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the oscars: like an ex-boyfriend i still kinda sorta like, but not *like* like
i was gonna write an entry today about oscars and predictions about who will win, etc.
and then i realized… I So. Don’t. Care.
which is weird! you guys, i used to LIVE for the academy awards. just ask my high school pants crew– back then, the oscars were always around my birthday, so i felt like they were my own personal gift from hollywood. my mom and i (and usually some friends) would gather around the TV, ooh and ahh over the dresses then critique every speech and cry foul when people got cut off by the music.
it *meant* something to me when my favorite movie won “best picture,” not just as a validation of my taste but as a connection to the rest of the world. it was like, my passion for a movie tied me to all the other fans around the world, a sort of celluloid beatlemania, and when the card inside the envelope was finally revealed, i leapt up from the couch with ecstatic victory, as if we had won some sort of fight against evil (i.e. bad filmmaking).
but i don’t think it’s the oscars that have changed… *i’ve* changed. i still love seeing movies (esp. with queso at the alamo, holla!), but i don’t live and breathe them anymore. maybe that’s cos i’m an “adult” so i have to live and breathe, like, my job and paying my rent and making time to see my friends since we can’t just, like, pass notes in class. plus, the things that make me leap up out of my chair are, say, obama’s presidency, or a cupcake a sugar mama’s. i’ve still got that same sense of excitement, it’s just been reallocated.
with that said, i still totally SPAZZ over the glam of the red carpet. it’s pretty much the only part of the oscars that i continue to watch religiously, cos OMG what will keri russell be wearing? now THAT still matters.
so, instead of asking you to make predictions about who will win blah blah blah, i’m shifting my curiosity to the parts of the oscars that still, you know, affect me and, i’m sure, the rest of the universe.
1. this one’s obvious: best red carpet outfit!!!!
well, of course i’m hoping it will be keri russell, but i’m also wondering what amy adams and anne hathaway will be wearing. oh MAN i am already jealous.
2. biggest fashion trainwreck
dude, that’s the most exciting thing about the oscars. you never know who will look terrible!!! unlike the awards, it’s actually a surprise!
3. biggest social trainwreck
ok, i think we will know who this will be, and his name ends with ickey rourke. plus his dog died, so he’s allowed to be cray.
4. hottest dude
well, hugh jackman is hosting so THANK YOU EYE CANDY. but everyone at the show is an actor, so they clean up pretty good, meaning this category is wide open.
5. hottest couple
let us all pray that rachel mcadams and josh lucas show up. please please please.
6. best speech
i’m really hoping that kate winslet finally wins an oscar, cos not only does she deserve one, but she will probably totally cry and say some crazy shizz.
what do you guys think? leave yr predictions and/or responses to the show in the comments!
oh, and i just realized there’s one thing that i love MORE about the oscars than i did back in high school– it’s the perfect excuse to drink champers!
LINKS
i cannot BELIEVE suri cruise and i missed each other by mere *weeks* at disneyworld. and, in spite of all of my cynicism about disney targeting little girls and tarting them up… LOOK HOW CUTE SHE IS IN A PRINCESS DRESS EEEEEE (thank you randy for this v. v. important piece of news).
i’ve always been a fan of the pet shop boys, so this clip of their INCREDIBLE performance at the brit awards made me extremely happy. yep, they still got it.
Discussion
11 comments for “the oscars: like an ex-boyfriend i still kinda sorta like, but not *like* like”
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No, I don’t think it’s just you. I really think it used to mean more. I was upset Titanic won a million Oscars, for example. I cared, even if I didn’t watch the ceremony, until three or four years ago.
It’s just not as interesting because it’s become wildly transparent how political the whole thing really is. Maybe that’s the Internet, and our access to blogs that know what’s actually going on, or maybe it’s just the weird string of choices the awards have gone through recently.
But I really don’t think the Oscars are any kind of measure of what’s good anymore.
I still watch the Oscars, but I record them on my DVR, fast forward through all the bullshit and pause on the particularly glamorous or tragic outfits. That plus champers equals the perfect viewing experience.
1. Freida Pinto. Designers are going crazy to dress her right now and she’s got great style. Plus she’s absolutely gorgeous.
2. Probably Meryl. She always dresses like someone’s kooky old pothead grandma. In an awesome way, of course.
3. Mickey Rourke, easily. I told Matt during the Golden Globes, “I want him to win, but I’m also afraid to hear his speech.”
4. RDJ ALL THE WAY. He’ll look sharp, quirky and smooth.
5. Always Will and Jada. They’re always the answer to that question.
6. KATE! KATE! KATE! KATE!
It’s not as much fun as when we were growing up, but it is still fun (at least for me). I can’t figure out why it’s become so much more lame – although John makes a good point. It’s hard to care about seeing celebrities getting awards when I’m inundated with tales of their marriages, divorces, eating disorders, weight problems, children, lack of children, and Jennifer Aniston’s Broken Heart (which I think should at least have its own trademark by now).
That said, I still love it! Champers and a DVR are key, although watching it on delay does ruin any texting opportunities during the show.
This year’s a bit weird, because I really like most of the nominated movies/people. Like, I want SM to win Best Picture – who doesn’t? – but I’d be just as happy if it were three of the other nominees.
My hope for the Academy Awards is the same as my hope for any day of the week: that Angelina Jolie will somehow find it in herself to sit up straight and at least FEIGN interest in her surroundings, even if they are a crass display of wealth and celebrity. Because perma-bitchface does her no favors.
That Pet Shop Boys video was AWESOME. I’m SO psyched that there’s a new album coming out. The first time I heard Introspective at a cycling event I was shooting in high school it kinda changed my life.
ok, here’s my post-ceremony analysis:
1. best outfit: penelope cruz and her 60 year old vintage ballgown. GAH. WANT IT. runners up: anne hathaway (glam!) and alicia keys (LOVED the lavender).
2. biggest fashion trainwreck: MILEY CYRUS. and yes, i am v. pleased to be presenting her with this award. runner up: meryl streep. oh meryl!
3. biggest social trainwreck: dude, everyone was so well-behaved! even mickey! lame! so i guess i’ll give this category to ben stiller, who did a great job of *pretending* to be a trainwreck.
4. hottest dude: as predicted, hugh jackman looked Extremely Handsome. but i think i’m gonna give this award to robert downey, jr. cos it’s STILL so great to see him looking fabulous (and quirky) on the red carpet.
5. hottest couple: meredith, i didn’t even see jada?!! also, i am really tired of angelina wearing black all of the time, although THOSE EMERALDS WERE AMAZING. so, in a surprise move, this award goes to tina fey and steve martin, even though they’re not a *real* couple. cos tina’s dress was the Hotness, and their scene together was one of my favorite moments. yay!
6. as meredith and i predicted (and prayed for), YAY KATE!!!! i totally got teary during her speech, i was just so freaking happy for her. overall, i thought the speeches were pretty touching last night– sean penn, penelope cruz, the screenwriter for milk. it was the most honest oscars i’ve seen in a while.
good show, everyone! good show.
1. Mickey Rourke had a silver tooth and a gold pinkie ring. That alone should have entitled him to winning and making a speech.
2. That said, he deserved to win. His performance was real and nuanced in a way that no other actor’s performance was this year. The Wrestler overall was a flawed movie, but I think Hollywood political correctness gave the trophy to the wrong dude.
3. Hugh Jackman’s opening song sequence. These things usually suck, but not this much. Not buying it. And I would be selling it if i could get more than $.25.
4. Sophia Loren. You used to be ridiculously, world-alteringly mega-hot. Now you look like the crazy old lady in Something About Mary. Yikes.
5. Tilda Swinton is the scariest looking actress of all time. I think she is haunting me.
6. Slumdog. Nice movie, nice story, exciting and enjoyable film. But definitely one of those “Really? THAT won everything?” years.
7. You’re right, Sarah. Even for a cynic like me, Winslet’s acceptance speech was heartfelt and cool. And it’s always good when a young actress shows that the road to Oscar is paved with copious nudity. Scarlett, take note.
Sarah, I thought Meryl Streep went for dressing in a way that suited her age and was classy. Unlike Sophia Loren. Josh, I’m with you all the way.
As for honesty… these people are so full of themselves it boggles the mind. Their version of the truth is kind of out there, really.
1. best red carpet outfit!!!! This is so hard! There were alot that I liked. I loved Natalie Portman’s dress.
2. biggest fashion trainwreck
Melissa Leo….what the heck? The dress, the hair, the dress…yuk! I also thought Amanda Seyfried’s dress really hit the mark.
3. biggest social trainwreck
hmmm…I dont know? I guess I don’t have a good answer for this one. Sorry.
4. hottest dude
I’m no fashion expert, but I loved John Legend’s brown Prada tux. I thought his date’s dress complimented it very well too! He had a tie instead of bow-tie. I guess i subconsciously like ties better.
5. hottest couple
Will the pants world hate me if I say that I thought Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens were super cute? (I hope not.) It was cute when Seacrest was interviewing Vanessa on the red carpet and Efron was supposed to be doing an interview with the person next to Seacrest, but he kept eavesdropping on Ryan and Vanessa, and he couldn’t concentrate at all.
6. best speech
Dustin Lance Black for sure, but I have to also give a shout out to Kate Winslet! I love her…she is so genuine. I think I want to be friends with her!
I enjoyed Sean Penn’s speech, Kate Winslet’s as well as the Ledger family. That one made me tear up a bit. Dustin Lance Black’s was also good. I also didn’t like Slumdog winning all of those awards. Best score? I felt Defiance deserved it. Another one that didn’t make sense to me was the makeup one going to Benjamin Button. CGI vs. real makeup? It so should have gone to Hellboy 2. And I wanted In Bruges to win.
What’s an Oscar… ZZZZzzzzzz
I would just like to ask if we, as a people, are now officially over Heath Ledger. Can it be done time yet? Yes, it was very tragic and sad and he was brilliant in TDK but it was all a bit much, to be honest.