The Oscars, The Dresses, The Entertainment... I Missed 95% Of It

We flew home from Dallas yesterday, just barely in time to catch the Red Carpet part of the whole Oscars hoopla, which had me nervous. I like to see the gowns, the tuxes, etc. It's my favorite part, really. However, AT&T U-verse had other plans for us. Yes. Again. Am I weary of this? Yes, most certainly I am and now I'm spitting mad. This was all I was able to see:

I was able to log on to oscars.org and watch the behind the scenes (boring) speeches they allow the Oscar recipients to thank all of the *little people*, those who thank everyone, including friends & relatives who are no longer living. Let me tell you that it had me on the edge of my seat, sawing logs.

I missed all the gorgeous gowns, the fabulous hairdos, the witty banter, and whoever won what. Thanks for nothing AT&T. You suck. Big.Time. You also made me miss the Grammy Awards, which were reported to have been one of the best ever. Once again, thanks for nothing you jerks!

I will never endorse a company that promises to deliver... and DOESN'T. Furthermore, they are going to compensate us for time lost or I'm taking them to court. I don't really care what their problem is and I don't actually even want to know. It's not my problem... It's THEIR problem. I pay them to provide the service they promise. Period. This has been going on since we first signed up with them last May.

So, yes. I have my *nose out of joint*, you might say. It should be illegal to charge for a service you seldom provide.... Okay. I'm done. Maybe.

.......

My Academy Award Predictions.... As If Anyone Cares

Normally, I don't even watch The Oscars, mainly because I've usually not seen any of the nominated films. This year, however, is entirely different since I have a daughter in the film biz in Hollywood. The movie her company produced is An Education, which I was finally able to see while we were in the mountains, snowed in. It was a wonderful movie and the way it was filmed, as if it took place in the 1960's, was so perfect that it sent me tumbling back in time, which I truly enjoyed. The soundtrack is equally (if not better) than the movie itself. The two main characters, although far apart in age, are both very complex. It was a thoroughly enjoyable flick.

We also watched Inglourious Basterds, but ended up falling asleep before the end. I'm not sure if that just says we're old farts or the movie was a bit slow.

Both of our children saw Avatar and said it was awesome. After watching the making of Avatar, I definitely want to see it. Sigourney Weaver is always great, in my opinion.

And, I was thrilled to see Sandra Bullock finally receive a nomination for her role in The Blind Side. Although I haven't seen the movie, I already knew the storyline.

Here is a list of the nominated films for Best Picture. You can click on each title to watch the trailer:

Avatar: 9 nominations
An Education: 3 nominations
Inglourious Basterds: 8 nominations
The Blind Side:
District 9
Up
Up In The Air
Precious: Based On The Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
The Hurt Locker
A Serious Man

I always love seeing the fabulous gowns the women wear, as well as some of the gawd awful gowns others choose to wear. Besides, with funny man Steve Martin co-hosting with weirdo Alec Baldwin (who is also actually quite funny), it ought to be relatively entertaining I should think.

So, my prediction is that Avatar will be the big winner, but one never knows when it comes to Hollyweird.

Only In Hollywood.... The 81st Annual Academy Awards

I thought last night's Academy Awards ceremony was the best I had seen in many years. Hugh Jackman is the most amazing, and surely the best, MC they have ever had. His energy level makes me feel like I'm 80 in comparison. I had to take a nap after watching him with all his energy filling the screen. The man is a total entertainer and yes, I adore him. I might even become his stalker. Or not.

Thankfully, Tilda (WEIRDO) Swinton did not disappoint me in that she wore another Gawd Awful outfit, every bit as ugly as the velvet Mu-Mu she wore last year to the Oscars. I wonder what her boggle is? Once again, she tops the Snooty's Worst Dressed List. Maybe she likes looking ugly. Who knows?

Damn Whoopie! Have you no shame? And Heidi Klum.... what the Hell were you thinking? Sophia! You haven't changed a bit! Yikes! And Meryl, what has become of you and who talked you into that frock?? I can't even talk about Barbie Miley Cyrus.

James Bond 007's date didn't look very happy. Neither did her dress.

I think she was wishing she had Sarah Jessica's basooms. And Sarah Jessica.... Dear God, I do hope she didn't sneeze, although I'm sure Mr. Snoots would have thoroughly enjoyed it. Gah! And since when did Flamenco dresses come into style? I guess I need to get out more. (kidding)

Marisa Tomei looked elegant but Good Gawd! She must have had a whole team to dress her so she could go sit with her co-star Mickey Rourke, bless his heart. Amanda Seyfried of "Mama Mia" and "Big Love" fame looked a bit fussy, but she's young. Hopefully, she'll get over it.

Okay, DRUM ROLL PLEASE! The winners for most elegant and divine are:


Kate Winslet, Angelina Jolie-Pitt, and Evan Rachel Wood, who were all dressed like the epitomy of a movie star. It normally takes a bit of seasoning to get the right look for the Oscars.

Natalie Portman, Halle Berry, Viola Davis and Taraji Henson all looked impeccable.

Penelope Cruz (in a fabulous vintage gown), Anne Hathaway (you can't help but just adore her) and Reese Witherspoon (one of my very favorites), who was completely stunning.

Gone With The Wind... The Morning After...

Whew! In keeping with their tradition of airing Oscar winning movies prior to the Academy Awards, TCM aired the entire original format of Gone With the Wind, exactly as it was originally shown. All I can say is.. WOW! Having been made in 1939, it is just hard to believe that in this day & age of high tech whatever... this movie is still up there at the top of the all-time greats. No bizarre graphics... no high tech crap... we are talking 1939 here. That year, considered to be at the peak of Hollywood's Golden Age, produced other movie classics as well; such as: The Wizard of Oz, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Intermezzo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dark Victory, Of Mice & Men, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Wuthering Heights and Another Thin Man (of which I am a HUGE fan of the last two). I could go on, of course, but I think you get the picture.

While watching Gone With the Wind last night (for the 1st time since I was 30), I realized how much this film was tackling the difficult issues of the times, which remain the difficult issues of today. The struggle between man & woman to live in harmony. The horrific struggle of war. Pride, stubbornness, vanity, selfishness, passion, deception, social acceptance, competition, social position, and the list goes on. Yup, there's nothing like struggling to be, is there? I'm assuming here that we've not made all that much progress in this department since 1939, since you can look anywhere on just about any blog & see the rantings of discontent amongst today's modern couples. Same old same old....

I cannot help but wonder why, when we've come so far in technology, we still can't teach humans to be happy. Everyone always wants more, more, more... of everything except taxes & hearing about Brittany's latest antics. But I'm wandering off here... AHEM! I find it incredible that, as a society, we still find it difficult to relate to the opposite sex (or even same sex, to be fair to those in alternative relationships). We now have more available to us than ever, and yet, I don't see that it is doing anything but alienating us or making us simply want more & more & more out of life. Where does the point of true happiness lie? Well, it certainly doesn't lie with how many material things we have. Granted, it's nice to be able to pay the bills, have fun toys to play with, a nice home to return to everyday, a nice car to drive & so on. What amazes me is how quickly & easily people give up true love for all the material crap & then spend the next 10-20 years trying to figure out why they can't find love. Well... DUH! In my humble opinion, pride & greed are the two biggest factors in the breakdown of any marriage, with a sprinkling of selfishness, vanity & stubbornness thrown in for good measure. Trust me, the almighty buck isn't much fun in bed & won't keep you warm on cold nights or massage your neck when it aches.

Margaret Mitchell tried to convey these sentiments in the novel Gone With the Wind, by revealing the frailties, strengths & flaws of each of her characters. Oh Well... you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink....

After GWTW, Turner Classics showed Wuthering Heights, another one of my all-time favorites. Again, greed, pride, selfishness... yada, yada, yada. When will we ever learn?

So, in closing, I suppose I'd just like to say that the reasons I always loved these movies is not only because of the world class acting from amazing actors, but also because of the story & the lessons the authors strive to drive home to us. I learned my lessons well... did you? It's like I always say, "I'm a tree. I can bend." That's what it takes for a great relationship, but it has to be a two way street. Otherwise I think it would be considered spousal/relationship abuse or something, lol. Oh and by the way, my dear hubby has never even seen Wuthering Heights and has only seen GWTW once. He must have been born with insight... or NOT! Who cares? Anyone who has stuck with me for 30 years should be seriously considered for Sainthood.