh? Dressed
The "Eh?" category was created for those dresses that I couldn't quite decide if I liked or not, or were completely boring (see: Jennifer Lawrence). Ever since her divorce, Scarlett Johanson has looked like she just woke up and forgot to brush her hair. The dress isn't bad, but the overall look is not. I love almost everything about Mila Kunis' dress save the lace pasties. From a distance it looks much better than it did in close ups when I feared for an FCC fine. Cate Blancett was on many of my friends Best list, but I was confused when I first saw it. It didn't play well on TV and looked clunky and white. It's actually a lovely pastel lilac shade that I liked much better in some photos.
* Pre-Show: I'm really tired of some of these interviewers (for the life of me I cannot remember her name... Vanessa Milian? Whatever, the brunette with the best spot on the carpet right before they go in. Ugh!), as well as E!'s eagles nest chatter. Save it for your "Fashion Police" show! Tim Gunn was wonderful. He seemed the most prepared and asked great questions. I love that he also asked questions tweeted and facebooked by viewers. As much as I love Vanity Fair magazine (and I really do), their West Coast editor Krista Smith was as boring as the room they were in. Why was everyone whispering? My Father informs me it is because the VIP lounge is supposed to be a quiet respite to the chaotic evening. Whatever, I couldn't hear half of them and what I did hear was BORING.
* The opening montage was great! I loved that they weaved many of the best picture movies into the "Inception" concept. The biggest laughs went to the "Inception", "The Fighter", and the "Black Swan" bits. ("The dance of the Brown Duck!"). PS- How can I get Morgan Freeman to narrate my dreams?
* As briefly stated earlier, the joke on hiring Hathaway and Franco was to appeal to a younger demographic. The host's riff on that very topic was funny. I also think they were two of the best hosts we've seen in a while. Franco with his quiet, very dry humor, and Hathaway with her over the top enthusiasm played well off each other.
* I loved Kirk Douglas presenting. Just the fact that he can walk out on stage is amazing and the shows producers were milking it for all it was worth. I did feel badly for the Supporting Actress nominees. Poor things. PS- Can you believe that was the first time someone had drop the F-bomb during the telecast? How can that be true. Poor, poor Melissa Leo.
* Dear Aaron Sorkin- This isn't your first award. This isn't even your first award for this movie. Who else can you have to thank? When the music starts playing, WRAP IT UP! That is not your cue to keep talking and thanking random people. Geez.
* Two words: Franco as Monroe
* Best Live Short acceptance speech:
* I'm kind of sad the special Oscar's are no longer televised, though it does save space. At least they all got to walk out and wave. Honorary Oscars were give to Eli Wallach (actor), Jean-Luc Goddard (film maker), Kevin Brownlow (historian), and Francis Ford Coppola won the Thalberg Award. [side note: What do you think Goddard does with his awards? Sell them? Throw them away? Give them to bystanders at the nearest cafe? He is famously not interested in awards and never attends them. Curious.]
* The ode to this years musicals (there weren't any FYI) featuring my favorites: "Harry Potter" tiny ball of light and "Twilight" He doesn't own a shirt. (Not sure why it says "Grammys 2011")
* Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law's banter was hilarious! Only these two guys can get away with a hooker dressed as Batgirl joke.
* I'm curious, why are they doing additional tributes during the "In Memoriam" segment? Last year it was John Hughes and this year Lena Horne. What makes them so special? Why the added time? It really bothers me when I think of the people who don't make the telecast due to time constraints. They could have shown at least 5 other faces instead of Lena Horne's twice.
All in all I got 19 out of 24 correct predictions, further emphasizing that all you need to win the office pool is to go and see the movies! How did you do? Highs and lows??
I thought Hathaway and Franco were below par, especially the latter who didn't seem to want to be there at all.
ReplyDelete"E!'s eagles nest" Ahahah that's exactly what it is!
Seriously, E! has a problem only Dr. Drew can fix!
ReplyDeleteI've heard several people say they thought it was the worst Oscar's ever. I think that's definitly pushing it, but I understand people's dislike of its hosts. I just thought the show seemed leaner- less fluff and filler is always good. Hathaway was bubbly as ever.
Though now that you mention it, what was up with Franco? Maybe his mind was on his flight back to NYC immediately after the show. Maybe he was bored. Maybe he was stoned (the general concensis amongst those I spoke to). He was certainly not his usual chipper self.... The world may never know.