Best Dressed

"Modern Family" is one of my favorite TV shows, so I'm always pleased when it wins at the many award shows that happen throughout the year.  At tonight's SAG awards Sofia Vergara (Gloria) wore a stunning brilliant blue/cerulean Roberto Cavalli.  Brunettes always look better in bright colors, yet most ready-to-wear clothing comes in neutrals, or pastels.  Life is so hard. 

I digress.  Sofia Vergara has my vote for Best Dressed of the night.

Worst Dressed

It looks like Natalie Portman is going to win an Academy Award next month.  Tonight she picked up a SAG award for her role in "Black Swan," which is usually a good indication who takes home an Oscar in the acting catagories.

I don't know how qualified I am to have an opinion on couture fashion, but I disliked Portman's dress SO much I had to comment.  Her Golden Globes dress was a silk tent, with a rose applique, and her SAG dress (pictured above) was an extremely clingy Azzaro sheath.  The color was not at all flattering, and it appeared under the bright lights as if you could almost see through her dress.  As she made her way on stage to accept her award it stuck to all the wrong places, especially her sunken in navel.  I'm curious to know if she has a stylist, because it appears as if she chose this dress months before she got pregnant. 

I sincerely hope that if she wins the Oscar for Best Actress that she finds someone who can help her choose a better outfit.

It's a bird... It's a plane...

   

Anyone who has seen Showtime’s “The Tudors” knows who Henry Cavill is; he played Charles Brandon, Henry VIII’s closest friend and advisor.  What most people don’t know is that he was Stephanie Meyer’s first choice to portray Edward Cullen in the “Twilight” series.  At the time, he was already 25, and producers thought he was too old to play a 17-year-old.   Good news for Robert Pattinson.

Today it was announced that Cavill might have another shot at stardom when he becomes the next Superman.  According to Deadline, the studio was looking for someone who is not already a household name. Other than Cavill, they were considering Armie Hammer, the Winklevii  in “Social Network,” Joe Manganiello, werewolf guy on “True Blood,” and Ian Somerhalder, Boone from “Lost.” 

Interestingly, this now means all of America’s great superheroes are being played by men from the UK: Henry Cavill as Superman, Andrew Garfield as Spiderman and Christian Bale.  I love my country, but all three of them are pretty amazing.  I love them all.  I think I have a thing for Brits.

Fist pumping

As I’ve previously stated, “Jersey Shore” is so deliciously awful that it’s hard to ignore it, in the most painful way.  I was delighted to learn that not only is the JWOWW/Snooki spin-off in the works, but the entire cast will be heading to Italy for season four.

Unfortunately, it appears as if the spin-off will be scripted. Viewers will get to see both women struggle to “learn” how to write checks, and interact with men in business situations.  Thought it doesn’t sound like it’s past the realm of believability, Snooki has a book deal and JWOWW is in the middle of legal proceedings with her ex-boyfriend, so they must have some grasp on how the world works.   The thought provoking fights will revolve around Snooki’s inability to change toilet paper.

I’m more excited to see the cast land in Italy: their “homeland.”  Only half of the original cast members are full-blooded Italian, and I think it’s safe to say most people in Italy are not the mutated self-proclaimed Guidos, like those found roaming the beaches of the Jersey Shore.

And the nominees are...

In honor of this year's Best Actor nominee.

Oscar nominations came out yesterday, and I got 27 out of 30 predictions correct for the Best Picture and acting catagories!  I tried to base my predictions on only movies I had seen.  I chose Ryan Gosling over Javier Bardem in "Biutiful," and Mila Kunis over Jackie Weaver in "Animal Kingdom."  Sadly, Andrew Garfield didn't get a nomination over Mark Ruffalo in "The Kids Are All Right."  Mark Ruffalo was being Mark Ruffalo in the most Ruffaloian way possible in that movie, I never would have chosen him.

I didn't predict which directors would get nominated, but I am quite surprised that David O. Russel director of "The Fighter" got the nomination over Christopher Nolan for "Inception."  Some people are saying Tom Hooper was the oddball who stole Nolan's nomination.  Traditionally, for a film to be in the running for Best Picture, its director must be nominated.  "The Kings Speech" is a serious contender for best picture, so Hooper makes sense.  It's a shame that Nolan was snubbed, because as commercial as his movie was it was quite innovative.

Up next: winner predictions.

MEGACITY

Last night during the State of the Union, President Obama talked about building up the country’s infrastructure and investing in education.  Thank god!  Not that it’s a competition with China, who is heavily investing in its future like a Tiger mom would, while we continue to invest in our past with enormous entitlement programs, but China is building a MEGACITY!

City planners are hoping to combine nine cities along the Pearl River Delta to make one huge 42 million person metropolis.  According to The Telegraph there are 150 infrastructure projects that will bring the transport, energy, water and telecommunication networks of the nine cities together.  The project will take six years and cost the country $300 billion.

I want to get out to the Hamptons just thinking about the new megacity.

Two months until London.

Start every day with a smile and get it over with

This morning the New York Times featured an article in their Science section about smiles that was truly fascinating. 

When watching celebrities walk the red carpet posing for photographers or seeing photos pop up on a Facebook newsfeed, the smiles can appear to be a bit phony.  Yes, the mouth is forming a smile, but the people in the pictures don’t look happy, and sometimes look dead in the eyes.

The Times article interviewed Dr. Paula Niedenthal, a social psychologist, who studies emotions.  She and her colleagues believe that the source and the way people perceive smiles, are not simply the expression of internal feelings, but “the most visible part of an intimate melding between two minds.” 

Bartlet for Olbermann's timeslot

During an interview on the awards circuit, Aaron Sorkin mentioned one of his projects is on track to get a pilot order from HBO.  For some time now Sorkin has been working on a television drama set behind the scenes of a nightly cable new show.  How exciting!  It will be like “The West Wing” meets “Broadcast News.”  And it’s going to be on HBO?  I think I know what my new favorite yet-to-be-made television show is.

Imbalance of power

On Wednesday, Salon published an interview with Mark Regnerus co-author of "Premarital Sex in America: How Young Americans Meet, Mate and Think About Marrying," The book explains that women who achieve success in college, then in the workforce are left with a small pool of similarly educated and financially stable men.  The imbalance of power forces many women to compete for men.  They argue that women’s success comes at a cost to sexual bargaining power, where men call all the shots with less commitment and more sex.  Regnerus and his partner gathered their data from four national surveys and interviews with men and women between the ages of 18 and 23. 

Regnerus explains in the interview that women as a group, not men put a value on sex.  The price of sex is measured by the amount of time it takes a man and a woman to first have sex, and by the number of partners sub-optimal men have intercourse.  Regnerus found that 35% of men’s relationships become sexual within two weeks, 48% within a month.  In summation, it doesn't take long for men to access sex, so it must not be all that valuable.  When comparing sub-optimal men (high school drop-out and unemployed) to men who are the road to success, Regnerus found that the sub-optimal men had more partners.  These findings go against theory that if sex is valuable to a woman then she's not going to trade it away for a lesser partner.

You like me. You really like me!

Oscar nominations will be announced this Tuesday at 8:30am EST.  I've already mentioned what movies I think (and hope) will be nominated for Best Picture.  Below are my predicions for who will be nominated in the acting catagories.

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges True Grit Rooster Cogburn

Ryan Gosling Blue Valentine Dean

Jesse Eisenberg The Social Network Mark Zuckerberg

Colin Firth The King's Speech King George VI

James Franco 127 Hours Aron Ralston

Best Actress

Annette Bening The Kids Are All Right Nic

Nicole Kidman Rabbit Hole Becca

Jennifer Lawrence Winter's Bone Ree Dolly

Natalie Portman Black Swan Nina Sayers

Michelle Williams Blue Valentine Cindy

Best Supporting Actor 

Christian Bale The Fighter Dicky Eklund

John Hawkes Winter's Bone Teardrop

Jeremy Renner The Town James Coughlin

Andrew Garfield The Social Network Eduardo Saverin

Geoffrey Rush The King's Speech Lionel Logue

Best Supporting Actress 

Amy Adams The Fighter Charlene Fleming

Helena Bonham Carter The King's Speech Queen Elizabeth

Mila Kunis Black Swan Lily

Melissa Leo The Fighter Alice Ward

Hailee Steinfeld True Grit Mattie Ross

JFK

Today is the 50th anniversary of JFK's inaugeration.  I watched the speech and video coverage of the event this afternoon, and it's interesting to see how different people's speech, dress and interests were.  My favorite image is the man riding a Bison in the Inaugural parade.

Anne Hathaway = Catwoman?

Warner Bros. released a statement this afternoon announcing the lineup for the newest Batman film, "The Dark Knight Rises."  Christopher Nolan, director of the two most recent installments about the comic book hero, has selected Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Tom Hardy, from "Inception," to play the villain Bane.  Bane is an escaped prisoner who is abnormally strong after being pumped full of drugs, and is known as "the man who broke the Bat" after he broke Batman's spinal cord in the comic's storyline.  Whether or not that indicates the end of Nolan and Christian Bale's relationship with the series is unclear.  Hathaway beat out a slew of other actresses for the role, including Keira Knightley, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Blake Lively and Natalie Portman.

Halle Berry's Catwoman was universally hated.  Her performance was voted the worst of the year in 2005, and the film is one of Roger Ebert's most hated films.  Michelle Pfeiffer's role as Catwoman in "Batman Returns" was critical success.  The film, which was released in 1992, had the highest grossing opening weekend of any movie up until that point.  Lee Merriwether's portrayal of the character was simply iconic. 

Nolan's previous two installments of Batman received praise for their psychological, introspective take on the series; Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning performance as the Joker in "The Dark Knight" was gritty, and a far cry from the comical villains in other superhero movies.  While Hathaway is probably the best choice from the list of actresses that were considered, she has a major challenge ahead of her to make the role her own, and transform herself from the good-natured, and generally sunny roles she traditionally plays.

OMG...RHOBH!

I have made my distaste for poorly scripted television shows clear in the past here, here and here.  However, I am guilty for having a soft spot for trashy reality television. 

I try very hard to resist the likes of the "Bachelor," but why did one of the contestants have fangs?  How do these girls become attached after spending mere hours with the man?  Why does every one-on-one reaction devolve into a make out session?  I must continue watching the show until I have the answers. 

Rachel Zoe is not a real person.  As evidenced by "The Rachel Zoe Project."

I love French macaroons, the Chloe Marcie bag and regular out-of-state weekend getaways.  I also love "Jersey Shore."  I am repulsed, yet mesmerized by Sammi and Ronnie's volatile relationship, the Situation's narcissism, and Snooki's slow growth into a sentient being.

My most recent obsession has been "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."  Adrienne Maloof owns casinos, basketball teams, a beautiful Beverly Hills home, and more, yet she insists on wearing tinsel in her extensions.  I love her for it.  Kim Richards and Taylor Armstrong are such sad, sad women.  One yearning to be loved it consumes her every thought, the other in a loveless marriage where she regularly refers to her marriage as a “business relationship."  Then there's Camille Grammer.   If you don't watch the show, no words can explain this woman.  To give you an idea of her character, I will tell you this: she employs four nannies to care for her two children.  That's probably adequate.

This brings me to the reason I began this post in the first place.  A preview for the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hill" reunion special hit the web today and it's so positively delightful that I could not keep it to myself.

Rabbit Hole and Blue Valentine

I just saw the movies “Rabbit Hole” and “Blue Valentine,” and I was pleasantly surprised by both of them.  I’m not one for the broken family, flawed character, relationship examination type of film, so I went into both films expecting something similar to “Rachel Getting Married.”  Both films were very different from one another, but featured amazing performances from Nicole Kidman, Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling.

“Rabbit Hole” follows a couple, played by Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, as they try to pick up the pieces after their young son is killed in an accident.  It’s easy to see why Kidman’s performance as Becca is getting Oscar buzz.  There are no gimmicks to Kidman’s role, which just requires a raw and heartfelt performance as a grieving mother.  Watching Becca’s journey through the grief is touching, as she grapples with marital troubles, loss of purpose and daily reminders of her son.

“Blue Valentine” takes viewers through the beginning of a relationship with the novelty and the highs, and the end of a relationship with the boredom, the sadness and the lows.  The film doesn't answer the question of what happens between then, and now, but Gosling's character, Dean provides insight into the differences between men and women and how they approach love.  Dean tells his coworker that men are more romantic because they will wait for the perfect girl.  Women, on the other hand, settle for a man that meets their needs at any given moment.  Dean satisfied Cindy's needs when her world was falling apart, but he believed he had found his one true love.  As we see Dean and Cindy in the present, it is clear that Dean hasn't changed much from when the two first met, but Cindy's needs have changed tremendously.

Gosling's acting in "Blue Valentine" is top notch, and though he may get nominated for an Oscar, winning is a long-shot against Colin Firth and James Franco.  Just like Kidman's performance in "Rabbit Hole," there are no gimmicks to Gosling’s role.  He is not portraying King George VI in Great Britain on the brink of World War 2.  Nor is he playing a man who had to cut his own arm off after becoming trapped by a boulder in Utah.  Instead he’s Dean, a balding, twenty-something trying to make sense of his withering marriage.  Gosling has gotten attention before for his roles in “Lars and the Real Girl,” and “Half Nelson,” both of which were indie flicks like “Blue Valentine.”  Perhaps his time will come when he does a bigger budget film by a larger studio.

UPDATED: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter... and more

In December Hollywood released 2010's Black List and I previously noted which items on the list I most look forward to seeing on the big screen.  A few of the films are already in pre-production, but it will be at least a year until they hit theaters.  Here are some interesting updates:

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Tim Burton will produce Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, with Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) directing.  Twentieth Century Fox has set a June 22, 2012 release for the macabre 3D movie which is based on Seth Grahame-Smith's book. Five actors have been screentesting for the role of young Abe Lincoln: Josh Lucas, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, James D'Arcy, Benjamin Walker, and Adrien Brody. 

It's a mix of semi-knowns and unknowns, stage and screen vets.  I think I like Benjamin Walker most.  It's a lot of Lincoln for 2012.  Spielberg's in development Lincoln project, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, is also slated for a 2012 release. 

UPDATE: It looks like Benjamin Walker has come out as the front-runner in studio's search for Lincoln.

Snow White and the Huntsman

Snow White And The Huntsman, will be released by Universal on December 21, 2012.  Charlize Theron

has signed on to the project to play the Evil Queen.  Also attached to the movie as the Huntsman is Michael Fassbender, who can be seen in this year's "Jane Eyre", as Mr. Rochester.

UPDATE: Viggo Mortenson is now in talks to play the Huntsman, while Kristen Stewart is screening for the role of Snow White.  I understand her desire to get out from underneath the "Twilight" behemoth, and it'd be a great move for her as an actress.  It's just unfortunate because this project sounds like it could be really interesting, and Stewart's acting is sometimes unwatchable.  I'd love to see Hailee Steinfeld in this role.

Jane Eyre

1950's housewife on an acid trip

Is that Robert DeNiro?

LIVE BLOGGING: Golden Globes

Michael Douglas

11:00pm: Whew.  Three hours of live blogging is exhausting!


10:55pm: Best Picture Drama: Social Network.  Remember when everyone scoffed at the idea of a movie about Facebook?

10:49pm: I like that Colin Firth has a triangle of "manlove" with Tom Hooper and Geoffrey Rush.  Geoffrey Rush is his geisha.

10:47pm: Best Actor in a Drama: Colin Firth.  Finally, The King's Speech wins something!  I'm going to go rewatch this tomorrow.

10:40pm: Best Comedy or Musical: The Kids Are All Right.  Congrats.  You beat Burlesque. 

10:37pm: I wish Jennifer Lawrence won for Winter's Bone.  Or Hailee Steinfeld was at least nominated for True Grit.

10:36pm: Natalie Portman talking about how her fiancee had to say he didn't want to sleep with her in Black Swan, but was such a great actor cause he DID want to sleep with her.  A little strange to say in such a public setting considering he had a live-in girlfriend when their relationship began.

10:34pm: Best Actress in a Drama: Natalie Portman.  I just rewatched Star Wars 1-3 (nerd alert!) and it's interesting to see how her acting has sort of progressed.

10:33pm: I wonder if Inception had been released in the winter, instead of the summer if it would have been getting more recognition at the award shows.   The novelty has worn off a bit since July.

10:26pm: Best Actor in a Comedy: Paul Giamatti for Barney's Version.  Johnny Depp cancelled himself out with two noms.

10:23pm: Commercial Break: So far it's a Mad Men and King's Speech shutout.  Half hour left.

10:19pm: Best Comedy Series: Glee.  It is decent karaoke.

10:16pm: Best Director: David Fincher for Social Network.  Will Social Network take all the big awards tonight? 

10:14pm: It appears as if Megan Fox just flashed the audience.  Her dress was quite pretty though!

10:12pm: Commercial Break: Helena Bonham Carter is appearing on a lot of Worst Dressed lists.  Did anyone expect her to show up in Armani Prive with combed hair?

9:59pm: I do love Matt Damon doing DeNiro impressions though.

9:58pm: The Cecil B. DeMille award.  Thank god.  I was not aware Robert DeNiro was a great actor.  Little Fockers was cinema gold.

9:51pm: Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo from The Fighter.

9:48pm:  Jeff Parsons from Big Bang Theory (CBS) just won for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.  We were so close to a sweep.

9:47pm: Thomas Jane from Hung looks pissed to be at the Golden Globes.

9:41pm: Best Actress in a Comedy Series: Laura Linney.  Cancer is funny y'all!  Remember how great Community was, but wasn't nominated at all?

9:39pm: I'm kind of sad that the British Film Council no longer exists.  So many great movies.  For example, the Harry Potter movies.  NERD ALERT.


9:37pm: I know I made a crack about Tilda Swinton earlier, but she did speak Italian with a Russian accent in I Am Love, which is pretty impressive.  Denmark's interesting too.

9:33pm Commercial Break: Sandra, you're single.  It's no reason to let yourself go.

9:30pm: Best Supporting Actress in TV Comedy: Jane Lynch. Sigh.  Everyone loves Glee.

9:27pm: Aaron Sorkin said in his acceptance speech that he tries to write films under ths assumption that people who watch movies are as smart as people who make movies. Was he sitting a theater when Grown Ups was playing?

9:25pm: Best Screenplay: "You know what's better than a million dollars? A billion dollars."

9:20pm: Commercial Break: So far so good.  CBS hasn't won yet.

9:16pm: Claire Danes wins for Temple Grandin.  She has one of the best dresses of the night.
9:11pm: Is Tilda Swinton a real person?

9:08pm Commercial Break: Why do people like Michelle Williams' dress?

9:05pm: Don't know how I feel about Annette Bening's pointed sperm donor comment.  Followed by a long uncomfortable pause.

9:03pm: Best Actress in a Comedy: Annette Bening.  Shock.  Surprise. Snooze.

9:00pm Robert Downey Jr. is so cool and so inappropriate.  I think I'm in love.

8:57pm: Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3.  How is Burlesque nominated as a legitimate movie over Toy Story 3?

8:55pm: How much better does Justin Bieber's hair look?

8:51pm: Commercial Break.  How ridiculous is Scarlett Johansson's hair look?
8:39pm: Best Television Drama: Boardwalk Empire.  I have to wait one more year for Season 2?
8:35pm: Steve Buscemi wins!  Hooray for the character actor.

8:33pm: Best Actor in a TV Series Drama, probably the strongest set of nominees.

8:25pm: Chris Colfer for Best Supporting Actor in a comedy series?  I'll accept it since it's not CBS.  But my heart still lies with Cam from Modern Fam.

8:10pm: Katey Sagal won for Sons of Anarchy!  Thank god the actress from The Closer didn't win again.
8:06pm: Christian Bale tonight:  Christian Bale in Little Women:

8:03pm: Best joke of the evening? "Also not nominated was 'I Love You Philip Morris,' Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor. Two heterosexual characters pretending to be gay.  So the complete opposite of some famous Scientologists, then."