Lisa’s Annual Oscar Commentary
The 79th Annual Academy Awards
Finally, Oscar has a found a host, or a hostess: Ellen De Generes is here to stay. Some of you may remember that I’ve been saying for a while that they should let Ellen host the Oscars. In fact, I even wrote exactly that in my commentary two years ago. I’m pleased that producer Laura Ziskin took my advice. Ellen rocked the house. She provided the perfect type of humour that simultaneously keeps everyone on edge and puts everyone at ease. Her comic timing is impeccable, and she’s just plain funny.
In spite of Ellen’s talent for keeping everyone interested and amused, the show went very long, and the winners weren’t particularly exuberant. I would give an award every year to Cuba Gooding Jr. every year. I want more jumping up and down. More tears. More laughs. More inappropriate kisses.
Ellen, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and John C. Reilly provided the laughs for the evening. Jerry Seinfeld tried, but failed miserably. People seemed to be laughing out of politeness. Ellen got the biggest laugh of the night when she handed Marty Scorcese a screenplay and when Spielberg took the picture of Ellen with Clint. And shorties Abigail Breslin and Jaden Smith presenting the short film awards was very clever and a highlight of the night. Lesson for the Academy: more kids at the Oscars.
The acceptance speeches were mostly dull this year… all the reason to cue the music sooner. At least Forrest Whitaker prepared a speech this time, but his reaction to adrenalin is the opposite of most people – instead of exuberance, he’s comatose. Best speech of the night went to the winner of the Best Live Action Short Film, and the bonus was that the guy was good to look at. He’ll certainly be getting some work after this, and some hot dates. The worst speech of the night award unfortunately goes to Alan Arkin. His winning for Little Miss Sunshine was a surprise and a well-deserved win, but his acceptance speech though well-written was read, head-down, from the page…hard to believe that such a great actor can’t deliver a speech. He should have asked Sunshine’s writer Michael Arndt to write him a speech – then maybe he’d be able to memorize it. He made us all wish that Eddie Murphy had won. There wouldn’t have been a surprise, but at least we know that Eddie would give a great acceptance speech.
Sheri Lansing and Martin Scorcese were the Hollywood veterans that the audience truly enjoyed seeing receive their awards. Scorcese may be the shortest full-grown recipient of an Oscar, but at least now he’s tied for Oscar wins with Three-Six Mafia.
Now on to the important part of the night: the fashion. This year was a great year on the red carpet – not because there were so many people dressed well, but there were so many dressed badly. They say if you’re skinny and beautiful, you can wear anything and look great. Not true. Lots of pretty faces with bad dress choices – big disappointments. Gwyneth Paltrow – salmon sushi. Kirsten Dunst – parochial school girl dropout. Naomi – need a lift? Ann Hathaway – who dressed you? Not Patricia Field. Kelly Preston – Leopard Lady, it’s the Oscars, not Vegas. Beyonce – pageant contestant. Kate Winslet – pistacio ice cream but with less flavor. Catherine Deneuve – What was the heart thing with a sword through it? Did someone tattoo her dress by mistakes? Jessica Biel – I know you’re thinking this girl is so beautiful she can’t look bad, but that color was too bright this year, and the bottom of the dress was so tight I don’t know how she even walked in it. Cameron Diaz – does she ever look like she wasn’t just having sex on her kitchen table? And Jennifer Hudson – too much drape, lose the bolero, and you’re supposed to save your best dress of the season for the Oscars. To Jennifer’s credit, she actually wore a much better gold dress to the after parties.
The worst dressed of the night however, was not any of the above women. Meryl Streep, such an extreme disappointment after playing one of the best dressed women on screen. Did she use up her quota of great fashion? I get that it was hard to stay that thin, but wasn’t there a great dress somewhere in a bigger size? And give that necklace back to the King Tut exhibit. Queen Latifa’s still bigger than you and she always looks great in Carmen Marc Valvo. Maybe she can take you shopping next year. Meryl was not the worst, though she was the most disappointing. If you were unfortunate enough to catch the whole red carpet preview, than you probably caught a scary glimpse of Sally Kirkland wearing huge batwing arms - she needed all that fabric to cover the sheer bodice that was showing much more than you want to see…and if you were wondering what freaky designer made that dress, it was her very own Kabballa Rabbi. Was it supposed to be some kind of “Dreamcoat?”
On to the best dressed women. The trends were blue and blush, Grecian styles (ropes and draping), long trains, feathers, and lots of strapless necklines. Gorgeous in blue were Portia De Rossi, Jodie Foster, Emily Blunt (the only one from the Devil Wears Prada that did the red carpet justice), Maggie Gyllenhaal (good but give the feathers in the hair back to your parakeet), and the very single looking Reese Witherspoon.
Jennifer Lopez was elegant and stunning as always in Grecian style Marchese. Similarly in ivory silk, rhinestones, and soft bobbed hair, Rachel Weisz was a vision in Vera Wang. Helen Mirren took my advice: If you want to win an Oscar, dress like one – in gold. Helen looked like a winner in Christian LaCroix couture, with three quarter sleeves, a full skirt, and scooped neckline - the dress fit her perfectly and was perfect for her age and figure. She was a winner all around. I also thought Nicole Kidman looked stunning in Red. Reminiscent of the big-bowed dress Charlize Theron wore a couple of years ago, but in a softer crepe silk fabric on Nicole’s narrow frame was exquisite. My favorite red carpet diva Cate Blanchett never disappoints. She’s always fashion forward, daring, and elegant – this year in graphite shimmery Armani Prive – I loved it.
Even though I’m tempted to give the Best Dressed award to Abigail Breslin, who was adorable and age appropriate in her floral basket weave princess dress, I have to give the award to Penelope Cruz. Though the blush toned Versace feather dress reminds me of the feather dress that Oscar De Laurenta made for Sarah Jessica Parker, I thought it was modern, elegant, and completely breathtaking.
The men were also split this year, but most looked terrific. Let’s start with the awful. Philip Seymour Hoffman looked drunk, disheveled and never seems to have a tux that fits. Robert Downey Jr. also looked a little drunk and disheveled but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt since he seems to have stayed out of prison for a while. Jackie Earle Haley still looked like an 80’s pedophile. Quincy Jones was wearing a novelty printed tux – so awful, but somehow on him, we’re just used to it. The Worst Dressed Man though was Spike Lee. I almost hate to give it to him because he makes such an easy target, but he looked like he was wearing a costume, not a tuxedo.
The key to the great tuxedo is choosing the right style for your height and size, and getting it made to fit. The trend this year was toward shawl collars with traditional white shirts and bowties. And a few of the men stepped out with the double-breasted tux: Jerry Seinfeld did it well, so did Will Smith. Djimon Honsou disappointed me a little this time. He’s usually one of my top guys because he always wears a perfectly fitted tux and is always modern but classic. His boldly trimmed tuxedo was a bit much for me, but it was perfectly tailored and I loved is cool shades. My other faves did not disappoint: George Clooney always looking like an old Holywood movie star, Mark Wahlberg, Clive Owen (even without a tie), John Travolta (great haircut), and Sacha Baron Cohen (tall, dark and handsome – not a Borat in sight).
The Best Dressed Man, however, was a tie. First in the tie: Leonardo DiCaprio always does it right – modern, young, crisp, and I love the look with the slicked hair. Also best dressed was Ken Watanabe. He did it all right. Perfect fit, modern, elegant, and he took a little risk. I don’t know who made his tux, but it looked like a new Japanese designer.
I’ve also got to give kudos to Ellen and her tuxedos. The velvet one was daring, the black one was standard, but the white one was the best. She always wears white well. She also got a great haircut for the night. She looked fabulous, but I’d love to see Ellen in a dress. I’m sure she’s more comfortable in pants and wants to feel like herself when she’s hosting, but it would be fun to see her put on a the glam. Maybe next year one of the best picture nominees will be a costume drama and we’ll get to see Ellen a corset showing cleavage. We’ll just have to wait till then…I’ll be watching.
Lisa J. Kanovsky
The 79th Annual Academy Awards
Finally, Oscar has a found a host, or a hostess: Ellen De Generes is here to stay. Some of you may remember that I’ve been saying for a while that they should let Ellen host the Oscars. In fact, I even wrote exactly that in my commentary two years ago. I’m pleased that producer Laura Ziskin took my advice. Ellen rocked the house. She provided the perfect type of humour that simultaneously keeps everyone on edge and puts everyone at ease. Her comic timing is impeccable, and she’s just plain funny.
In spite of Ellen’s talent for keeping everyone interested and amused, the show went very long, and the winners weren’t particularly exuberant. I would give an award every year to Cuba Gooding Jr. every year. I want more jumping up and down. More tears. More laughs. More inappropriate kisses.
Ellen, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and John C. Reilly provided the laughs for the evening. Jerry Seinfeld tried, but failed miserably. People seemed to be laughing out of politeness. Ellen got the biggest laugh of the night when she handed Marty Scorcese a screenplay and when Spielberg took the picture of Ellen with Clint. And shorties Abigail Breslin and Jaden Smith presenting the short film awards was very clever and a highlight of the night. Lesson for the Academy: more kids at the Oscars.
The acceptance speeches were mostly dull this year… all the reason to cue the music sooner. At least Forrest Whitaker prepared a speech this time, but his reaction to adrenalin is the opposite of most people – instead of exuberance, he’s comatose. Best speech of the night went to the winner of the Best Live Action Short Film, and the bonus was that the guy was good to look at. He’ll certainly be getting some work after this, and some hot dates. The worst speech of the night award unfortunately goes to Alan Arkin. His winning for Little Miss Sunshine was a surprise and a well-deserved win, but his acceptance speech though well-written was read, head-down, from the page…hard to believe that such a great actor can’t deliver a speech. He should have asked Sunshine’s writer Michael Arndt to write him a speech – then maybe he’d be able to memorize it. He made us all wish that Eddie Murphy had won. There wouldn’t have been a surprise, but at least we know that Eddie would give a great acceptance speech.
Sheri Lansing and Martin Scorcese were the Hollywood veterans that the audience truly enjoyed seeing receive their awards. Scorcese may be the shortest full-grown recipient of an Oscar, but at least now he’s tied for Oscar wins with Three-Six Mafia.
Now on to the important part of the night: the fashion. This year was a great year on the red carpet – not because there were so many people dressed well, but there were so many dressed badly. They say if you’re skinny and beautiful, you can wear anything and look great. Not true. Lots of pretty faces with bad dress choices – big disappointments. Gwyneth Paltrow – salmon sushi. Kirsten Dunst – parochial school girl dropout. Naomi – need a lift? Ann Hathaway – who dressed you? Not Patricia Field. Kelly Preston – Leopard Lady, it’s the Oscars, not Vegas. Beyonce – pageant contestant. Kate Winslet – pistacio ice cream but with less flavor. Catherine Deneuve – What was the heart thing with a sword through it? Did someone tattoo her dress by mistakes? Jessica Biel – I know you’re thinking this girl is so beautiful she can’t look bad, but that color was too bright this year, and the bottom of the dress was so tight I don’t know how she even walked in it. Cameron Diaz – does she ever look like she wasn’t just having sex on her kitchen table? And Jennifer Hudson – too much drape, lose the bolero, and you’re supposed to save your best dress of the season for the Oscars. To Jennifer’s credit, she actually wore a much better gold dress to the after parties.
The worst dressed of the night however, was not any of the above women. Meryl Streep, such an extreme disappointment after playing one of the best dressed women on screen. Did she use up her quota of great fashion? I get that it was hard to stay that thin, but wasn’t there a great dress somewhere in a bigger size? And give that necklace back to the King Tut exhibit. Queen Latifa’s still bigger than you and she always looks great in Carmen Marc Valvo. Maybe she can take you shopping next year. Meryl was not the worst, though she was the most disappointing. If you were unfortunate enough to catch the whole red carpet preview, than you probably caught a scary glimpse of Sally Kirkland wearing huge batwing arms - she needed all that fabric to cover the sheer bodice that was showing much more than you want to see…and if you were wondering what freaky designer made that dress, it was her very own Kabballa Rabbi. Was it supposed to be some kind of “Dreamcoat?”
On to the best dressed women. The trends were blue and blush, Grecian styles (ropes and draping), long trains, feathers, and lots of strapless necklines. Gorgeous in blue were Portia De Rossi, Jodie Foster, Emily Blunt (the only one from the Devil Wears Prada that did the red carpet justice), Maggie Gyllenhaal (good but give the feathers in the hair back to your parakeet), and the very single looking Reese Witherspoon.
Jennifer Lopez was elegant and stunning as always in Grecian style Marchese. Similarly in ivory silk, rhinestones, and soft bobbed hair, Rachel Weisz was a vision in Vera Wang. Helen Mirren took my advice: If you want to win an Oscar, dress like one – in gold. Helen looked like a winner in Christian LaCroix couture, with three quarter sleeves, a full skirt, and scooped neckline - the dress fit her perfectly and was perfect for her age and figure. She was a winner all around. I also thought Nicole Kidman looked stunning in Red. Reminiscent of the big-bowed dress Charlize Theron wore a couple of years ago, but in a softer crepe silk fabric on Nicole’s narrow frame was exquisite. My favorite red carpet diva Cate Blanchett never disappoints. She’s always fashion forward, daring, and elegant – this year in graphite shimmery Armani Prive – I loved it.
Even though I’m tempted to give the Best Dressed award to Abigail Breslin, who was adorable and age appropriate in her floral basket weave princess dress, I have to give the award to Penelope Cruz. Though the blush toned Versace feather dress reminds me of the feather dress that Oscar De Laurenta made for Sarah Jessica Parker, I thought it was modern, elegant, and completely breathtaking.
The men were also split this year, but most looked terrific. Let’s start with the awful. Philip Seymour Hoffman looked drunk, disheveled and never seems to have a tux that fits. Robert Downey Jr. also looked a little drunk and disheveled but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt since he seems to have stayed out of prison for a while. Jackie Earle Haley still looked like an 80’s pedophile. Quincy Jones was wearing a novelty printed tux – so awful, but somehow on him, we’re just used to it. The Worst Dressed Man though was Spike Lee. I almost hate to give it to him because he makes such an easy target, but he looked like he was wearing a costume, not a tuxedo.
The key to the great tuxedo is choosing the right style for your height and size, and getting it made to fit. The trend this year was toward shawl collars with traditional white shirts and bowties. And a few of the men stepped out with the double-breasted tux: Jerry Seinfeld did it well, so did Will Smith. Djimon Honsou disappointed me a little this time. He’s usually one of my top guys because he always wears a perfectly fitted tux and is always modern but classic. His boldly trimmed tuxedo was a bit much for me, but it was perfectly tailored and I loved is cool shades. My other faves did not disappoint: George Clooney always looking like an old Holywood movie star, Mark Wahlberg, Clive Owen (even without a tie), John Travolta (great haircut), and Sacha Baron Cohen (tall, dark and handsome – not a Borat in sight).
The Best Dressed Man, however, was a tie. First in the tie: Leonardo DiCaprio always does it right – modern, young, crisp, and I love the look with the slicked hair. Also best dressed was Ken Watanabe. He did it all right. Perfect fit, modern, elegant, and he took a little risk. I don’t know who made his tux, but it looked like a new Japanese designer.
I’ve also got to give kudos to Ellen and her tuxedos. The velvet one was daring, the black one was standard, but the white one was the best. She always wears white well. She also got a great haircut for the night. She looked fabulous, but I’d love to see Ellen in a dress. I’m sure she’s more comfortable in pants and wants to feel like herself when she’s hosting, but it would be fun to see her put on a the glam. Maybe next year one of the best picture nominees will be a costume drama and we’ll get to see Ellen a corset showing cleavage. We’ll just have to wait till then…I’ll be watching.
Lisa J. Kanovsky
(AskLJK)
Posts
12 comments:
You whizzed out 1,500 good words faster than a wizard! Almost all of which are on the money even though we may disagree on Cameron Diaz.
Having dressed Philip Seymour Hoffman for his oscar win last year -- and all the previous awards shows last season leading up to it, he does shift in his weight from fitting to wearing. That said, he showed up for the fittings with his hair in much the same condition as it did last night, since he overslept. He also strolls with his wife and baby in our neighborhood (off Bank/Hudsonish) and looks like that at breakfast at our local coffee shop. Salt of the earth guy, who's talent supersedes hair gel apparently.
Clooney, the Cary Grant of our time, which he aspires to.
Thought all the blush/taupe/neutrals were really an unusual choice this year, and few pulled it off.
Did not at all like Ellen's first outfit, and yes, she wears white really well. However, she beams her special light through any threads she wears, and yes, did a great job of being relaxed and disarming and funny. A really nice mix.
So Lisa, if you had to pick Ellen or Billy Chrystal to host.... which would you go for?
Hi Sydney,
I had the pleasure of meeting Philip Seymour Hoffman once briefly several years ago. He attended a private screening of a short film that I was a producer on - he was a friend of the writer/director/actor. Back then, he was trimmer, rather well groomed, with combed hair, and wearing a classic Italian wool sport coat. But your right, every time I've seen him (on tv) in recent years, his weight has fluctuated and he has that messy, disheveled look, and he never looks like he cares a bit.
He is a brilliant actor. I'm always impressed by his many and diverse performances. I'm such a fan, in fact, I'm going to see him this Sunday, off-Broadway, in a new play called "Jack Goes Boating." I don't know much about it, but I bought expensive tickets because he's in it.
In response to your question: Billy or Ellen? I have to say that Billy was great in all the years he hosted, but I think he's done. I don't think he wants to put in the energy it takes to host again. In his day though, he was great - he had the best openings Oscar has ever had. So, in 2008, I'd have to pick Ellen. I think she'll be back.
aol had a poll of all the recent hosts in order -- Billy was #1, Ellen #2 ... I would have thought Jon Stewart was #3 for sure, but oddly, he was LAST, putting Steve Martin at 3rd -- we all love him, but I didn't think he did well at lall in this hosting job -- followed by Whoopi, someone else and Chris Rock, then Jon Stewart. Could not believe that order. I never liked WHoopi much in the role, and I thought Chris Rock totally bombed... could not believe Jon Stewart was last in that line up. over 36,000 people were polled for that too.
Ellen was dead on. She was so comfortable in her skin out there. Oscar should grab her and hold on for years to come. The demographic for the younger TV audience went up this year. She was definitely part of that surge. Surge? Oh, that's another blog.
Arkin was good but viewers get caught up in the old actor playing the non-stereotypical role. Good, funny but for me it was not Oscar worthy and he seemed like he really didn't care about getting the thing. Murphy was great but I'm a big fan. I have always thought he could do great things. He is ready for a role like Martin Luther King or some other meaty part. Spike should consider MLK. He did a great job with M.X and he should look to Murphy. Plus I think he would have appreciated the award more than Arkin.
On the other hand I thought Hudson was good but the two ladies in Babel gave much more Oscar worthy performances. They chose Hudson because she plays that part every day in life. She is the character. But good for her.
My 2 cents,
Sniffen
PS: Looking forward to Lisa's Oscar blog next year. Always fun. Maybe you should get your own show.
are you going to be keeping a regular blog now? I see this is a first entry. THink you should Lis.
Are you thinking of writing more blog entries or just going to log the Oscar commentaries? I encorage the former!
Lisa, I enjoyed your article - again. Just have three differences of opinion. Yes, Ellen was a great host, but her burgundy velvet with white shoes did not do it for me. I thought that Seinfeld was insanely funny, and that Forest was dignified and reflective. Keep on keeping on!
I do intend to keep up with the blogging. Thanks for asking. I'd appreciate any input as to the other types of commentary you'd like to hear about on this blog. Lord knows, I've usually got an opinion and something to say.
Scott,
Thanks for your input. I've been talking about the MLK project too. I'm sure there are at least a couple of writers working on scripts for an MLK Jr. biopic. If there's a great one, there will be a battle for who gets the part. Will Smith sells tickets in every genre. He's box office. Would be interesting if Denzel wanted to take on the part so many years afer playing Malcolm X. I think Forrest Whitaker would want the part and would probably be great at it. Jamie Foxx and Don Cheadle would be in the running too. But, Eddie Murphy is a very interesting choice. Even though he's box office in comedy, I'm not sure the Producers/Studio will have the courage to choose him over one of the other candidates above. It is the part of a lifetime if it's a great script. Who wouldn't want to deliver his famous speeches on film. I'm an Eddie Murphy fan too, but he'll have to put up a fight to get that part.
I think Ellen will be back next year to host. The feedback seems to be great for her. I think people will always love Billy Crystal first because of his great openings. Personally, I loved the one where he put himself in the clips of all the Best Picture Nominees. Remember him playing Cuba Gooding Jr. in the "Show Me The Money" scene?
I think Steve Martin always did a great job too. He's the right combination of class and humour.
Personally, I loved when David Letterman hosted, but he wasn't all that well received. I thought he was better than Jon Stewart or Chris Rock....not that any of them were bad. Whoopie hosted a couple of times, I think. She did alright too, but Ellen is really the right sensibility for the show. I love her delivery and timing, and she has a genuine warmth and accessibility. People really respond to her. I think it's safe to say that she'll be back next year. Go Ellen!
Post a Comment