Well folks, it has come and gone again. The annual event where we all gather around the television set to see what the celebs are wearing. What? You thought it was about the awards? The last time my attraction to the Oscars was about something other than women in glamorous dresses was when Return of the King was nominated for, and won, eleven academy awards. But then again I’m a geek, so what else would you expect.
This year was only slightly different than most years. No, I hadn’t seen any of the films up for Best Picture, and, yes, I was mostly watching to catch the fashions of the various actresses attending…but there was one film that I was particularly rooting for: Pan’s Labyrinth. And so, without further ado, the Stainless Steel Droppings Oscar Recap:
Props go out to Guilermo del Toro for winning 3 out of the 6 awards Pan’s Labyrinth was nominated for. In fact, it won the first two awards of the evening. Everything that went on after that was gravy for me. Pan’s Labyrinth won for Best Achievement in Art Direction, Best Achievement in Makeup, and Best Achievement in Cinematography. All were very deserving wins. I wish it would have won Best Foreign Language Film, despite the fact that I think The Lives of Others looks fantastic. It does a fantasy and foreign language film lover’s heart good to see del Toro and his crew acknowledged in this manner.
Enough of that, we’ll talk winners and losers a bit more later. After all, this is all about the dresses. Let me take this moment to apologize to the ladies. Men in tuxedos, while quite dapper, do nothing for me. I watch for the girls. What follows is the women/dresses that I thought were attractive. In searching for pictures I noticed that some of the ones that I liked were on people’s worst dressed lists…there is no accounting for taste. 😉 In no particular order:
Penelope Cruz is a beautiful woman who is not a particular favorite of mine. Her dress, however, was gorgeous. The detail on the bodice was 1950’s glamorous, and the bottom half looked so soft that you wanted to reach out and touch it. Normally these dresses with two very different sections are hideous, but the material in this one just made it look wonderful.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is a favorite of mine. She was so good in Stranger Than Fiction. Loved her very simple, yet elegant dress. The one-strap look was a big one at this year’s Academy Awards and by and large all the dresses with this feature looked very good. Hard to believe she recently had a baby. She looks fantastic!
Age be damned, I think Helen Mirren is hot! In addition to that she is an incredible actress. Very elegant dress. You can click on the above picture for a more detailed picture of the bodice. Congratulations to her on her win of Best Actress for The Queen. Though I have not seen the film, I have no doubt that she is deserving of the win.
Kate Winslet is another favorite. Simple, yet elegant dress. Another of the one should strap numbers that I think worked quite will. She looks very sophisticated.
Now for some of the controversial ones, the ones I liked but others didn’t:
I am somewhat biased, I admit, because I love Gwyneth Paltrow. I think she is absolutely gorgeous and I enjoy so many of her film roles. I like texture of this dress, the color, the slightly risque see through bodice, the various lines and layers. This is on some worst dressed lists, but I like it. You can click on the above picture for a larger picture of the bodice.
Here is another incident where my judgement is no doubt skewed simply because of my feelings about the actress. I really like this dress on Kirsten Dunst. At 24, she is still young enough to wear something that I think would look really bad on an older actress. Love the color, the blue/gray with the silver detail is fantastic. I like the diaphanous quality of the neckline. This has an old fashioned look that I find very attractive. I was thrilled that both Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire presented together…a not so subtle shout out to the comic book geeks out there!
Naomit Watts outfit is another that is on some worst dressed lists. I think she looks marvelous. She looks as much like Ann Darrow as ever. Rumors are that she is pregnant and certain angles of her in this dress might be seen as confirmation. I just think she looks fantastic. The dress, the hair, the bare shoulders, the stunning necklace. Old Hollywood glamour.
If you don’t think Jessica Biel is gorgeous you really need to watch The Illusionist again. Her hair alone in that film makes her the poster girl for bodice-ripping romance novels. I posted this picture not because I particularly love the dress, it is pretty, but mostly to demonstrate that despite being much more covered up that some of the actress, Ms. Biel leaves little to the imagination. Demonstrating that it was indeed a bit chilly outside, one has to think that Jessica Biel hasn’t invested her money wisely if she cannot afford undergarments.
And last but not least, how could I not post a picture of Abigail Breslin?
She was just darling and watching her last night makes me want to see Little Miss Sunshine all the more. Her awards presentation with Will Smith’s son last night was one of the more humorous parts of the evening. They were both so cute. I wish she would have won just so that I could have heard her acceptance speech.
That’s it for the pictures. Thoughts? Well, having not seen many of the nominated films I was pleased that the awards were spread out among them. I am happy for Martin Scorsese being recognized. I have no idea if he deserved it, but he seemed genuinely tickled to have won. I was happy for both Jennifer Hudson and Forest Whitaker, again because they seemed sincerely stunned and excited about their wins.
Was it just Mary and I, or did anyone else think there was going to be another Janet Jackson episode during the Dreamgirls song performance? With the dress she was wearing, Jennifer Hudson’s breasts were like twins fighting for release. Or, for the sports minded, it was liking a basketball dribbling contest. We were just sure at least one of her girls was going to come flying right out of the top of that dress. Ogling aside, that girl can flat out sing! I get some sort of perverse joy out of American Idol losers succeeding above and beyond the winners. Don’t know why, but I do.
Haven’t seen An Inconvenient Truth and am not sure what I feel about global warming. I thought Al Gore was hilarious, though, and I was pleased with how he was able to present the issue in a non-partisan way. Well done, Mr. Gore.
I thought Ellen DeGeneres did a fabulous job and I really liked the people who performed the shadow displays behind the screen, can’t remember the troupes’ name. As always I was moved by the remembrance of those who passed away during the previous year, mourning the loss of some great classic actors and actresses.
Overall it was an enjoyable experience. Did you watch or weren’t you interested? I admit to reading during the show, but I paid enough attention to get my money’s worth out of the proceedings. Will be interested in your thoughts/impressions and am ready to take a beating for the dresses that I liked. Happy Monday, everyone!
I loved Kirsten Dunst’s dress! The color was awesome 🙂
Helen Mirren’s dress was gorgeous, too.
You really should see An Inconvenient Truth…especially cause you’re a dad. Amazing movie!
I thought Beyonce Knowles was drop-dead gorgeous last night. Wow! And I think I’m going to pick up the “Dreamgirls” soundtrack based on the song medley. I was sorry that Peter O’Toole lost–now eight nominations and no award! But his reaction to Forrest Whittaker being announced was kind of sad. He clearly thought he was going to win, and his face just dropped. But there weren’t too many surprises this year–I expected Alan Arkin to win, but I didn’t expect to see Melissa Etheridge beating the odds and taking an Oscar. Overall, it was a lot better than the last Oscar show I watched, which was when “MIllion Dollar Baby” nabbed Best Picture. And before that, I hadn’t watched since the year “The English Patient” won Best Picture.
I was happy for Melissa as well. She has a really cool style and her wife is so beautiful. I’ve always like her singing.
Beyonce did look good. I was also sorry for Peter. I hadn’t seen the movie he was in though so I probably would’ve been cynical and thought he won out of pity if he did win. It was a lose-lose situation in some sense. He’ll probably get a lifetime achievement award next year.
Great review of the show! I also thought Gwenyth Paltrow’s dress was great. As soon as I saw her I thought, now that’s beauty. Kirsten Dunst looked great too. I loved the fact that her and Tobey presented together.
I feel the same as you about Peter O’Toole. He deserves an Oscar. He’s such a great, classic actor, but if they would’ve given it to him this year, it would’ve seemed like a pity vote.
I would’ve liked to see Pan’s Labyrinth take home best original score and best foreign language film, but I’m so happy that it got what it did!
A very retro look for most girls this year. (don’t hate me, but I’m with the anti-Gwyneth and Kirsten dresses…)
I need to see the show. Withdrawal has now definitely kicked in.
I suspect some of the dresses that made to people’s worst-dressed lists probably are gorgeous in person but may not photograph well. I love that there seems to be a trend back to more elegant clothing. Loved Reese Witherspoon’s dress!
Not hating at all Anne, I’ve been expecting some disagreement with my choices and I appreciate your polite opposition to my position. I would’ve appreciated it just as much had you said I was blind and had no taste! 😉
I wish Pan’s had won score as well. Who am I kidding, I thought it was deserving in all 6 categories.
Reese’s was nice…she’s lost a bit too much weight though, her normally noticeable chin was almost like a ventriloquist dummy last night. She needs just a bit of that baby fat back in her face.
Speaking of weight, Debbie Matenapolous (can’t be bothered to look up the correct spelling) on E’s pre-Oscar coverage looked like a skeleton wearing a blond wig and red dress. Made me sick to my stomach to look at her. When are women going to get the picture that this is not an attractive look. Ugh!
James and I turned it off before the end and went to bed. I did see all the dresses above. How do you make a worst dressed list? Everyone looked lovely. I am surprised you don’t have a picture up of Nicole. She is always stunning, as is Gwyneth.
I am sorry we missed the Dream Girls act. We were thrilled to see Jennifer Hudson win. She was a definite favorite of ours on American Idol. I am also sorry we didn’t see her boob action. Boobs were the joke of the evening. That would have been HILARIOUS!!!!
Speaking of funny. . . I love Ellen DeGeneres. Her humor never fails to crack me up.
You guys shouldn’t have had such a late night the evening before, Jules. Should’ve thrown your company out earlier! 🙂
I honestly didn’t like Nicole’s dress which is the reason that she wasn’t up there. Which was disappointing because she is usually my number one best-dressed celeb at these shindigs. It wasn’t bad, its just that she has done so much better in the past. I was really surprised to see how tall Daniel Craig is. He was standing next to her and they were almost the same height, and she had heels on.
Sorry you missed the boob action as well. I forgot to mention how much I also liked the Will Ferrell/Jack Black song. Very funny.
I was on and off the phone all night, so I missed some of the banter, but I did catch most of the red carpet walking, and agree with many of your stunning choices. I’m not a Penelope fan, but that dress was fabbbbulous. Kate Winslet is the pinnacle of style, in my opinion. Maggie Gyllenhaal is hot and looked nice, but she somehow always manages to pick dresses that make her boobs look like they reside a little too near the waist. Oh, and I loved Kirsten’s dress, too, and I generally want to kick her in the face with a golf shoe.
Andi, you’re right about alot of Maggie’s dress choices. She was so sexy in Stranger Than Fiction…of course that look wouldn’t translate to the Oscar crowd very well.
I can’t say that the dresses held any interest for me, and I lost ALL interest when Pan’s Labyrinth didn’t win best foreign language film. What a crock. It should have also won best screenplay and best score. I was glad to see Forest Whitaker win. Other than that I couldn’t have cared less.
At least Ellen did a good job as host.
I’m going to have to see Lives of Others before I can honestly say that Pan’s was robbed. Pan’s was wonderful, I obviously loved it as can be seen in my review, and although I am disappointed, I can’t make an honest assessment until I see Lives, which is a film I am very interested in seeing.
Thanks for the review Carl. I missed all of the show–well, I didn’t watch it, but I don’t know as I missed it. You had me laughing out loud about with your comments on Jessica Biel. Perhaps that wasn’t the best choice for her.
Several of your actress favorites are mine as well – and yes, Helen Mirren is hot (have you ever seen Caligula?). I’m glad I wasn’t the only one distracted by Jennifer Hudson’s breasts – she definitely needed better support.
I haven’t seen any of the movies yet, but Babel, Pan’s Labyrinth and The Queen are all on my ‘must see’ list – but they were before the Oscars.
Nicole was stunning again in my opinion. Cameron Diaz I thought also had a great dress but her hair was a mess and I think she should switch back to the blonde look. I also liked Kristin’s and Gwyenth’s dresses too.
Speaking of Maggie Gyllenhaal, the movie Stranger Than Fiction is out on DVD tomorrow and I recommend at least renting it if you haven’t seen it. Wonderful movie.
There is no way I would ever miss the Oscars. I have an Oscar party every year. I agreed with all of your choices of dresses and can’t believe some are on the “worst dressed” list. I especially liked Helen Mirren’s and what a change for Reese Witherspoon from last year. I was glad they finally gave an Oscar to Scorscese(?), but I wanted Babel to win Best Picture. I had watched it the night before and it was incredibly well done, especially the two women who were nominated for supporting roles. I love the Oscars!
I was flipping back and forth all night. I think I may have missed some of the best stuff (Jack Black song). I liked Reese’s dress & Naomi’s dress. Ellen was hilarious – the only reason I really wanted to watch. There was an added bonus, though, of seeing quite a few camera shots of Mark Wahlberg – hotty!
You can find the Will Ferrel/Jack Black song online, I think You Tube has it.
Carl! Love you, love this post! I agree with all of your pics.
I thought Helen Miram looked the best. her dress was PERFECT and she looked flawless.
I have the same opinion of Kirstin, I love her so much she has to really screw up for me to admit it, I thought the dress worked for her.
I think Maggie G. is the cutest thing but my hubby disagrees…
Reese’s chin was lookin witchy and I much prefer her in lighter warmer colors.
I liked everything about Gwenneth’s dress except for the bodice (sorry).
I thought Naomi looked great in that color and loved her dress.
I thought J-Lo’s dress was God awful.
Jennifer Hudson looked too floppy (keep the girls saddled sweetie) she”ll learn.
Ellen can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned.
I thought Forest Whitaker’s speech was the best one of the night.
Did not like Nicole Kidman’s dress, it looked like she had a huge red tumor on her back. Also, she looks plastic in the face.
Ya gotta see Little Miss Sunshine. Hysterical.
I plan on seeing Little Miss Sunshine soon. Its up high on the Netflix queue.
How can your husband not think Mags is cute? Has he seen her in Stranger Than Fiction? She is a bit of an uncoventional looker, but I think she is great. Her and Zooey Deschanel are two of the most interesting looking cute actresses around today.
Picked up Marie Antoinette today to add to my Kirsten Dunst collection. Haven’t seen it but have heard opinions from people whose taste I trust and know I’m going to like this one.
Thanks for the kind words and the detailed responses, Sheri. As long as your hubbie thinks you’re a cutie I guess we can let his other opinions slide. 😉
Update: Speaking of Zooey Deschanel, here is a picture of her at the post-Oscar Vanity Fair party. I know most would think her look is bad, but I LOVE this. It reminds me of an outfit they would wear on the Jetsons and she looks so cute in it. Only someone as eclectic as ZD could pull this off. Great! I am so disappointed that her songs aren’t on the Terabithia soundtrack.
Nice recap, Carl. I thought Little Miss Sunshine was one of the funniest movies I’ve seen — ever. I fell asleep before Whittaker one. The Last King of Scotland was a flawed movie — there were parts of it that just didn’t make any sense at all — but Whittaker was astounding as the charming but maniacal Amin. A stunning portrayal that deserved the Oscar. I thought Venus was a good movie, although a bit creepy, but I can’t say that I thought Peter O’Toole’s role was oscar-worthy. I think he did get a life time achievement award a few years ago but I could be mistaken. I did wonder, though, while watching who did beat O’Toole for the Oscar when he was nominated for Lawrence of Arabia (his best role ever, maybe one of the best roles for all actors). So I looked it up: In a year where Lawrence of Arabia won just about every award there was, O’Toole lost to Gregory Peck for To Kill a Mockingbird — another truly great film. That would have been a difficult choice to make.
Yes, Peck was incredible in To Kill A Mockingbird, that would have been a hard choice, indeed.
Amazingly, I actually have seen most of the movies nominated in all the various categories. But I just didn’t feel compelled to watch the awards. No real surprises this year.
Thank you for the re-cap Carl. We missed the awards and forgot to set the timer to record it.
I am very glad you included the dresses in your review as that is the part I enjoy the most.
You seriously should be a ‘Red Carpet’ reporter!
You are by far the best I have heard.
I’d be a bad red carpet reporter, Paula…I’d drool all over my favorite actresses and no doubt embarrass myself tremendously. 😉
LOL,
I don’t of any men who wouldn’t drool all over those beautiful dresses and the actresses in them, but at least it would be fun.
I am glad Pan’s Labyrinth got some awards!
It was such an awesome film!