Oscar Fashions.

I like what I like. Simple as that.

Sure there was not a lot of colour on the red carpet on Sunday but perhaps that was a good thing (I mean poor Natalie Portman and her rather odd orange skin with a bright pink dress on a red carpet. She was a walking head ache with far too much make up - far too pretty a girl to be wearing so much make up) considering that when people do try it, they usually fail.

Here is my selection of the worst dressed. click to embiggen














Why is Heidi Klum (left) even there? Not only does her dress look like origami done by someone with no limbs, but her make up, hair and jewelry just scream 80's German lipstick lesbian.
And what the hell happened to Reese Witherspoon. That dress is like the brighter, uglier step-sister to Kate Winslet's dress.














Beyonce - When I was little me and a friend used to make dresses for Barbie (I know GAY) out of carpet samples. If only I had had a gold pen.
Who is this next woman? Jennifer Biel or some nonsense apparently. Looks like one of her implants has deflated then given birth to a saggier implant.


Now onto Best Dressed: (click to embiggen)














Halle Berry simply looked stunning. I mean she is impossibly beautiful anyway, but that black and gold dress (take note Beyonce) was stunning on her.
Some people thought Penelope Cruz looked too bridal. Whatever! She look absolutely stunning. How many more times will I use the word stunning you ask? Many, many more times. (tis late, am tired)














Wow did Taraji P Henson pull out all the stops. The dress looked like a opening flower and her necklace was just amazing. Stunning woman.
and my dear Meryl. She usually gets it wrong, but this was a classy ensemble. Everything was age appropriate.














I really do love Jennifer Aniston. She just looks like she would be a lot of fun. She leaves her usual black dress at home and goes for gold and cream and look divine.
My friend Jonathan said Marisa Tomei's dress looked like napkins. I thought it was stunning and different and she work the sh*t out of it.














My friend Dean thought Anne Hathaway was wearing a shovel. I thought the dress was stunning. The scales, the diamonds, the fact that she looks just so old style Hollywood. Stunning.
Viola Davis has worked the red carpets like a pro. She looks amazing every time we see her, and although gold was a brave choice for the Oscars, she pulled it off. Stunning.

This was brought to you by the word 'stunning' and the number 3.

Good Speech

I have been reading so much lately on how Kate Winslet gave a cringe inducing speech at the Golden Globes, and Anne Hathaway gave one at the BFCA awards. These articles are saying either that these speeches could hurt or benefit their Oscar chances.
Hurt, because no one apparently wants a twittering idiot on the stage, and help because emotion means they are honest (apparently the Academy want someone up there who is thankful to be included).

I think the people who sit around and pick apart these type of speeches are people who most probably have never ever given an off the cuff speech in their lives.
How you give a speech totally depends on who you are. Different Strokes for different folks.
We all loved Tilda Swintons’ speech last year. It was funny, easy going and she seemed very relaxed simply because, as well know, it is doubtful that she really cares much about these awards so there is no pressure.
Marion Cotillard did care, and her speech was brimming over with excitement and gratitude, and I found that adorable.

I can’t judge a speech, especially if it is not rehearsed or written down because it is an emotional scary time. You have been selected by a group of your piers as being the best of a given year, then you have to get up, walk up steps to a microphone and give a speech to a room full of those piers as well as millions of people watching you around the world, live on TV.
Talk about pressure.

So if Halle Berry thanks her lawyer, who cares?…she was happy and emotional and ran with it.
Gwyneth bawled her eyes out, true, but her dying father was with her and she lost the plot a little.
Who can blame her?
People really expect far too much from these people.
Do we forget they are human?
Christ, all through the awards race they are being judged! One would think once the award was handed out the judging would stop. Apparently not.

The only time a speech is truly horrible is if you have someone like Jennifer Connelley who read it from a piece of paper with her head down.

Or worse yet Jamie Foxx who went to every awards show giving the exact same rehearsed speech that got old, annoying, and arrogant very very quickly.

If the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences giveth and taketh away based on how good or bad a precursor speech is, then all that means is they have no business saying what the ’best’ of any year is and that their awards really do not matter.
Then again, deep down, we all know this is true and get sucked in anyway (we love that air of superiority don’t we?)

So to the eventual winners this year, please get up on that stage and laugh, cry, get hysterical, do whatever you want. Go frikkin insane! Thank your colourist and the woman who gives you your colonics. . Just don’t rehearse or read!

The Numbers and Final Predictions

Ok, after the BAFTA nominations everyone started to panic...myself included, about the snub of 'The Dark Knight', 'Sally Hawkins', 'Gus Van Sant' and 'Viola Davis'.
As you know I have been steadily gathering all the numbers for the top 6 awards this year. Ciritcs awards, guilds, awards bodies, top ten lists and various wins.
Let us break it down now.
For each category I am going to only give the top eight contenders in accordance to the scriptures my numbers:

Best Picture
1- Slumdog Millionaire
2-WALL-E
3-The Dark Knight
4-Milk
5-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
6-Frost/Nixon
7-The Wrestler
8-Happy-Go-Lucky

I would say the only two locks are 'Button' and 'Slumdog', the tides could change with the rest of the other three ('Milk' is the next safest). I would say you can take out 'Happy' and 'The Wrestler' and do a pick and mix with the remaining three films and you could have a very believable Best Pic line up. I am not giving up on 'TDK' or 'WALL-E' just yet, even though everything in my brain is saying the Academy are not going to embrace two genre films in one year. However I am going with the fact the world is high on hope and the nominees will easily be 'Slumdog', 'WALL-E', 'TDK', 'Milk', 'TCCOBB', outside shot 'Frost/Nixon'

Best Director
1-Danny Boyle
2-David Fincher
3-Christopher Nolan
4-Gus Van Sant
5-Ron Howard
6-Andrew Stanton
7-Mike Leigh
8-Stephen Daldry

Easily take out Daldry.
Leave Boyle and Fincher as locks, Nolan and Van Sant as near locks and play eeany meeny miney moe with the last three. Stanton and Leigh are wild cards, but Leigh has surprised before. Since the 'Slumdog' fever I assume people want a bit of hope and joy, and that makes me think 'Happy-Go-Lucky' could be a stronger contender than people think. So being overly optimistic I say we see Boyle, Fincher, Nolan, Van Sant, Leigh. HA! outside shot Stanton.

Best Actress
1-Sally Hawkins
2-Anne Hathaway
3-Meryl Streep
4-Kate Winslet
5-Angelina Jolie
6-Melissa Leo
7-Kristen Scott Thomas
8-Michelle Williams

How funny that the person leading with precursors coming into this is the one most at risk.
Hathaway and Streep are locks. Take out Williams and you could be looking at a very interesting game for the last 3 slots.
I am not going to be surprised in Jolie is snubbed again, for what many many people think is a lesser performance. Do they really feel the need to make it up to her?
I say Hawkins, Hathaway, Streep, Winslet, Leo. Not that on a limb, but still a good(ish) set. Outside shot Jolie although can still see Williams surprising.

Best Actor
1-Sean Penn
2-Mickey Rourke
3-Frank Langella
4-Richard Jenkins
5-Brad Pitt
6-Clint Eastwood
7-Leonardo DiCaprio
8-Benicio del Torro

This is another interesting race. Penn, Rourke and Langella are locks, easily. Take out del Torro and the last two slots are looking to be filled by 4 actors. I say Eastwood will be nominated. I can just see him pulling an Ed Harris 'Pollock' last minute nom. therefore my crystal ball says Penn, Rourke, Langella, Jenkins, Eastwood outside shot DiCaprio

Best Supporting Actress
1-Penelope Cruz
2-Viola Davis
3-Marisa Tomei
4-Kate Winslet
5-Amy Adams
6-Rosemarie DeWitt
7-Taraji P. Henson
8-Alexis Zegerman

Zegerman is a pipe dream. Most likely so is DeWitt (so sad). Seven Actresses are vying for 5 slots. Will Winslet split votes or not? Who can say? It can go either way for her. She can end up with two noms, 1 nom in lead or supporting or no noms. I really believe that Cruz and Davis are the only locks, with Tomei coming up as a major possibility. I kind of closed my eyes and pointed and came up with Cruz, Davis, Tomei, Winslet, DeWitt. (I say Dewitt pulls a Marcia Gay Harden) outside shot Henson.

Best Supporting Actor
1-Heath Ledger
2-Robert Downey, Jr.
3-Philip Seymour Hoffman
4-Dev Patel
5-Josh Brolin
6-Eddie Marsan
7-Michael Shannon
8-Ralph Feinnes

For being so low on the list Brolin in a lock, as is Ledger (duh!). I am not 100% about Downey, Jr. and Hoffman, but they are very likely as well. Feinnes and Shannon are very dark horses indeed....so dark I can hardly see them. That leaves Marsan and Patel. A Marsan nom would be great (how can they watch the film and not write down his name?), but would not surprise me all that much, same with Patel. Um.....Ledger, Downey, Jr., Hoffman, Patel, Brolin outside shot Marsan.

To be honest I will be watching live, expecting to very very disappointed come nomination day. No Batman, no Sally, no Marsan, no Leo, no Stanton no film to really get behind.
So wearing my heart on my sleeve is the only way I can get through it....I mean it is a nail biter ripe with disappointments isn't it?

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Dount
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire

alt: The Reader

Best Original Screenplay

Happy-Go-Lucky
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
Vicky Christina Barcelona
WALL-E
alt: In Bruges

The Best Actress Race

Anne Hathaway is the new Julia?

This picture certainly makes you think so. I mean my God, they could be sisters! Just look!
Well they could be, and Anne could be the next Julie box office queen, especially if she keeps up with taking roles in romantic comedies and flashing her star wattage smile. Rom Coms are always the fallback genre for actresses to gain popular appeal. It seems the populous en mass likes their leading ladies to be completed by a man.
Anywhooo… The danger with this is it is not a great path for a long term critically acclaimed career. If you do not believe me ask Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock.

Anne has ‘Bride Wars’ coming out with other Rom Com for lifer Kate Hudson, and now she has signed on to star in ‘The Fiance’.
The story is about a woman who postpones her wedding to her seemingly perfect fiancé so she can figure out who she is and what she wants from life. But her parents begin to meddle in her affairs, making it impossible for her to move on.

The film is being directed, however, by Burr Steers, the man behind ‘Igby Goes Down’….PHEW!
I am thinking this will hopefully be a more dramatic affair than I originally thought when I heard of by Etan Cohen’s (Tropic Thunder) involvement as screenwriter. With this, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Get Smart 2’ in her line up, I would really like to see some more dramatic work from Hathaway. I have not seen ‘Rachel Getting Married’ but I am sure she is fantastic in the film as every reviewer I trust has said so, and I loved her in ‘Brokeback Mountain’ so I know she has the chops.

Can she be the next Julia Roberts? Or do you think she is going to try and be clever and pick respected film makers to work with and do the occasional Rom Com to pay the bills?

Then again when you look like this we should be thankful you are gracing our screens.

"Rachel Getting Married" Trailer

Now this does look good. I was not really sure as for Anne Hathaway's Oscar chances until I have watched this, and now she, and the rest of the cast are looking like they will be serious contenders.

Anne Hathaway goes dancing

Anne Hathaway has joined the ensemble cast of Dancing With Shiva for Sony Classics.
Bill Irwin, Anna Deveare Smith, and the wonderful been-away-from-the-screen-for-far-too-long Debra Winger will also star in the Jonathan Demme-directed dark comedy.

For Shiva, Hathaway will play an ex-model who has been in and out of rehab and has just come home from an eight-month stay on the weekend of her sister’s wedding.

I am sure Anne can do a lot of research with for this. I can think a more than one child star who has had the spot light, only to end up publicly going off the rails and being forced into rehab….but opposed to the movie…I do not know if I can see a happy ending for Li Lo and Brits. Perhaps Hathaway can visit them for research?

Also, did you know Hathaway’s middle name is Whitney? Talk about being a child star and with a name with that legacy!!! Amazing she avoided a melt down!! (knock on wood).

Winger plays her mother. I am so happy to see her getting a higher profile role than she has been accustomed too. And lets hope this brings Demme a critical hit. The man has not impressed since “Silence of the Lambs” but that is a TOUGH follow up (very high up in my top 10).