2010 Oscar Night—Red Carpet Complete

This time around James Cameron hadn’t had the chance to say that he is the king of the world and of the entire galaxy! His ex wife (who looked pretty much like a Na’vi herself—the woman is TALL!!) swept all the major awards with the war film The Hurt Locker—for best directing (the first time a woman director receives it) and for best picture. The Hurt Locker is the lowest grossing film of all the films that have won Best Picture in the past. So Cameron eat your heart out!

The Hurt Locker wins Best Picture

I guess the Academy isn’t ready yet to give the best picture award to a Science Fiction film. The SF films over the years have been the Cinderella of the Oscars, never being nominated for best picture, even though masterpieces like Blade Runner or Matrix surely needed recognition beyond the technical awards (the nerdy awards how some chick on the red carpet called them).

The Best Actor in a Supporting Role was Christoph Waltz in Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds and Moni’que won for her Supporting Role in Precious.
As expected, Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock won as Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actress respectively. “Atta boy!” that is what Jeff Bridges told one interviewer that his deceased father Lloyd would have said about his nomination. Sandy showing that she really is a good sport just days before picked up the Razzie Award for worst actress for her performance in All about Steve.

The presenting duo, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin haven’t blown my mind with their funniness. Maybe they should have asked Conan O’Brien to host the Oscars! He was free! (poor thing; I am considering these days to start an account on twitter to follow Conan and his amazing conversations with the squirrels in his back yard!). He did a great job hosting the Emmy Awards in 2002 and 2006!

The John Hughes in memoriam brought on the stage the stars of The Breakfast Club and tears in the eyes of those who grew up in the eighties. I both enjoyed and got freaked out by the horror movies retrospective (it was like 4 in the morning here in Italy while I was watching).

Other highlights of the evening were a blue Na’vi costumed Ben Stiller (tail and all) giving an award for best Make Up. The sketch originally included Borat’s Sacha Baron Cohen but the producers of the Oscars were afraid that James Cameron would have felt offended and would have stormed out of the Kodak Theatre during the ceremony. The intense director is not known to have a self-deprecating sense of humor.

The funniest moment of the evening came when Tim Robbins along with Colin Farrell, Michelle Pfeiffer, Vera Farmiga and Julianne Moore had to say a few words to praise the Best Actor Nominees. Tim Robbins said that at the end of filming Shawshank Redemption, Freeman talked to him about the value of friendship: “Being a friend is getting the other a cup of coffee. Can you do that for me TED?”.

And now THE RED CARPET FASHION!!!

Black and White and Everything in Between

Best Actress Nominee Meryl Streep was classy in a white Chris March gown with a V cleveage:

Best Director Winner Kathryn Bigelow in grey (Yves Saint Laurent):

Amanda Seyfried in white (Armani Prive). I am not crazy about the shelf-like quality of the top part of the dress. The same style that J Lo wore:

Colin Firth and his wife Livia Giuggioli:

Elizabeth Banks in Versace. She’s the one with the nerd joke of before:

Nudes, peachy skin tones

Best Supporting Actress Nominee Anna Kendrick (Elie Saab gown) A lovely rosy-nude dress but unfortunately Anna looks a bit washed up in it. She did say it wasn’t her first choice:

Diane Kruger (Chanel) I don’t know what to make of this dress. You surely won’t see it on any best dressed lists:

Demi Moore looked great in the nude-peachy Versace gown:

Anika Noni Rose (voice in the Princess and the Frog) has an oscary look but maybe the bust of the dress should have been longer:

Ladies in Red and Blue

Red and blue in different tonalities were the main colours on the red carpet this year.

Best Actress Nominee Vera Farmiga was too fussy in Marchesa but the color looked great on her:

Sigourney Weaver can do no wrong (Lanvin dress):

Michelle Pfeiffer arrived backstage and co-presented the Best Actor Award:

George Clooney’s girl Elisabetta Canalis was patriotic in Cavalli:

Penelope Cruz was like lushy wine in Donna Karan:

Jane Seymour works it at sixty in a red David Meister gown:

Maggie Gyllenhaal in an interesting Dries Van Noten print dress:

Mariah Carey’s Valentino dress seemed unfinished:

Best Actress in a Supporting Role Moni’que in Tadashi Shoji:

Best Actress Nominee Gabourey Sidibe looked good in blue Marchesa. Maybe it’s not politically correct to say it but I really think that the girl should lose weight because I think she is in a health danger. Makes me think of the comment of Anna Wintour (maybe bitchy but true) that America’s problem is not anorexia but obesity:

Kristen Stewart looked mature in a midnight blue Monique Lhullier gown:

Silver, Gold and some Light Purple:

Best Actress Winner Sandra Bullock in Marchesa was siren like and princessy. As opposed to the “keeping away people except of her husband” dress of J Lo (see down) the dress of Sandy was like a second skin and she had her glossy hair wore down. It gave her a sweet air of vulnerability and her Oscar speech was so cute and all the faux flirting with Meryl Streep was hilarious. Sandy’s big tattooed husband had tears in his eyes!

Nicole Richie in a metallic Reem Acra dress. Her husband was deejaying at the reception in the publicity breaks:

Cameron Diaz exuded old Hollywood glamour in Oscar de la Renta:

Kate Winslet (Yves Saint Laurent). I’m feeling a bit zzzzz about this although she looked good in it:

One of the best dressed of the evening. Helen Mirren in Badgley Mischka:

Charlize Theron (Christian Dior) The color and shape of the dress are great on her but the roses on her breasts kinda distract you from her amazing face:

Queen Latifah (Badgley Mischka Couture). The snake shape of the bejewelled detail is very complimentary to her curvy body:

The Memorable, Quirky, and Sometimes Fun Dressed Category

Why rent multi-million dollars diamonds when you can get to the Oscars with little forks and knives on your dress! How cute and self ironic is Carey Mulligan's Prada dress? One of my favorites!

Zoe Saldana (Givenchy). I would have loved this dress if the lower half would have been less pompon—French cancan like. It kinda looks like some plant in Avatar and I expect it to light up when you touch it. But Zoe’s face and hair are perfect:

Sarah Jessica Parker (Chanel Couture) The choice of a true fashionista. But the hair looks like big loaves of bread :

Jennifer Lopez (Armani Prive) Sheer white or pink? J Lo’s it’s a "husband-only friendly" gown. She can keep her husband by the hand on the RIGHT side. All others keep a respectful distance. Exquisite hair and make up. The woman does not get old:

Rachel McAdams (Elie Saab Haute Couture & cool Lorraine Schwartz earrings) I adored the aquarelle painting quality of the dress. Rachel made one of the most interesting style choices of the evening:

2010 Oscar Nominees—Actor in a Leading Role: Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker

The relative new-comer Jeremy Lee Renner (39) was named one of Variety magazine Top Ten Actors to Watch. He had his breakthrough performance in the action film S.W.A.T. (2003) opposite Colin Farrell, Samuel L. Jackson and Michelle Rodriguez.

Jeremy Renner raised speculation about his close relationship with South African Actress Charlize Theron who has just recently split from her boyfriend of 9 years actor Stewart Townsend. The Daily Mail online reported today that Renner and Theron (who will present one of the Awards at the tonight’s ceremony) will attend the post-Oscars Vanity Fair party together.

In The Hurt Locker, directed by James Cameron’s ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow, Jeremy Renner portrays Sergeant William James, a bomb defuser in Iraq who, after becoming the leader of an elite unit, surprises his subordinates with his risk-taking and his seeming indifference in the face of death.

Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker.

2010 Oscar Nominees—Actor in a Leading Role: Morgan Freeman in Invictus

This is the fifth Academy Award nomination for Morgan Freeman. He previously won an Oscar for his Supporting Role in Million Dollar Baby (2004).

One of his most acclaimed performances is in Shawshank Redemption (1994) based on a short story written by Stephen King. The original Red character in the book was a white Irish man, but eventually Freeman was cast thanks to his authoritative presence and calm demeanor. The film achieved success gradually, by word of mouth. Freeman has an explanation for the initial box office failure of the film: “It took a long time for word of mouth to kick in because no one could say it. It was 'The Shimshunk Reduction', 'The Hudsucker Redemption'; I mean people just couldn't say it, which really made me angry because I knew that at the time! The movie we made was called 'Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption'. Isn't that a great title? But they were like, 'That won't fit on the marquee.' So it took a year or two for people to say it. Some people still can't say it." (imdb.com)
In grim Se7en (1995) he hunts a religious serial killer together with Brad Pitt. In 2005 Freeman’s classy performance in Million Dollar Baby, the female boxing drama starring Oscar winning actress Hilary Swank, earned him a well-deserved Academy Award.
Some of the highlights of his career in his own opinion are The Shawshank Redemption (1994) along with Glory (1989), Driving Miss Daisy (1989) and Unforgiven (1992).

Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela in Invictus.

In the inspiring true story of Invictus he portrays the South African president Nelson Mandela who, shortly after being elected democratically, sees the opportunity of the national rugby team in the World Cup as a way to unify his country torn by the apartheid and economic differences. In this endeavor he joins forces with the captain of the rugby team played by Matt Damon who is nominated this year for an Academy Award for Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Invictus.

2010 Oscar Nominees—Actor in a Leading Role: Colin Firth in A Single Man

This is the first Academy Award nomination for Colin Firth (49). 
Firth is born in an academic family, both his parents are university lecturers.  
He played three times a character named Darcy—in Pride and Prejudice (1995) and in the two Bridget Jones films. Helen Fielding, the author of the book Bridget Jones’s Diary said she based her character on Colin Firth (much like Margaret Mitchell based her Gone With the Wind Rhett Butler on Clark Gable).
Firth finds amusing the fact that in two different films his character loses his wife to a Fiennes brother. In The English Patient (1996) he loses his wife played by Kristin Scott Thomas to Ralph Fiennes and in Shakespeare in Love (1998) he loses his wife (Paltrow) to Joseph Fiennes. In Love Actually (2003) we see him as a writer who is betrayed by his girlfriend and falls in love with his Portuguese maid whilst in Mamma Mia! he sings and dances with Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep.
Firth has one son with actress Meg Tilly (whom he met while filming Valmont) and two sons (Luca and Matteo) with Italian producer Livia Giuggioli. He declares himself in love with all things Italian and regularly spends his vacations in Umbria. 

Colin Firth in A Single Man.

In A Single Man, we see Firth in the early 1960s playing a gay English professor who, after the death of his lover must overcome and hide his grief. The film is directed by American fashion designer Tom Ford who financed the film himself.

2010 Oscar Nominees—Actor in a Leading Role: George Clooney in Up in the Air

This is the fifth nomination for George Clooney (48). He previously won an Academy Award for Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in Middle East thriller Syriana (2005).

George Clooney, regularly voted one of the sexiest men alive, is the son of a TV newscaster. At the beginning of his career Clooney spent an entire year while searching for an acting job sleeping in a friend’s closet.
Although he started his TV career in 1978, it was the long running medical series ER that brought him fame and allowed him to make the leap from TV to the big screen. He starred in a variety of films like Out of Sight (1998) opposite Jennifer Lopez, the rom-com One Fine Day (1996) with Michelle Pfeiffer and he was an unfortunate Batman in a benippled costume in Batman & Robin (1997). His most successful film to date is Ocean’s Eleven, the first of the trilogy. His directing of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was praised by the critics and audiences alike. He founds directing really exciting: “In the end it’s more fun to be the painter than the paint”, says Clooney.
Clooney is a legendary prankster on the set of his films, making many of his co-stars the victims of his practical jokes.
After being married once from ’89 to ’93, he promised that he will never get married again, nor have children. Nicole Kidman and Michelle Pfeiffer both bet $10,000 each that he will become a father before the age of 40. After losing the bet, both sent him a check but he returned the money betting double or nothing that he will not have any children by the age of 50.
In early 2009 there was some speculation that he was dating Fatima Bhutto, the niece of murdered Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto. He is currently dating Italian model Elisabetta Canalis.

George Clooney in Up in the Air.

In Up in the Air he plays a corporate downsizing expert meaning that his job is to travel the country and fire people from their jobs within the company. Clooney's co-stars, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick are nominated for the same Oscar category for Up in the Air: Actress in a Supporting Role.

2010 Oscar Nominees—Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart

This is the fifth nomination for Jeff Bridges (60), and he never won an Oscar before. 
Jeff comes from an artistic family; he is the son of actress and writer Dorothy Bridges and actor Lloyd Bridges and his older brother is actor Beau Bridges. Jeff Bridges is married since 1977 making his marriage one of the longest in Hollywood and has three daughters. He loves photography and drawing (check out his website it’s very original www.jeffbridges.com).  
Bridges’ breakthrough role and his first Oscar nomination were for The Last Picture Show (1971) (which also launched the career of Moonlighting Cybill Shepherd).
With roles like in Starman (1986), The Fisher King (1991), The Big Lebowski (1998) and the more recent villain in Iron Man (2008) he won both long lasting popularity and critical respect. The film critic Pauline Kael wrote of his performance in Fearless (1993) that he "may be the most natural and least self-conscious screen actor that has ever lived".

Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart.

In Crazy Heart Bridges plays a washed-up country singer who begins a relationship with a journalist (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and tries to turn his life around. He won a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance in Crazy Heart.

2010 Oscar Nominees--Actress in a Leading Role: Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia

This is the sixteenth Academy Award nomination for Meryl Streep (60). She has previously won two times for her leading roles in Kramer vs Kramer (1979) and Sophie’s Choice (1982). Chameleonic Streep is considered one of the most prolific, respected and talented actors alive. Streep is of German, Swiss, Irish and English ancestry and is descended from one of the founding fathers of Rhode Island. 
Dustin Hoffman after working with Streep in Kramer vs Kramer has described her tirelessness and perfectionism by saying: "She's extraordinarily hardworking, to the extent that she's obsessive. I think that she thinks about nothing else but what she's doing."
Streep has a huge filmography and gave great performances in Out of Africa (1985) where we see her as the Danish baroness Karen Blixen fighting lions and playing opposite a suave and elusive Robert Redford. In Postcards from the Edge (1990) she plays Carrie Fisher’s alter ego on screen opposite Shirley MacLaine. The story is based on Fisher’s autobiographical novel which talks about her substance abuse and her complex relationship with her mother Singing in the Rain star Debbie Reynolds. 
More recently Streep sings and dances for light comedy-musical Mamma Mia! (2008) and terrifies the little peons at Runway magazine as an unforgettable Miranda Priestley in The Devil Wears Prada (2006). 

In this year’s February edition of Tatler magazine Sharon Stone praises Meryl Streep for her natural looks untouched by the surgeon’s knife: “I think everyone here looks like everyone else. […] I think that’s why Meryl Streep is working so much, because she looks like a woman we can all relate to.”

Meryl Streep in Julie&Julia.

In Julie&Julia Meryl Streep plays cookbook author Julia Child, whose years in France with her diplomat husband inspire her to study the art of French cooking. Her life becomes intertwined with that of Julie Powell although separated by time and space.