Oscars 2011 Coverage - Wackadoo Magoo Makes a Surprise Appearance!

Get ready my few, yet loyal readers! Oscar Coverage 2011 is about to begin! I fully expect this to take all week, so bear with me. I'll be covering the winners, the losers, the fashion, my own fun-filled Oscar party, and I will try to decipher exactly what mix of pharmaceuticals Franco was smoking, snorting, or ingesting. Again, it may take me all week.

As discussed earlier, I truly love Oscar fashion and get excited to see exactly what the stars (or their stylists) have chosen for the red carpet. I focus mainly on women's fashion, because honestly, it's just more fun. To me, a tux is a tux, unless of course you're this handsome devil:

As you can clearly see in the closeup, Colin is sporting SPARKLY buttons. Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I am a sucker for the bling. Mr. Darcy made my night with his acceptance speech (more on that later this week), but truly won my heart with his event-appropriate, yet still manly, sparkle.

But onto the ladies! These are my best-dressed of the evening. Some of my choices are unconventional and I will explain my reasoning, so reserve judgment until you hear me out. Disagree violently? Let me hear it in the comments!

 

Might as well start with one of the most controversial! Cate Blanchett continually rides the cutting edge of fashion, and last night was no exception. I enjoyed this dress and loved that it was interesting, especially on a red carpet that overall played it safe. I think the details were interesting and the shape was lovely on her. One marine-minded participant at my own Oscar party compared her to a barnacle, which I can see to a certain extent, but I still contend that she was one of the best, and, at the very least, most interestingly dressed of the night.

Hailee Steinfeld looks like a wee princess in this dress. She told Seacrest that she had a hand in designing it and that comment completely took me back to my 14 year old self and is pretty much exactly what I would have wanted to wear at the Oscars at that age. It's age-appropriate, a lovely color for her skin tone, and I will bet you $37 that she twirled in that dress before leaving the house. That is totally a twirling dress, right?

Speaking of Seacrest, he did his darndest to get anything out of Michelle Williams on the red carpet. Maybe she wasn't in the mood to talk or maybe she just didn't want to talk to Ryan (who I'm convinced was standing on a box), but she came across as quite affected and uninterested. It's too bad, because if we were just given a shot of her in the dress I think it comes off quite well. The slim-fitting beaded column dress works well with the close-cropped bleach blond pixie cut that I only wish I could get away with. The photograph really doesn't do it justice, but it fit her frame and sense of style well.

I love this navy blue dress on Amy Adams. Again, noting my love of all things sparkle, this should not come as a surprise. A full sequined dress is right up my alley and this fits her perfectly.The high neck, cap sleeves, and slight flare add to the understated drama. I am purposely leaving out commentary on "the necklace of doom" until tomorrow. Just wait.

There was a lot of red on the red carpet this year and I thought Sandra Bullock pulled it off beautifully. Red is a good color for us brunettes and the simple, yet structured construction of the dress added to the sleekness of her look.

 

This Best Actress winner has been a fixture on the awards circuit this year for her dramatic, somewhat sociopathic turn in Black Swan. She's had some fashion ups and downs, but she clearly saved the best for the big show. That mommy-to-be glow also doesn't hurt either!

Much has been said already of Anne Hathaway's turn as Oscar host and I will definitely weigh in on it later in the week, but today I want to focus on my favorite of her many dresses. This strapless red number has interesting detail, is fit to perfection, and is accessorized beautifully.

I was very undecided about this dress for quite a while. After sleeping on it and paging through the online photo books of the red carpet, I've decided I like it. I did fear for Mila that she would be the first wardrobe malfunction of the evening, but apparently they make double sided tape stronger than they used to, so good for her! I think it's an interesting color on her and I like that it incorporates lace without verging into the Victorian era. No Anne of Green Gables jokes from me this time!

I know, I know! You're thinking to yourself, Sarah has finally lost it. All of the award shows this year have warped her mind and desensitized her to Wackadoo Magoo up there. Yes, Helena Bonham Carter (HBC to her confidantes) has her own style, which the polite will call unconventional and the snarky will call outright crazytown. Here's what I love about her - she does her own thing and is unapologetic about it. She clearly has fun with fashion and dresses for herself. She's not manufactured by a stylist and puts her own spin on the red carpet, which quite frankly was kind of a snoozeville last night.

Which leads me to the other end of the spectrum. Jennifer Lawrence was the first to arrive on the red carpet last night, and for me, no one could top her. I was blown away by the simplicity of the dress, the perfect hair and makeup, the minimal jewelry and the overall glow she exuded as a first-time nominee for her breakout role. Many have already criticized her for not blinging it up more, and I realize this is a shocker coming from me, but she doesn't need it. She has a rockin body in a perfectly fit dress that hits the red carpet at just the perfect length to be formal. She is my best-dressed.

Thoughts? Opinions? I want to hear them! This is the best part of the Oscars - everyone disagrees! That's what makes it fun.

I give this post 4 out of 5 Junior Mints

I don't even know where my love of movies came from. I think it gradually grew and really flourished in college, when I met Amanda, my movie soulmate. Amanda lived next door to me freshman year and continues to be one of my best friends. We bonded over botany, ebonics, and our shared love of movies and award shows. Maybe one day I'll tell you the story of botany and ebonics, but for today let's stick with movies. Amanda and I were constantly watching the lastest movies and also digging into the depths of film history to catch up on the classics. We eventually turned this love of film into a short writing career as film reviewers for the Rhodes newspaper where our rating scale consisted of Junior Mints (the ultimate movie candy, clearly) - if a movie got 5 Junior Mints it met all of our criteria.  It was a very short writing career.

It was during college that we started having Oscar parties and that tradition continues today. On the eve of Oscar weekend I thought I'd cover some of my favorite nominees from 2010. I don't always agree with the nominees or winners, but there are always some excellent performances and stories that get the recognition they so clearly deserve. These are the nominees that I'm just purely excited about this year, for different reasons. They may win, they may not, but I'll always remember them as some of my favorites of 2010. 

 

Christian Bale has been a favorite of mine for a long, long time. I loved him in Newsies and Little Women and have been impressed with the variety of roles he's tackled and the passion and skill he infuses into each character.  I think this nomination, his first, is long overdue and it's stories like his that frustrate me about the Academy. After being overlooked in films like Rescue Dawn and American Psycho, he's finally being recognized for the dedication he gives to each and every role. I mean, when you go from Picture A to Picture B up there, do you doubt the man's whole-hearted dedication to his craft?

Colin Firth has been another favorite of mine for years. As most girls with a slight fetish for Austen, I fell in love with him as Mr. Darcy in BBC's Pride and Prejudice. Although I actually prefer his performance in last year's "A Single Man", for which he was also nominated, I thought his portrayal of King George VI was nothing less than outstanding. He is the favorite in this category and mine as well.

I read about this documentary on my favorite movie blog, Pajiba. It's weird and surprising and questions what and who determines what is and isn't "art". It's completely fascinating and available on Netflix Instant - get on it. 

 

Hailee Steinfeld broke out this year as the 13 year old Mattie Ross in True Grit. She's impressed the film world with her gravitas, professionalism, and ability to hold her own against two major players, Matt Damon and Jeff Bridges. She's impressed me with her ability to not dress like a skank a la Miley Cyrus on the red carpet. 

I liked so many things about Inception - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, dreams within dreams within dreams, Marion Cotillard's wardrobe, Cillian Murphy deviating from his usual role as a psychopath, but most of all, the effects. If you haven't already, I highly recommend getting your hands on a dvd of Inception and watching the feature on how Christopher Nolan and his team pulled off the rotating hallway and other impressive effects in the film without the use of CGI. Truly fascinating.

 James Franco's had a busy year - he published a collection of short stories titled "Palo Alto"; is working on his Ph.D. at Yale and simultaneously taking classes at RISD; modeling for Gucci men's fragrance; is currently reprising his role on General Hospital as "Franco", a psychopathic artist; oh, and is hosting this year's Academy Awards alongside Anne Hathaway while also being recognized as a Best Actor nominee. I don't feel like a slacker at all. You?

John Hawkes, where have you been all my life!? This long-time character actor has evaded my notice for years until his incredible turn in this year's "Winter's Bone". As the main character's harsh, yet loyal uncle he completely blew me away. I think I was more excited about his nomination than any other, because it was unexpected, deserved, and I felt like the Academy got it right this time.

Which leads me to "Winter's Bone", my favorite film of the year. It's bleak, unrelenting, and authentic. Not so much a feel-good movie, but one of the best acted and directed films I saw in 2010. It introduced us to Jennifer Lawrence and, as mentioned previously, opened my eyes to the talents of John Hawkes. I love that it shows how far family will go for each other and the strength and character it takes to deal with difficult situations rather than run away from them, when that would be so much easier. It won't win on Sunday, but hopefully the exposure of the nomination will encourage others to see this small, but impactful independent film.

Who are your favorite nominees this year? Will you be watching on Sunday night?

What's so delicious about ambiguity?

So I've already gotten a couple of comments about the name of my blog. "Where does it come from? How did you come up with that? That's kind of cool, if a little odd. What is so delicious about ambiguity?" Well, I'll tell you. 

The phrase comes from my favorite quote. I'm kind of picky about quotes and use them sparingly and only when I feel they are extremely appropriate for the situation. But this one has stuck with me for a long time. I first saw it on a greeting card and have since framed it and hung it in my bathroom (as one tends to do with framed greeting cards). There are pieces of it that really resonate with me and who am I, but more importantly, challenge me. Here's the quote by Gilda Radner:

Some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, or end. 

Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next....delicious ambiguity.

 

I think this originally stood out to me because I like order and I wasn't incredibly fond of change. I resisted change for so long and in so many areas of my life. Ambiguity was not delicious, in fact, it was somewhat rancorous. I spent so much energy hanging onto people, things, ideas, and opinions that I either missed out on something new or smothered the life out of it. You know when you were a kid and you played tug of war in gym class and you were on the losing side and you really wanted to win because the winners got to go to the water fountain first? And you are pulling and pulling and pulling and you feel the momentum shifting to the other team, but you keep pulling anyways and you start to feel the fibers of your arms stretching as far as they can go and you're on your tip toes trying to stay in place and not take that first step that means imminent failure? It's with that kind of intensity that I resisted change.

Until it was thrust upon me. Everyone goes through life changing moments and I've had my share. It's through a series of these that I begrudgingly began to view change as a necessary part of life. And as I began to reap the benefits of some of these changes - the personal growth, the increased sense of self, the positive impact on personal relationships - I began to see it as something that wasn't threatening, but welcome. I finally got what Gilda was saying - you don't always know how life is going to turn out and that's ok. Be present. Be not only satisfied, but excited with where you are and where you've been. I'll be honest, I'm not always great at this, but I try. Real hard. 

 

Who knows where you're going or where your journey will take you, but won't it be fun to find out? Might even be delicious.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my Dad's birthday. I have a pretty great dad. He's supported me in anything I want to do, gave me a love of music, particularly choral music, introduced me to the world of science fiction through an early indoctrination via Star Trek, hooks up my entertainment system every time I move (which was often in the past 10 years), and loves me unconditionally. Doesn't get much better than that.

Happy Birthday Dad!

She wore WHAT?

Awards season is by far my favorite season. I love the recognition of excellent work in film, the inevitable Cinderella stories, celebrities celebrating themselves, the drunken acceptance speeches, the awkward jokes made by a celebrity who thinks he can host a major event, but mostly I love the fashion. It's true, I'm really into film and consider myself a pretty major movie geek, but these awards shows aren't really about who gave the best performance or which film deserves the most accolades. I feel like it's gotten so political that the results don't matter so much. But that soapbox is for another post. 


No, this post is about my true love of awards season - the fashion! I love the red carpet and all the crazy that comes with it. Joan Rivers is my all-time favorite red carpet host and she is sorely missed these days. She wouldn't hesitate for one second to completely blast a celeb. Priceless. But, on to the dresses! These are some of the Oscar dresses that I love and others that I love to hate. Regardless of whether you sigh in envy or outright gasp in horror when they walk down that red carpet, you've got to love a statement.

Julia Roberts in a vintage Valentino the year she won for Erin Brockovich. Classic.

This Francisco Costa dress failed to impress at first. And then Hilary turned around.

My favorite actress in my favorite color. Kate Winslet can do no wrong.

The Versace gown that inspired a barrage of imitators, who never pulled it off as well as Penelope Cruz.

Reese Witherspoon glowing in plum during what I like to call the "Nina Ricci phase"

Michelle Williams in my all-time favorite Oscar gown. I love the color, the cut and the unexpected lip color. It's a little different, a little off, but just enough to be completely stunning. The downside is that it makes me want to attempt to pull off this color. Not a good look for me, although I just keep trying. Onto the crazy/amazing!

Bjork in the infamous swan dress. Lady Gaga might have paraded down the red carpet at this year's Grammy's in an egg, but has she ever LAID ONE? Amateur.

Celine Dion, mayor of Crazytown in a backwards white suit. Just because you're wearing sunglasses doesn't mean we can't see you.

Demi Moore coming straight from a charity triathlon - at least that's what I choose to believe to excuse this monstrosity.

Everything about this is completely wrong from the too tight curls, the too long fringe - actually, the fringe at all - the lunchbox purse and the high neck. Kate Hudson usually looks great on the red carpet, but this one just fell completely flat.

Oh Gwynnie, I love you on Glee and even saw your crappy movie about drunk country singers who SPOILER ALERT! off themselves in one of the most cliched movie scenes ever, but this is truly inexcusable. The chicken cutlet goth look is not good on anyone. I'm glad we've moved past this.

Who knew Uma had endorsed Swiss Miss?

From one pale brunette to another, oh honey no. Jewel tones are your friend. So is a good strapless bra.

A Receptacle for Randomness

It's true what you hear. I've entered the world of blogging, oh about 8 years late. I've toyed with the idea for a while and was recently encouraged to do so by some friends. I was hesitant at first to engage in one more activity where I put my thoughts and opinions out into the world so readily, but thought, why the hell not? Maybe people actually want to know what's going through my head. So here's the first glimpse of how my thought processes work.

Reasons for Blogging (I like lists, get used to it)
1. A receptacle for randomness - I am a random person, some describe me as being on the "special crack" on occasion. I do things like kidnap a stuffed dog dressed as a reindeer on an adventure around my workplace and write an inappropriate children's book about it. I hide tiny ninja cutouts in my coworker's office. I like fashion, awards shows, and sparkly things just as much as science fiction. I have some pretty random dreams/thoughts/opinions that I sometimes feel like sharing/inflicting on others.

2. A creative outlet - I fashion myself to be a fairly creative person and since my bedazzler is broken I need something else to get my creative juices flowing.

3. My friends think I'm funny - to be honest, I think I'm funny too. Probably more than my friends do. Not that everything I write will be hilarious, but you can pretty much expect to be entertained, which leads to...

4. I enjoy entertaining others - I like to make people smile, make them laugh, add a little sparkle to their day. And if I can do that by telling a funny story or posting a picture or video, then that's even better. I like that blogging gives me a way to connect to several people at once and gives me the opportunity to impact all of them positively with minimal effort on my part!

5. Keeping in touch - I'm incredibly lucky to have some amazing people in my life and from different parts of my life. I've always had a lot of friends and it's a challenge to keep in touch. I know that I love reading others' blogs and hope that you will enjoy reading mine.

6. It's mandated by my quasi-generation - I realize that's an interesting fragment, so let's break it down. I was born in 1980, at the end of Generation X and on the cusp on Generation Y. This has led to somewhat of an identity crisis for me over the years. Where do I belong? Do I have a generation? I connect to both of them in certain ways. You can expect more musings on this in the future, but having jumped on the facebook and twitter bandwagons with a vengence this seems like the next logical step in revealing my inner-most thoughts to the whole wide world.

So what can you expect from this experiment in revelation? Honestly, who knows. Could be an observation I had while driving home, maybe a weird dream that I can't get out of my head. Could be a live-blog of an awards show or crappy Lifetime movie. Might be a random story or picture that I think will make you laugh. Every great once in a while there will be updates on what's going on in my life, but as much as I joke about inner-most thoughts, I typically like to leave those for personal conversations and out of the public forum. What I don't want this blog to become is a substitute for individual connection.

So read along, if you want. And if you ever get to the point where I annoy you or bore you, then stop reading. However, if I make you think, make you laugh, or piss you off, then we're just getting started.