2010 Academy Awards

Finally, the 2010 Oscars have arrived! Since I was little, Oscar Night has always been a big deal for my mom and me. Trust me, there's a system. We each have our lists of nominees - which we carefully make our own predictions of who we think will win. We have our pens locked and loaded for our note-taking during the pre-show for what we loved and hated about WHO'S wearing WHAT on the red carpet. It was pretty upsetting when we realized that our Oscar Night tradition wouldn't be the same once I moved to SC, but we've managed to make it work! Although I get to enjoy them with my hubby, my mom and I speed-dial eachother every, single commercial break to talk about what just happened! Ohh, I love my momma!

I thought I'd take this opportunity to blog about my Red Carpet LIKES and DISLIKES & highlights from last night's Academy Awards:

DISLIKES

Zoe Saldana in Givenchy -- This dress could have potential, without the gigantic slit up the front. The explosion of ruffles at the bottom made the dress look stiff and difficult to move in.

Sarah Jessica Parker in Chanel -- Chanel, yes. Going for couture and style, maybe. All SJP acheived was the look of an oversized pillocase and frizzy hair. One of the worst.

Mariah Carey in Valentino -- I'm not sure if it's the neckline, the brooche or what, but this dress reminds me of 1994. I doubt she means to, but a lot of times, I think her dresses make her look like a football player. Her stylist should direct her to something more flattering..

Kathy Ireland -- Not even sure what she's wearing. Kathy was the highlight of our jokes for the Red Carpet. What is this woman's problem?! For some reason, she was hosting some of the the Red Carpet interviews. She was awkward, stiff and kept posing like a mannequin! Her hair was drab, and as far as her dress goes - it doesn't.

Amanda Seyfried in Armani Prive! -- This was another dress I wanted to like, but it was too stiff and had a strange resemblance to bubble wrap. Plus, the color totally washed her out. Bummer.

Kate Winslet in Yves Saint Laurent -- I absolutely love Kate, but definitely didn't care for her dress. A little to armor-esque for me. I especially disliked the gathering on front of her skirt (was it even 2 pieces?), it just didn't seem flow together at all. Her hair and makeup were flawless.

Meryl Streep in Chris March -- Meryl is one of my ALLTIME favorites, but c'mon! Long sleeves? Not only did this dress make her look older, but the length, the sleeves.. I really didn't like anything about this dress. The neckline was O.K. Her hair didn't make up for much. She's always so happy, so I'm happy! I love you, Meryl!

Charlize Theron in Dior Couture -- Ah, I love Charlize as well.. But really did not like this look. Two petals as the focal point of her breasts? Blah. Great color, but the dress was not her best.

George Clooney & girlfriend, Elisabetta Canalis -- I don't know if anyone else noticed, but George was in desperate need of a haircut. Holy crud! His girlfriend, Elisabetta was pretty unfriendly (maybe unable to speak English? But atleast smile!) and her dress not only made her breasts look pointy, but whatever she was wearing under her dress was lumpy and very visable. It was so hard to miss.. I heard her zipper broke before they were on the carpet, and George was quite the DIY-man and sewed it up for her. What a guy! I'm annoyed with him though.. More about that later.

LIKES

Kristen Stewart in Monique Lhuillier -- I love that she kept her edge but played with glam. I love the neckline, the color, everything.

Vera Farmiga in Marchesa -- More than anything, I loved the color. The ruffles were a bit much, but somehow, Vera managed to pull it off. I will say that some at some angles, the dress made her appear wider than she was. Overall, she looked really beautiful.

Jennifer Lopez in Giorgio Armani Privé -- On the carpet, this dress was a lot more lilac. My first reaction was WOW! The more I look at it, I am back and forth on the texture. I am sure others will disagree, but I will admit I like this. I enjoyed the abstract neckline and the fullness of the dress. We all know JLo doesn't need it, but I loved it on her. Her hair was a different story.

Elizabeth Banks in Versace -- Everything about her was fabulous. Her sparkly headband, her soft blue organza dress. I totally loved it.

Diane Kruger in Chanel -- I've heard a few negatives about this look, but I loved it. Chanel can be kind of hit or miss (just look at SJP!), but I adored this mix of ruffles and pleats.. I think it was perfect for Diane, plus I thought it even complimented her role in "Inglorious Basterds".

Cameron Diaz in Oscar de la Renta -- SO classy! Everything about this look is fabulous.

Demi Moore in Versace -- Oh my word. Can Demi look any younger?! This dress was my favorite. I love the layering, the ruffles, the colors.. Absolutely incredible. Hair and makeup, gorgeous. The only thing missing.. Where's hubby, Ashton??

Miley Cyrus in Jenny Packham -- First, why is Miley Cyrus at the Oscars? Uhh, shouldn't she be cheesin' it up at the Disney Awards?? Ugh! Since she was there, and I actually loved her dress, here are my thoughts: Her dress was one of my favorites. It drives me nuts because I can't stand Gums-Man-Voice McGee as it is, and she managed to slouch ALL night in that beautiful gown. Did anyone else see her creepy, angel-wing-tatooed mom kiss Ryan Seacrest on the cheek? What's up with that?! So wierd. Back to the dress.. I love it. Hair, makeup, and jewelry I have to admit, well done. She's trying to look way older than she is, but whatever.

Rachel McAdams in Elie Saab Haute Couture -- This dress and color was perfect for Rachel. It was romantic and one of the few prints on the carpet that WORKED. Love it.

I have to say I'm a little bummed to hear Barabra WaWaWalters is ending her Oscar's Special on her 29th year. Why not end on her 30th? She says "30 years is just too many". Interesting. Her special guests were Mo'Nique (nominated for Best Supporting Actress for "Precious") and Sandra Bullock (nominated for Best Lead Actress for "The Blind Side"). I (like most others who watched) was pretty grossed out when Mo'Nique admitted that she liked to go el-naturale by choosing not to shave her legs.. as well as choosing an open marriage with her hubby, by claiming it was "wasn't cheating if they slept with other people as long as they were honest about it". I never knew much about her before, but I definitely know more about her now. I really wanted to see "Precious" when it was in theaters and I still plan on seeing it.. it looks like it deserves all of the awards it nominated for and won. Sandra Bullock has always been one of my faves and she was funny as I expected.. joking around with Barbara and talking about her competition with Meryl Streep. Good stuff!

This year, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin hosted the show and I thought it was OK. The comedy seemed a little forced.. Kinda boring actually. To be honest, I like Steve Martin.. I think Alec is a teeny overrated (can't STAND 30 Rock) but I was excited to see them hosting. Their whole beginning chunk of comedy went something like this: "Hey! There's Meryl Streep [cameras pointing at Meryl].. She did a movie about this.. blah blah.. She was great.. " Then, "Hey! Did you guys see Matt Damon?? [cameras to Matt, jokes about Matt]" etc. etc. It kept going on..jumping around from celebrity to celebrity - at one point, I looked at Justin and said, "How long are they going to keep doing this for??" It just seemed kinda, ehh.. That's the best they can do?? Then they get to George Clooney, who was clearly not having ANY of it and he gave the dirtiest look, refused to smile.. and it was actually pretty funny because Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin just stared him right back down for it! I don't know why George had to have such a crabby attitude, maybe because he had to do some sewing pre-show for his girlfriend's dress? Who knows. Have a heart though, Georgy boy. You're on TV, and you look like a meat-head refusing to smile. As for Steve and Alec? I give them an A for effort.. that's about it.

I thought the stage seemed kinda low-budget this year.. I don't know why. I guess it just didn't seem glam/classy/Oscar/Academy Award Night to me at all.. Who knows. The sound was really poor too. Static and feedback throughout.. Did anyone else get that?? Oh well. It was still Oscar Night, and I love Oscar Night, so I was happy anyway!

A few highlights from the night...

Nominated for Best Leading Actor:

George Clooney in "Up in the Air"

Colin Firth in "A Single Man"

Morgan Freeman in "Invictus"

Jeff Bridges in "A Crazy Heart" - Won

Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker"

Nominated for Best Supporting Actor:

Matt Damon in "Invictus"

Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger"
Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station"
Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones"
Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds" - Won

Nominated for Best Leading Actress:
Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side" - Won
Helen Mirren in "The Last Station"
Carey Mulligan in "An Education"

Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious"
Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia"

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress:
Penélope Cruz in "Nine"
Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air"
Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart"
Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air"
Mo'Nique in "Precious" - Won

Nominated for Best Director:
James Cameron - "Avatar"
Kathryn Bigelow - "The Hurt Locker" - Won
Quentin Tarantino - "Inglorious Basterds"
Lee Daniels - "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"
Jason Reitman - "Up in the Air"

Nominated for Best Film Editing:
"Avatar"
"District 9"
"The Hurt Locker" - Won
"Inglorious Basterds"
"Precious"

Nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year:
"Avatar"
"The Blind Side"
"District 9"
"An Education"
The Hurt Locker" - Won
"Inglorious Basterds"
"Precious"
"A Serious Man"
"Up"
"Up in the Air"

I assumed that "Avatar" was going to sweep through and win win win, but they didn't! It was nominated for 9 and left with 3 wins. "The Hurt Locker" was also nommed for 9 and ended up winning 6 awards (most for the night), and "Inglorious Basterds" was up for 8 and left with just the 1 win.

I'm glad we were able to see "The Hurt Locker" a few nights before The Oscars, so we knew what all the hype was about.. I thought it was pretty good.. I can see why it won all of the directing, editing, mixing, etc. awards, but I dunno about "Best Picture". It didn't have much of a plot -- I would have loved to see "The Blind Side" or "Precious" win (even though I haven't seen "Precious" yet). Oh well.. It was a good movie, overall.

So, there ya have it. My thoughts on the Red Carpet, Nominations and Wins. Every year, my mom and I enter for bleacher-seats at the Oscars, but so far it just hasn't been our year. Guess we'll just cross our fingers for 2011!

xo

Photo Sources:

Oscar.com
FabSugar
TVGuide
Just Jared