Oscars Review 2011

Did we all survive the Oscars?  As much as I enjoy {parts of} the Oscars, I am very glad for recorded television, which allows me to fast forward through all the bits that are boring {about 75% of the show}.

So, the young and hip hosts?  I thought Anne Hathway was trying way too hard.  It was actually painful to watch her through the whole broadcast.  And I thought James Franco had his moments, but sometimes he looked like he really didn't want to be there.  I liked the surprise of Billy Crystal, but I was sad by how old he looks.  There were a couple of laugh out-loud moments {the auto-tuned musicals was a good one}, but overall meh.  I got to see Colin Firth win {and be charming as he did so} and catch a Footloose and Kevin Bacon reference, so that's good enough for me.

Now for the important stuff - the clothes.  I wasn't blown away by anything this year, but there were a handful of good gowns.  The main trend seemed to be sparkle, with some ladies going for sparkle paired with a nude hue.  Some of my favorite looks were Sandra Bullock, Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett {a definite fashion risk but I liked it}, and Hailee Steinfeld.  I also liked Florence Welch's performance gown.  Anne Hathaway had an excuse for wearing multiple gowns, but I only really liked the gold beaded one.  As for the fellas, Justin Timerlake rocked his tux {of course}, and I thought Andrew Garfield pulled out an old-school Hollywood look that was very nice.

My top three favorites are below, starting with my number one pick {please note that I borrowed all pictures from Just Jared's site}:

1) Michelle Williams - I love clean lines and simplicity.  She sparkles without going overboard.  I thought Michelle's dress was gorgeous, as was her overall look.  She may not have gotten the statuette, but she looked incredible.

2) Natalie Portman - It cannot be easy to find a great gown, but then to try to find one you can wear while pregnant?  Because of her choice for the Golden Globes, I was worried about what Natalie would wear.  But I think she looked beautiful in a gown with a rich color and simple but elegant details. 

3) Helen Mirren - Once again, Dame Helen shows us younger gals how it's done.  This dress is stunning and simple.  The color is perfect, neither dated nor trendy.  The accessories finish the look beautifully.  My only complaint are the sleeves.  They're not horrible, but a little less poof would have been better in my opinion.

Your thoughts?  Did I miss anyone you thought looked worthy of a mention?

A Regular Night Being the Favorite Aunt

And I couldn't love it more.  Or them.

Marie - A Study by Dude

For a 5 year old, I think he has real potential.

Friday Thoughts

I'm sorry, I'm sorry.  I have no good excuse for not posting for 2 weeks.  I'm sorry.  But I also don't have much to share today, so I'll just leave you with some random Friday thoughts:

• Super excited for the Oscars this weekend - James Franco as a {hopefully} funny and charming host, {most assuredly}an adorable acceptance speech by Colin Firth and plenty of gown-gazing.  It will be lovely.
• Some day I will be brave enough to shave my head.  But not today.
• I always say that kindness is the best trait people can have, but sometimes I wonder if I'm too kind.  Hard to explain, but I think I need to be a bit more abrasive sometimes.
• Pretty sure I'm going to party with Youngest Sister and her family sometime soon.  Yeah for that!
• I had a super awesome friend surprise me this week with a visit to my office with a yummy treat for me.  Made my day.
• My friends' Oscars party is next weekend, and I have a divine gown and gloves to wear {don't worry - I'll share picures}.  Now I just need to nail down hair and make-up.  So excited.
• Lucas North {aka - Richard Armitage on MI-5} has reentered my life.  And I am so enjoying it.
• I get to have dinner tonight with some great friends who I've known for a long time but don't get to see very often.  I think it's a great way to kick off my weekend.

Enjoy your weekend, all.

My Odd Relationship

I know I've said in a previous post that I'm not always a fan of Valentine's Day.  It has nothing to do with a horrible man who's broken my heart or never having anything good happen.  As a kid, I loved Valentine's Day.  It meant having a party at school with candy and treats and delivering cards to everyone in their wonderfully decorated shoeboxes.  Heck, one year I even got a card from Ryan Stuetzer!  Yeah, he was the hot item in 4th grade.

And even as an adult, I've been able to have fun on this holiday.  I kind of had a boyfriend one year {we had just started dating}.  He gave me flowers and jewelry!  It was so nice.

But.  I have had enough odd experiences with Valentine's Day to make me not love it as much as say Halloween.  Or Flag Day.  Why is that you ask?  Well, I've compiled some evidence to help you understand.  Read on to find out.

#1 - My freshman year at college was my first Valentine's Day away from home.  It really wasn't a big deal to me, but my sweet mom wanted to make sure I felt some love that day.  So, she put together a little package of treats for me to enjoy.  I don't remember what was included exactly - some candy, a card - but I do remember the little stuffed animal.  It was a monkey about the size of your hand that would squeal and squawk when you pushed its belly.  Pretty cute.  Until I noticed the tag that said "For Your Pet."  Yep, that's right.  My mom had sent me a dog toy for Valentines.  I'm sure she had no idea, but I'll never forget it.

#2 - My semester in England was my first Valentine's Day outside of the country.  That weekend happened to coincide with our family stays.  Our university asked local families to sponsor a student or two for a weekend so that we could get a feel of real British family life.  I went to Portsmouth with my friend Kirsten, and we stayed with the nicest couple who had married later in life and had no children, just a couple of cats.  The day we left happened to be Valentine's Day, so we sort of combined our thank you gift with a Valentine's present.  This adorable couple also presented us with a Valentine's gift.  It was so unexpected and so sweet that we were very touched.  And then we opened the card - "Love, Muffin and Mr. Darcy."  That's right.  The gift was not from the cute couple but from their cats.

#3 - My first Valentine's Day when I got asked out on a Valentine's date was not quite what I'd expected it to be.  A couple of years ago I came home with my roommate from a day of shopping and/or other fun.  My next-door neighbor greeted us as we got out of the car and said she had something for me that had been left by a visitor.  It was some homemade contruction paper hearts and some food.  Together the hearts awkwardly proclaimed some interest in me and asked me out for Valentine's Day {via some check boxes - Yes or No}.  The food was an old red apple and a can of Mountain Dew Code Red.  Looking at all of it, my first thought was that some 12 year old boy had developed a crush on me.  Nope.  It was all from a gentleman in the neighborhood who was at least 10 years my senior.  Yep.  So, I promptly called the fellow, thanked him for the gift and told him no thank you.  Then I got off the phone and did the 'Ick!  Ick!  Ick!' dance while my roommate laughed.

This year we're having a bake-off at work, and then I get to have some fun with some great friends.  So, I think this will be a good year.  But if I have another, well, odd one, I'll be sure to let you know.

Things That Make Your Heart Go 'Squee!' Part IV

I just made one of the best discoveries ever - one of my favorite actors with one of the best voices ever {EVER!} reading my favorite sonnet.  I experienced quite a Squee! listening to this.



Anyone who says poetry is not sexy has definitely not experienced it in the right way.

Things That Make Your Heart Go 'Squee!' Part III

My all-time favorite movie ending is the very last part of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" with Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor.  I think it's romantic and sexy and wonderful and perfect.  But alas, no one has uploaded it on YouTube, and I don't know how.  Sigh. 

So, you get something else wonderful instead.  This is a lovely tribute video of Paul Newman, one of the best-looking men ever, showing clips of him from some of his movies.  But as the creator of the video states, "Even though he co-starred with many beautiful women, he only had eyes for his wife of 50 yrs. Joanne."  And so the only woman you'll see in these clips is her.  And to me nothing makes my heart go 'Squee!' more than someone being true to and adoring me my whole life.



If you have never seen a Paul Newman movie, go right now and get one.  Now.  Seriously.  I recommend the above mentioned, as well as "The Long Hot Summer" or "Cool Hand Luke."

So, readers, what are some of your favorite romantic movies, scenes, or fellas to look at?  What makes your heart go 'Squee!'?

Things That Make Your Heart Go 'Squee!' Part II

If I ever get the chance to really fall in love, I hope I get to do it in New York City.  Partly because I am already in love with that city, but partly because so many great movies take place there.  And they have all led me to believe that love is even better in the Big Apple.

Case in point - "When Harry Met Sally."  I have come to enjoy this movie more and more through the years because a) it's super funny b) Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are absolutely adorable together and c) they don't really fall in love until they've known each other for many years.  As someone who's a bit *cough* older, I like the idea that I may already know the fella I'm going to end up with, but we just haven't realized it yet.  I also like the idea, far-fetched as it may be, that he'll be as funny as Harry.

And how can you not love this ending? 



I think the best part is him pointing out how he loves the weird/quirky things about her.  Because, as another {not quite as good} movie points out, you "can't love people in slices."

Things That Make Your Heart Go 'Squee!'

I am a romantic.  I am not, however, always a fan of Valentines Day.  But as that holiday is quickly approaching and romantic things are swirling all around, I felt inspired to share some of my favorite scenes from movies that involve romance/love/happiness/good-looking men.

Today's selection is a classic, in my humble opinion.  I adore Audrey Hepburn {and really, what sort of heartless person doesn't?}, and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is one of my favorite movies that she's in.  A lot of people remember the movie for the wonderful clothes that she wears or the horribly, politically-incorrect portrayal of a Japanese man, but what I love about the movie is the ending.  Holly, Audrey's character, spends the whole movie trying to get herself a wealthy man to take care of her, even though she falls in love with the poor writer, Paul {played beautifully by George Peppard}. 

In this, the final scene, she's taking a cab, about to leave for South America to marry a rich man she doesn't love.  She's trying to convince Paul {and herself} that she really doesn't need anyone {or anything - that's why she throws Cat out}.  And then, we get this:



Swoon.  Squee.  I love it.

Stay tuned for more tomorrow.