Oscars Wrap Up: The Best and Worst (and Everything In Between) of the 2014 Academy Awards

Well, my Big Day is over. 

I look forward to the Academy Awards every year much the way football fans look forward to the Super Bowl.

This year I had seen all of the films nominated for Best Picture (one of the rewards of retirement!) and most of the films nominated in other categories, except "Bad Grandpa." ( I will watch just about anything but that's going too far even if the makeup is nomination worthy!)

I won the family pool, too, along with my son and daughter-in-law having correctly chosen the winners in 21 out of the 24 categories.

However, I have to say that there were no surprises and the ceremony was tepid at best with Ellen certainly not at the top of her game.

Anyway, here is my wrap up -

the best and worst of the night.
(I watched so you didn't have to!)

The Red Carpet

Is it really necessary to do four hours counting down to the Red Carpet before the Red Carpet? 
The stars of "Fashion Police" - Giuliana Rancic, George Kotsiopoulos and Kelly Osbourne were up and at it first thing in the morning speculating on what the stars might wear, talking about the nominees, etc.  Snore. So we really need four hours of yakking before the stars even arrive?  I think the coverage of the Red Carpet that began at 2:30 was more than enough.

I have to say that it's not as much fun to dish the Red Carpet these days since almost everyone has a stylist so hardly anyone makes huge mistakes anymore. 

But here is what I didn't like:

• Blush, nude and white dresses.  Not a fan.  Those non-colors make everyone look washed out.
• Strapless dresses with no necklaces or big earrings.
• Botox, botox and more botox.  Nary a forehead moved.

Here are my nods to the Best and Worst:

Best Dress:  I really liked Jennifer Lawrence's and Amy Adam's dresses, but their accessories were too minimalist for my taste, despite the necklace down Jennifer's back. June Squibb looked great in Tadashi Shoji and Cate Blanchett in Armani Prive but I can't give it to her because she was wearing that dreaded nude and white.  But at least she was wearing big earrings.

I give Best Dress to Charlize Theron in Dior.

Best Dressed Couple:  Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis

Olivia is noticeably pregnant and highlighted that fact, but tastefully in her gorgeous black Valentino dress.  Jason looked great in his tux.  Tux's make men look so handsome.  I wish they would wear them all of the time.




Could have been Best Dress:  Lupita Nyong'o

Loved the Prada dress, but Lupita was too flat-chested for it. A bony décolletage is not attractive. Likewise, a headband on a head with no hair is just wrong.




Worst Dress:  Sally Hawkins 

She was completely swallowed up by her dress. Couldn't she afford a tailor?  The sleeves were hanging long over her hands and all that lace looked like it was choking her. She also should have put her hair up.  Her hair hanging down over a high neck and all of that lace just added to the mess.




Best Tux:  Kevin Spacey

Kevin rocked this blue tux.  Hubby was even salivating over it.




Worst Tux:  If you can call it that, Pharrell Williams looked stupid in shorts. 

At least he didn't wear that silly hat that he wore at the Grammys. It might be Vivienne Westwood but it looked ridiculous.  But wait, there's that hat again!

Most vapid interviewer on the Red Carpet:  All of them, though I will say that Ryan Seacrest has the gift of gab like no other.  No matter what is happening he can turn it into lemonade.

For more in depth (and probably funnier comments than mine), check out "Fashion Police" on E! and/or my new favorite "Fashion Queens" on BRAVO.



The Ceremony

I love Ellen but was disappointed.

She is funnier every day on her show than she was Oscar night.  Her monologue was very old school.  Nothing outrageous.  I couldn't help but miss Billy Crystal and his usual musical tribute to each of the nominated films and wonder what he would have done with "Captain Phillips" or "Her."


Best Ellen Monologue Moment: 
When talking about Bakhad Abdi, she remarked that he was from Somalia adding humorously that must make him a sommelier.  She then satirized the famous line from "Captain Phillips" by saying - "Who's the wine captain now?"

Worst Ellen Monologue Moment:
Though the fact that "12 Years a Slave" winning Best Picture was a historic moment, Ellen's comment in the opening monologue that "there were two possibilities this year: that Steve McQueen's drama would win the best picture Oscar. And possibility two: you're all racists" was out of place and, frankly, didn't really make much sense.

Best Ellen Moments:  Ordering pizza (she tried to get Harvey Weinstein to pick up the tab) and the "selfie," which is now the most retweeted tweet.

Most Cringe-worthy Ellen Moment:
Calling out Liza Minnelli as the best Liza Minnelli impersonator and saying "Good job, Sir," as if Liza was in drag. Really bad. Liza was not pleased.  However, poor Liza.  She did look very puckered like she had too much work done or drunk too many appletinis - or both.

Best Spoken Acceptance Speeches:  Jared Leto and Cate Blanchett

Jared paid homage to his Mom and acknowledged the political situations happening around the world.  He's a serious guy.  And thank you, Jared, for actually preparing a speech!

Cate acknowledged that women pay to go to the movies, too, so make sure there are films with strong women starring in them. You go, Cate!

Best Vocal Acceptance Speeches: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez accepting their Best Original Song Award for "Let it Go" and Darlene Love, who was one of the focal points in the Best Documentary "20 Feet from Stardom."

They sang their acceptance speeches.  Brilliant.

Biggest waste of time in an already over long show: 
Bette Midler singing "The Wind Beneath My Wings" AFTER the "In Memoriam" segment.  Why didn't she sing it as background for that?  Is Ms. Midler too much of a diva to merely be heard singing?

Biggest Disappointment: 

Not seeing Angelina Jolie receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and Steve Martin and Angela Lansbury their Honorary Oscars.

The Jean Herscholt Award used to be a big deal during the ceremony and has now been relegated to the "And by the way, here are the awards no one cares about" category.  Well, I care.  Angelina is a huge star who uses her time to help others and I wanted to hear what she had to say.  Likewise, I would rather hear Steve Martin's and Angela Lansbury's acceptance speeches for their well-deserved Honorary Oscars than Bette Midler singing "Wind Beneath my Wings" for the trillionth time.


Biggest Flub:

John Travolta introducing Idina Menzel as Adele Dazeem.  What the hell?  He doesn't know the name of one of Broadway's biggest stars?  Geez, John, that botox you had done on your forehead must have affected your eyesight, not to mention your brain!


Best Production Moment:

No one's speech was interrupted by music when they went too long. Thank you.  When someone works really hard to make it and then finally does, it is an insult to be rushed off the stage in the moment of glory. 



Worst Moment: The misuse of a Hollywood Legend

Kim Novak, a Hollywood legend who hasn't been seen by the public in years, was practically an afterthought as she came out with Matthew McConaughey to present the Best Animated Feature award. She should have been showcased in some way rather than having her do some stupid banter with McConaughey, banter which she didn't really seem up to. Probably good idea Matthew was there, though, as he seemed to be holding her up. Some clips from her films should have heralded her arrival.  I would rather have seen that than the weak tribute to "The Wizard of Oz" or some of the genre tributes that appeared here and there. (Speaking of which, I didn't even understand some of them.  There was one where clips from "Avatar" were followed by clips from "A Wonderful Life."  What did those have to do with each other?)


Final Pet Peeve:

• I am not a fan of up to ten films being nominated for Best Picture.  If they are going to do that, then they should also nominate up to ten Best Actors and Best Actresses.  This year the acting fields were very dense, especially in the area of Best Actor.  The fact that Tom Hanks was not nominated for "Captain Phillips," and the film was nominated for Best Picture is outrageous.  He carried that picture.  Likewise, Robert Redford was amazing in "All is Lost" and Joaquin Phoenix did some of his best work in "Her."  I think there is an imbalance and we need to go back to nominating just five films.

 

 

Despite my annoyances, I still enjoyed the Big Night.

 

What did you think?

 

See you Friday for The Week in Reviews

 

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it and/or email it to your friends.

How to Throw a Killer Oscar Party: Join Me for the Academy Awards

How to Throw a Killer Oscar Party

As you have already figured out, I love movies and the Academy Awards.

December through February is Super Bowl Season for movie lovers as the Academy Award Nominations are announced and the awards season gets under way.

Over the years, my Academy Awards Party was a popular annual event with friends and family, so I thought I would share my tips for throwing a memorable party so you can join in the fun.


Tip #1:

Send out invitations, preferably movie-related. 
I know it's asking a lot to actually shop for some invitations, address envelopes and mail them.  Failing that, email e-vites will work. There are many Oscar-themed invites available online.  If you send invitations via snail mail, include a ballot.  If you send something electronically, include the ballot link.  Make sure your guests know there will be prizes.

Tip #2:

The ballot: 
Find a ballot that not only includes the movie nominees, but also the actual nominees e.g. In addition to the movies nominated for Best Achievement in Costume Design, I also want to know the name of the nominee e.g. when I see Sandy Powell, it helps because she has won before.  For those of us who follow this stuff, over the years names become familiar and this is helpful when filling out the ballot.  

Make sure your guests bring their filled-out ballots with them to the party.  You can do this on the honor system or once the guests arrive, create a board to list everyone's picks so everyone can see what everyone has chosen.



Tip#3:

Though it is not essential, it's nice if you invite people who give a damn about movies.



Tip #4:

Ask that everyone come dressed in their Academy Awards Finery. 

Provide a red carpet (you don't have to have a red carpet but it would be fun) - it could be as simple as a runner of red felt - but dressing up is essential.
Other Academy Awards decorations are also fun.  Here are some ideas.



Tip #5:

Have TV's in more than one room so people can move around a bit without missing anything.



Tip #6:

Provide incentives which you have already announced in the invitation. 

Ideas would be  - everyone contributes $10 per person and winner takes all or one big prize for the winner and other prizes for 2nd and third place.  Have a funny booby prize for the person with the least correct answers (this would be an incentive for your guests to actually TRY to win.) 

One year the booby prize at my party was Mr. T's (remember him?) album (yes, we are talking vinyl) "Be Somebody or Be Somebody's Fool."

I thought that was hilarious.


Tip # 7:

Provide adult beverages. 
Preferably champagne and a non-alcoholic punch bowl.

Tip #8:

Provide food. 
A finger food buffet works best as it's easy for your guests to help themselves and eat while watching the show, so you don't have to be serving people.  Give the appetizers cool names related to the nominees. Popcorn is de rigeur. Or why not recreate the food from the very first Oscar show?



Tip #9:

Give everyone a "swag bag," just like the nominees.
Perhaps add a mini Oscar or a champagne glass filled with chocolates. 

One year the bag for the celebrities at the Oscars was highlighted by cannabis chocolates (hey, it's legal here)!

In other years, the swag bag has included maple syrup, dog food and vaginal rejuvenation, to name just a few items. Yes, you heard me. 




Tip #10:

Air kiss and call everyone "dahling" when they arrive and leave.


If you can't have a party: Whether or not we held a formal party, this was always a family affair.  When the kids were at home, we dressed up, had fancy hors d'oeuvres (or pizza) and watched together.  Now the kids are grown and one lives in another state, but we still have our Oscar competition and text and call each other during the show.  I provide the ballots and we give the kids a deadline and then Hubby lists everyone's picks.  We all put in $10 each and the winner takes all.  I plan to dress up, eat fancy food and drink champagne -- and to win!



Want to join us? 

Do you have some tips to share from your killer Oscar Party?

Some Movies You Might Have Missed!

A Winter's Tale (2014)

Based on the book of the same name, this screen adaptation stars Colin Farrell as a burglar in the early 1900's who falls in love with a dying girl and then finds himself transported to the present day, plagued by the forces of evil.  It's one of those true love transcending time and space things not to mention all of the heaven and hell stuff. 

There's Russell Crowe as a demon, Will Smith as Lucifer, a flying white horse that I thought would start talking like Mr. Ed any minute, and Eva Marie Saint and Jennifer Connolly looking like they are wondering what the hell they are doing in this mess.  And William Hurt?  What was that all about?  What the hell happened to your acting chops, Bill? In fact I found myself saying "What the hell?" a couple of times during the film.  And what's with Colin's hair? Suspending disbelief isn't possible here. But it was nice to see Lady Sybil ("Downton Abbey") again.  If you are a fan of the book, you will be disappointed.

Rosy the Reviewer says...Pure schmaltz. Don't waste your money.  
If you must see it, wait for the DVD.  You will thank me.

Rush (2013)



The real life 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

My father and brother were huge racing enthusiasts.  Think back to when there were only three television channels and usually only one TV in the home.  Our house anyway. So when the Indie 500 came on, that was what was on!  I always hated Sundays, because after we came home from church nothing would be on except sports and it seemed mostly car racing.  As a teen I drove "hot" cars around town, because my Dad and brother were always souping up the family car.  I drove a Dodge 440 and Chrysler 300 all with dual 4-barrels, bored and stroked and with glass-pack mufflers.   My Dad told me that if I was stopped by the cops because the car was too loud, to say my Dad was getting it fixed tomorrow!

My brother and Dad raced the family cars in stock car races, not to mention the impromptu drag racing that occurred at night around town.  In fact, on my way to my first year of college, with the car packed to the gills with my belongings and my mother in the front seat, my Dad drag raced a guy as we left town!

So car racing is in my blood.

And this film captured the excitement and ambience of this period in racing history. Director Ron Howard expertly wove real footage into his film to create the intensity of Formula One racing and produced one hell of a film with Hemsworth and Bruhl looking just like the real guys. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...this one could have been a "contenda!"  
But though it didn't garner an Academy Award nom, this is one of the best films of the year and a really good, exciting film, especially for racing enthusiasts. 

And ladies, if you are not interested in the racing, let me present one of the most gorgeous and exciting specimens of manhood out there, Mr. Chris Hemsworth.  If he doesn't get your heart racing, I don't know what will! Enjoy!

Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer (2013)

Controversial Russian performance art band protests against Putin and anti-feminist policies and gets two years in Siberia.

This documentary begins with a Bertolt Brecht quote:  "Art is not a mirror to reflect the world, but a hammer with which to shape it." 

And these young women are using the "hammer" of their courage and art to call attention to sexism and authoritarianism in Russia.  They were beaten with sticks recently during their protest during the Olympics which made watching this film all the more real.

It's a beautifully photographed film which is not seen in many documentaries.

Rosy the Reviewer says...Utterly stunning.  You go, girls! (subtitles)




Wadjda (2012)

A young Saudi girl enters a Koran competition to win money for a bicycle.

Women not only can't drive in Saudi Arabia; girls are not supposed to ride bikes.  But young Wadjda is determined so she can race a boy.  I still struggle with the treatment of women in so many Middle Eastern countries - what they can and cannot do, what they must wear.  Speaking of which, watching this film, I was struck by the fact that the men wear white, the women must wear the black abaya.  The color white often symbolizes good; black often symbolizes evil.  Mmmmm.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a sweet film that some critics felt should have been an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign film.  If you like films set in the Middle East and have an interest in other cultures, you will enjoy this. (Subtitles)

The Spactacular Now (2013)

Teen life of the party Sutter lives for the now.  He also has a problem with alcohol.  He meets Aimee, the nice girl, and they help each other turn "now" into their future.

This is a study in reality.  It's almost as if the actors are improvising, it's so real, which is not typical of most teen-oriented films.  But that is also it's flaw.  Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, who shone in "The Descendants," are affecting as the young lovers, but the film is slow moving and predictable.  However, if "Endless Love" had even a fraction of the heart in this film, it would have been a good film. Jennifer Jason Leigh has a small part as Sutter's mother and I didn't even recognize her.

Rosy the Reviewer says...Honorable effort that just misses the mark.  But see it for Woodley.  When her "Divergent" movies come out, she could be the next Jennifer Lawrence.



Kes (1969)

A young boy in working-class Northern England befriends a young kestrel hawk.

This is in the top ten on the British Film Institute's list of the "Top Fifty Films You Should See by the Time You are 14" and it ranks 7th on their list of best films of all time.  It's a touching bit of realism.

As a caveat, it is not only a very British film, but it's set in Northern England, which means it can be difficult to understand the dialogue at time.  That fact actually hurt distribution when it was first made.  But it's worth it.  This is Ken Loach's first film and it won Best Film in Britain in 1970.  He brought British films out of the "angry young man" phase and, using mostly unprofessional actors,  into the realism of working class England. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...Loach is not for everyone, but if you love films, you need to give him a try.  This is social realism at its best. (Needs subtitles)

***Book of the Week***

Scandal: a Manual (2013)

An inside look at the workings of the gossip mongers.

Authors Rush and Molloy, the only married gossip columnists, ran their column in the New York Daily News from 1995 to 2010, eventually quitting because they couldn't keep up with Twitter and bloggers who were getting the dirt on celebs before they were.  It's only fitting that this is the book right before the Oscars!

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you are hip to the gossip world, there probably isn't much in this book you don't already know, but if you are interested in the lengths people will go to get a scoop, you might enjoy this.

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it and/or email it to your friends.

What This Newly Retired Baby Boomer has Learned from Figure Skating

Retirement can be a big shock for the newly retired, especially if you have worked your whole life.

It's an irony that something we look forward to for much of our working life could end up a disappointment, or worse, a regret.

If I am honest, since I walked out of my office for the last time eight months ago, it's been a roller coaster ride as I navigate the changes to my life.

One of my interests is figure skating, so naturally I watched the Olympic competition. 

As I watched, I realized there are some parallels in the quest for Olympic gold and the quest for a satisfying Golden Years.


Exercise keeps you thin

It's important to keep moving.
Though I have learned that exercise alone does not stave off fat, I will ask: 
Have you ever seen a fat figure skater?


Keep up the bling

In retirement, it's easy to wear sweats all of the time, go without makeup and look like crap.

Figure skaters are notorious for their sparkly, and sometimes crazy outfits (do you hear me, ice dancers?)

But they need to wear sparkly costumes to call attention to their identity out there on the ice and to illustrate their programs.

We might not want to go so far as some of the ice dancers, but we retirees need to also retain our identities and, hey, why not call attention to ourselves? 

Women of a certain age seem to become invisible around 50.  We must put an end to that!

 

I must admit I succumb from time to time to the "looking like crap" scenario while at home (poor Hubby), but my identity has always been the glam librarian clothes horse, so why stop now?  Though, finances preclude the "clothes horse" part, I still am interested in fashion, wear makeup and fix my hair (most days).
And watch out when I go out to a concert or the theatre!

 

 

Patience

 

Not only do figure skaters have to be patient as they learn how to jump higher, better and with more revolutions, they also need to exercise patience during their competitions.  As a male skater prepares for his quad, the most difficult jump in figure skating (four revolutions in the air), you see him set his course so he doesn't hit the boards, put his toe pick into the ice, launch himself and check himself on the way down. If he rushes the steps, he will fall.

 

Retirement is the same, I think. 

I am absolutely astonished that after eight months, I am still struggling with the feelings I have about not working anymore.  I think this new part of my life is my "quad."  I need to be patient. I shouldn't be hard on myself when I fail.  I had some good advice from some other retired people - that it takes time and I need to try different things until I find a good fit.

I need to keep working on my quad: set myself a course, put my toe pick in the ice and launch myself and keep doing that until it works.

If you screw up, it's not the end of the world

In figure skating, it's possible to fall down and still win, especially in the long program.  It's all about the points.  Yes, you get a deduction for falling down, but if you get up and keep doing your best, you can still win.

So too in retirement. 

I started out with guns blazing.  I had my days all spelled out in lists.  Monday is blog day, Tuesday is "work out like a maniac" day, Wednesday, Project Day, etc.  I was going to take Zumba and horse-back riding lessons.  I was going to meditate every day, lose 30 pounds and save the world.

Well, you know that old saying, "The best laid plans...?"  Life and your mental state have a way of wreaking havoc on one's plans.  Stuff happens. 

I didn't get involved in everything I thought I would.  Getting to a 10am Zumba class even started being a burden.  I don't even get up until then sometimes. Some days I meditate, some days I don't.  I had some bad days.  I didn't accomplish much. And I felt like I was failing my "long program" - retirement.

But as that great sage of baseball, Yogi Berra, said, "It ain't over 'til it's over." 
I am working on the Zumba moves at home.  I meditate most days and hey, I never even used to do it at all before.  And I am working with a volunteer group, which I have never done before either.

I will keep trying things.  Maybe I will save the world after all.

If I fall, I get up and give myself some points. It's all about the points.


Change is good

Speaking of points, those of us of a certain age remember when the figure skating ranking system was the 6.0 system - skaters were ranked from 1-6 - which ultimately led to too much subjectivity on the part of the judges as per the 2002 Winter Olympics figure skating scandal, where the Canadian pair skaters clearly skated a better long program than the Russian skaters, but received the Silver Medal.  There was such an outcry that the Canadians were also given a Gold Medal, which in turn led to the new ISU Judging System, a point system that is considered less subjective. 

However, even that new system has led to controversy in this year's Olympic women's figure skating competition where the favorite, Kim Yuna of Korea, the 2010 Olympic champion, lost to the Russian skater Adelina Sotnikova.  Yuna Kim skated a perfect program, Sotnikova did not.

The skaters all had to adjust to this new scoring system.  They had to add finesse and difficulty to their programs in order to gain the maximum points.  This has not been as difficult for the younger skaters.  But the skaters who were used to the old system had problems adjusting.

Likewise, in life, change is never easy, especially for those of us used to the "old system."  Try to get your husband to sleep on a different side of the bed! 

Retirement is one great big change. But as in figure skating, change can be good and it can challenge you to not only succeed but to exceed yourself. 

That is what I am hoping for.


Freedom

Figure skaters have expressed the sense of freedom they feel speeding across the ice or launching themselves in the air and spinning three or four times.

Retirement is like that too.  No more deadlines, no more bosses, no more doing what you don't want to do.  But it's a "be careful what you wish for" story as well.  Same as the figure skater needing the discipline to attain the jumps and spins, in retirement, discipline is needed to experience the riches of freedom.  It's not easy to jump and spin on figure skates; it's not easy to be disciplined when completely free.

You don't want to live the lyrics "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose."


Age and Experience Count for Something

Finally, I think it's easy to start feeling sorry for yourself when you age. 

It's no fun getting grey hair (unless you look good with grey hair), creaky bones, doctor bills, wrinkles, a turkey neck, age spots, or your grandkids tell you you smell.  I'm not so good at Twitter and forget about Vine.

The figure skating world was counting on 15-year-old Russian skater, Julia Lipnitskaya to win the gold, but she cracked under the pressure and came in 5th.  Veteran Mao Asada, also a favorite, had a disastrous short program ending up in 16th, but in the long program she came from 16th to finish 6th. And 23-year-old Kim Yuna, who came in second, skated impeccable programs and probably should have won the gold.  Even though the gold medal winner, Sotnikova is only 18, figure skating years are like dog years. She's been around awhile and 18 is actually 28 in skating years!  So the veterans reigned.

My point is this:  I may have wrinkles and creaky bones and am terrible at Twitter, but I've earned those wrinkles and creaky bones.  The fact that I am still here counts for something, and in those 65 years, I've learned a few things. 

Whether anyone else knows that is beside the point.

I know it.

I may not have my retirement quad or even my triple-triple yet, but I'm working on it.  And Twitter.



Now on to the World Championships.

See you Friday for

 "How to Throw a Killer Oscar Party"

and
The Week in Reviews

 

 

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it and/or email it to your friends.