The 86th Annual Academy Awards

Lisa’s Oscar Commentary

The 86^th Annual Academy Awards

Ellen’s back!  And boy was she missed.  Didn’t know how much we missed her until she showed up.  Ellen spent more time in the audience then on stage – an unusual choice for a host, but that’s where she’s at her best.  Ellen has a way of putting everyone at ease, humanizing the celebrities and inviting the TV audience into their lives.  From the moment the show started, the audience lights were up and Ellen was gazing into the celebrity faces in the audience and making them part of the show...to Liza, whom she referred to as the best Liza Minelli impersonator she’d ever seen, “Good job, sir.”  To Jennifer Lawrence who tripped picking up her Oscar last year and tripped getting onto the red carpet this year, “if you win this time, I think we should bring you the Oscar.”  The stage had been set; this year’s Oscar’s would live not on the stage, but in the celebrity-studded audience.

The highlight of Ellen’s audience moments was the pizza episodes.  First, a show of hands “who’s hungry?”  “Who want’s pizza?”  And then the follow up, “Pizza’s here.”  The passing out of the pizza, the paper plates and napkins….a great reveal of the celebrities “in real life.”  Brad Pitt jumped in to help pass out the pizza.  Julia Roberts was the first to speak up, “I’ll have a piece.”  Ellen kept trying to get pizza to skinny girls Lupita Nyong’O and Angelina Jolie….looked like they passed on the pizza, as did infamous non-eater, Calista Flockhart.  But after starving through three Hunger Games shoots, Jennifer Lawrence was eager for a piece, as was Harrison Ford who wasn’t shy about interrupting Ellen to get a napkin.  And later on, when Ellen passed Ferrell’s hat to collect for payment, it looked like Harvey Weinstein dropped in $200 and Brad Pitt kept reaching into his wallet until it was empty.  Let’s face it, as much as we want to watch glamorous dresses and shiny gold statues being awarded, what we all really want is to hang out and eat pizza with Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep while Brad Pitt passes us a napkin and Harvey Weinstein picks up the check.

And as great as the pizza trilogy was, the group selfie that broke Twitter was even better.  Again, isn’t what we all really want is to squish into a group selfie between Jared Leto and Bradley Cooper with our BFFs Sandy Bullock and JLaw?  Duh.  Of course it is.  And Ellen knows it.  Brilliant.

The show was also a success because it wasn’t riddled with a lot of unnecessary production numbers.  The song nominations brought great performances from Pink, Idina Menzel and U2.  In their 5^th decade together, U2 is still artful and relevant and Bono is still one of the coolest people on the planet.  The In Memoriam was special and classy – uninterrupted by uneven applause which has always left me uncomfortable in previous years.  Bette Midler’s ease with which she performs is much like Ellen in that she makes us, the audience, feel included.  We mourned the loss of Jim Gandolfini, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Harold Ramis, et al, just as Bill Murray, Kevin Spacey and Mary Scorcese did, quietly, in our seats.

This year’s show also served up more gracious, articulate and entertaining acceptances speeches than in most years past.  Perhaps Jared Leto and Lupito Nyong’O set the tone for honoring the era of their films, the people they portrayed, and their loved ones whose support guided them to this moment.  Perhaps they had all award season to hone their acceptance speeches, but Cate Blanchett and Matthew McConaughey delivered too…..as MM would say, “alright, alright, alright.” 

The Red Carpet delivered this year too.  Trends for the women of halter necklines, encrusted jeweled body-conscious gowns, structured jeweled-toned sheaths, lazar cut lace, sheer flowing femininity, and short chic textured hair.

So many women wore it well.  Portia de Rossi opened the red carpet parade on trend with short sleek blonde hair and a stunning sheer white lazar cut lace halter dress by Naeem Khan.  Naomi Watts wore a stunning white Francisco Costa with a high neck and encrusted beads and an art deco diamond necklace and sleek hair that struck a perfect balance.  Kristin Bell took a page out of that book as well – a beautiful strapless white gown – ornate and a lot going on but elegant and balanced.  Jessica Biel looked gorgeous as ever in a sparkled Chanel strapless gown reminiscent of the brilliant Armani Prive gown Anne Hathaway wore a few years ago that will live in Oscar history.  Speaking of Anne Hathaway, she rocked the short chic hair with a halter top form-fitting black and white gown with a mirror-crusted bodice.  Also rocking the short hair, Charlize Theron was stunning as always in timeless black Dior.  And rounding out the women daring short and chic hair, Jennifer Lawrence wore a gorgeous Dior red strapless architectural sheath.  Her cast mate Amy Adams followed the same trend but in jeweled toned sapphire blue – Amy’s strapless simple sculpted sheath was matched by her tightly rolled up bun which could have used a little more height, but she looked elegant and chic.  Sandra Bullock wore jeweled toned navy blue too, but went with the draped flowing feminine look from Alexander McQueen. Anna Kendrick took a risk in a black chiffon dress with a sheer midriff with wine floral beads – this dress had a lot going on with an asymmetrical top and an asymmetrical slit, and sheer cutouts, and beading, and many will probably hate it because it had so much going on, but I loved it. 

Olivia Wilde and Kerry Washington made pregnancy look glamorous.  And Meryl Streep and Bette Midler made aging look easy.  All four women dressed tastefully and perfectly for their current bodies.  Some women didn’t rock any trends, but still looked fabulous – Jennifer Garner and Kate Hudson showed up in true Hollywood glamour.

My favorites of the night were the ones who got it all right.  Camilla Alves (aka wife of Matthew McConaughey) in a pink long sleeve one-sided cape dress – not sure who made it, but I loved it.  Penelope Cruz is always one of my favorites and she did not disappoint in a blush colored draped one-shoulder Versace…I’m sure some will hate it because it was a lot of dress and not form-fitting like Penelope usually wears, but I loved it.  I didn’t know who Bradley Cooper’s date was, so I had to look her up, and I still don’t know who she is, but I loved her sheer nude beaded tulle one shoulder princess gown.  Giuliana Ransic also wore a gorgeous nude beaded tulle princess gown – loved it. 

And speaking of sheer nude beaded and princess dresses, my two Best Dressed of the night wore these trends the best.  The runway ready new Princess of the red carpet chose the perfect princess dress from Prada – Lupita Nyong’O was radiant in yards of soft chiffon in a color she coined Nairobi blue with a diamond headband, coral lips and the perfect diamond semi-wreath earrings.  But the red carpet has a Princess and also a Queen - Cate Blanchett.  Queen Cate, also in Giorgio Armani, personified perfection in a nude sheer beaded gown with gold pallettes.  After a winter season of so many hideous skating costumes at the Sochi Olympics where none of the nude or sheer costumes were either nude or sheer, I hope those costume designers were watching the Oscars to see how it’s done.  Cate Blanchett, as usual, was a winner in every way, taking home a well-deserved Best Actress Oscar, and yet again making her mark as the timeless Queen of the Red Carpet.

Unfortunately, there were some women who were kicked out of the Red Carpet royal court.  Julia Roberts attempted the lace gown trend but chose a black, ill-fitted, old-fashioned gown that didn’t match her spunky blonde hair or her youthful personality.  Sally Hawkins was brilliant in Blue Jasmine, and perhaps if she dressed as well as Lupito Nyong’O, she could have one.  Unfortunately, Sally’s dress appeared to be made from lamp shades found in a 1920’s bordello while her hair was styled in the 1980’s.  Julie Delpy wore a dress that was ill-fitting, long sleeved and too old for her – if Meryl Streep wore it, I may have loved it, but on Julie, it just looked matronly.  Sarah Paulson also chose long sleeves and it was too much dress and also looked old.  And here’s the shocker as some will love it, I did not – Angelina Jolie.  Let’s face it, she’s gorgeous and always looks amazing.  And she even looks healthier like she gained a few pounds.  But the dress, although sparkly and glamorous, is not a silhouette I like on Angie…again, too old for her.  If Sophia Loren had worn that dress, I would have loved it.  Here’s the tip, ladies, if you’re going to wear long sleeves, don’t be covered head to toe in heavy beaded fabric….it’s too much…you need a lighter fabric or you need to show some skin somewhere.  Take a tip from the red carpet hall of fame playbook – the backless long sleeve blue wonder that Hilary Swank wore to win one of her Oscars.  That’s how to wear long sleeves when you’re young.

Angie may have been one of the worst dressed women, but standing next to Brad Pitt, she was part of one of the best dressed couples.  Will Smith and Jada Pinkett brought the glam too, dressed perfectly for presenters and not nominees.  Matthew McConaughey and Camilla Alves were stunning.  Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth presented as a couple – definitely the best looking presenter couple.  But my favorite couple of the night was Jared Leto and his mother – no couple was prettier or more loving then them.  Loved them.  But the best dressed couple can only be trumped by the best dressed family and that has to go to the Dern family (Bruce, his wife, and daughter actress Laura Dern).

Some of the men were truly sharp dressed men.  The trends of the night were shawl collared tuxedos and white or crème dinner jackets.  Hard to say if Chris Hemsworth and Channing Tatum were incredibly well-dressed in their sharp tuxedos or if they’re just so good looking they would look stunningly handsome no matter what.  But for big guys, I thought their tuxedos fit perfectly and they chose looks with a little more style.  Some brought the Vegas look to the red carpet and I liked it – Joseph Gordon Levitt and Jim Carey brought the sparkles.  Ellen brought a little Vegas to the mix too - she broke out a velvet tux, a white tux and a sparkle tux – loved them all – she looked beautiful.  Kevin Spacey offered a modern take on a fifties style – a look he seems to have mastered since he played Bobby Darin.  My Best Dressed man of the night goes to the always elegant, always perfectly tailored, always dashing, Leonardo DiCaprio.

After a long wait since the fabulous Golden Globes in January, the Academy Awards truly delivered.  This year brought a particularly great group of films and performances.  When Christian Bale can deliver such a brilliant performance and he ranks fourth in the odds for winning, that’s a tough year.  When Bruce Dern gives the performance of his life after a lifetime of outstanding performances and he’s a longshot, that’s a tough year. When Amy Adams gives the performance of her life and can’t win an Oscar after five years of being nominated, that’s a tough year.  And when Gravity blows everyone away in the filmmaking world and wins for editing, cinematography, direction, and almost every technical award and can’t win Best Picture, that’s a tough year.  The good competition kept us eager to see who the winner would be, and the winner brought grace and style to winning, but the winner of the night was Ellen, and the producers for bringing her back after a long eight years.  Welcome back, Ellen.  We missed you.  We didn’t know we missed you, but we did.

Lisa's Oscar Commentary: The 85th Annual Academy Awards

Lisa’s Oscar Commentary:
The 85th Annual Academy Awards

Seth who? If anyone tuned in to the broadcast a few minutes late, they probably thought “Why are Peter Brady and Captain Kirk hosting the Oscars?” Kirk predicted the show would bomb. Kirk (aka William Shatner) was right. Nine of the best films ever nominated for Best Picture and one of the worst productions of the Oscars ever… sadly mediocre and uneventful. The show promised to have lots of surprises. The only surprise was how unsurprising it was. Perhaps Seth should have hosted the entire show as the Teddy Bear? Or maybe Seth should have really run off with Sally Field during the third commercial break. Would anyone have even noticed?

The only saving grace was that the women looked spectacular and between the live musical performances and the gracious presenters and winners, there was some amazing talent on the stage. Jennifer Hudson stole the show… until Barbra Streisand showed up and ran away with it. Babs looked gorgeous, sounded amazing, delivered a sincere and real performance and was as current as ever.

Adele’s rendition of Skyfall, Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Chicago performance and the Les Miserable live cast performance were highlights of the night, but proved once again that Russell Crowe basically ruined the film. He can’t sing. He can’t emote through song. And there’s no hiding it in a live performance. Every other actor on that stage delivered and Russell Crowe fell flat (pun intended).

At least the show celebrated a lot of great talent. This year’s films were so rich in creative expression, there was true joy in watching so many of them receive awards – Daniel Day Lewis, Ang Lee, Christophe Waltz, Quentin Tarantino, and Ben Affleck, just to name some of the highlights.

The real thrills of the night were on the red carpet. For one of the worst awards shows, this was one of the best nights for fashion. There were so many beauties and so few failures.

Trend of the night: sparkle sparkle sparkle. If your dress didn’t have beads, sequins, jewels, or something that danced and sparkled in the light, you might have well have worn jeans, because the sparkle dresses won the night. So many fabulous sparkling starlets: Jessica Chastain in flesh toned beaded Armani Prive, Amanda Seyfreid in a bejeweled Alexander McQueen halter couture gown, Kerry Washington in coral silk and encrusted sparkle bodice Miu Miu, Jennifer Hudson in a long sleeve gun-metal grey Roberto Cavali, Naomi Watts in a one shouldered cut out granite Armani Prive sheath, Nicole Kidman in liquid black sequin tank with gold embellishments, Sandra Bullock in sheer and embroidered sparkling Elie Saab, Rene Zellweger in gold Carolina Herrera, Adele in Jenny Packham, Stacy Kiebler in Naeem Kahn, and Halle Berry in black and silver Versace. Not a dull dress in the bunch. Some used the stitching and placement of the jewels and sequins to create attractive lines and flattering structure. They were a feast for the eyes.

Not sparkly but nonetheless stunning were Amy Adams in pale grey-blue Oscar de la Renta Chiffon (reminiscent of a Sarah Jessica Parker Oscar de la Renta dress of several years ago), Zoe Saldana in an architectural unique gown from Alexis Mabille Couture, Jennifer Lawrence in a pale damask voluminous gown from Dior Haute Couture, Jane Fonda in sunny yellow Versace, and Anne Hathaway in pale pink Prada (very Audrey Hepburn).

Choosing a Best Dressed from the group was difficult. My first thought was Halle Berry was perfection, Zoe Saldano was avante guard and fashion forward, Sandra Bullock was sleek and stunning, Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts had the dresses everyone will want to copy, Charlize Theron was statuesque and stunning, and Amanda Seyfried was a work of art. Nonetheless, I have to give them all Honorary Mention Awards. The award for Best Dressed has to go to the two women who were completely on trend and sparkled so brightly they lit up the night in every way – and they didn’t even walk the red carpet: Barbra Streisand and Michelle Obama proved that beauty and fashion are ageless. They won the night.

Even though there were so many fabulous dresses on the red carpet there were some goofs and blunders. Amy Adams looked truly beautiful in her gown, but she looked a little dated compared to the others, and her hair looked like she walked a few blocks down a windy street. Reese Witherspoon had the most beautiful, smooth and glamorous Hollywood hair but her look was boring – something we’ve seen from her a thousand times. She needed to reinvent her look on the red carpet and maybe re-boot her career. Sally Field needed to take notes from Shirley Bassey, Jane Fonda and Barbra Streisand on how to look fabulous at any age. Valentino’s red gown just swallowed up little Sally, did not flatter her figure, and that color was too harsh on her aging skin. Sally looks incredibly young and that dress aged her twenty years. Anne Hathaway should not have worn that big diamond necklace with the high neckline on the gown – she messed up the perfect (did Rachel Zoe let her do that? I doubt it).

Jennifer Aniston tried a new silhouette with a strapless red gown with a fitted bodice and a lot of volume in the skirt. Unfortunately, this was not a good look for Jen. She has one of the best bodies in the biz and the top smashed her bust and the bottom hid her great shape. Her hair was straight and down as usual. She always reminds me of one of those teenage girls at prom who will only wear her hair down because she’s too juvenile to do anything different. An evening gown with daytime hair just doesn’t work. Salma Hayak also tried a new silhouette. She usually shows us her assets and why not, she has great assets. The black velvet gown was body hugging which was flattering and the gold jewels at the neck elongated her short little torso, and I understand that she thought she needed some height in her hair to balance the dress, but that big fat bun with the tiara just made the whole Baroque look of the dress look costumey rather than chic. And Catherine Zeta-Jones was the most sparkly in a gold Zuhair Murad mermaid gown but she was the only one that was over the top. The gold was so bright and the embellishments were so large and the silhouette was so shapely – it was just too much. Though no one was too hard to look at, Sally Field was truly the worst of the lot. She looked so much better at every previous award show this season, she just peaked too soon.

I’m issuing a new award this year. The Green Award. Though she may be the only nominee in this category, she did it so well, it’s worth giving her an award. Helen Hunt wore a navy gown from H&M’s Global Green collection. Of course she dressed it up in $700,000 worth of jewels, but she looked fabulous. She reminded me of the time Sharon Stone wore a Gap T-Shirt and no t-shirt ever looked so good.

Usually the guys stand out more as fabulous or awful but there weren’t too many standouts this year. Sometimes when the actors are in the midst of shooting another film, they can’t change their hair and facial hair and as a result, their total look is somewhat lacking. It’s hard to say that George Clooney, Ben Affleck and Bradley Cooper have looked better, but they have. But they’re still the hottest guys in town. Best Dressed men were Cristophe Waltz and Daniel Day Lewis who both looked very Euro cool in very tailored tuxedos. Kudos to Jamie Foxx for jumping on the sparkle trend, sporting a sequin bow tie – if anyone can pull that off, he can. And Quentin Tarantino looked like a mess like he always does – Worst Dressed. He still made a great film. If Tarantino could learn to stop casting himself in his films and hire a stylist to dress him for award season, he might win a few more awards.

If there is one thing to take away from this awards show season is that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler should host everything. Seth McFarland even said they will host next year’s Oscars. Here’s hoping….

Lisa's Oscar Commentary - The 84th Annual Academy Awards

Lisa’s Oscar Commentary
The 84th Annual Academy Awards

Billy’s back!!! After a very long hiatus, Billy Crystal was back to host the Academy Awards for the ninth time. He was sorely missed.

Originally, Brett Ratner was scheduled to produce the Oscars and he had asked Eddie Murphy to host. Brett made some comments in an interview or two that were offensive to some – I’m not sure anyone remembers exactly what he said anymore. Nonetheless, he stepped down as producer and Brian Grazer took over. I’m still curious as to how Eddie Murphy would have done as host, but it was great to have Billy back. He did not disappoint. He gave the audience everything he traditionally offered as host – some clever clips editing Billy into the Best Picture nominees, and a little medley of songs for each of the nine nominated films. By the way, there were only nine nominees this year, not ten, because there weren’t ten films worthy of being nominated. Maybe they should have gone back to five. On the other hand, the expansion of the category has made room for so many independent films. This was the year of the small film, not the big one. In fact, it was the year of the black and white film, not the color one. The year of the silent film, not the talkie. Hurray for The Artist! The only film that was nominated that deserved to win…and did...The Artist, indeed.

Also in black and white, and in color, were the numerous tuxedos and gowns that walked the red carpet. This year’s red carpet wasn’t so different from the films – no clear winners or losers. There were some that were better and some that were worse but there wasn’t one dress that will go down in Oscar Red Carpet history – for better or worse.

Trends were long sleeves, color, particularly shades of white and red, and modesty. Though there were a few plunging necklines, like Jennifer Lopez who always looks sexy and gorgeous, most of the women were showing more skin from the back than from the front.

Some of the best dressed and fashion-forward were on trend. Wearing white were: Mila Jovovich in one shoulder sparkling Ellie Saab, Rooney Mara right off the runway in Givenchy looked like a porcelain doll with black hair bright red lips, Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji perfectly beaded gown (she looked like a winner), Gwyneth Paltrow in a one shoulder white Tom Ford dress that was a Best Dressed Nominee for sure (and she wore the matching white cape on the carpet – fab - I will remember this look for sure) and goddess, Jennifer Lopez in the slinky beaded Zuhair Marad. Angelina Jolie joined Rooney Mara and Michelle Williams in stunning red lips. While Angie wore a sexy Atelier Versace architectural gown with a slit up to her ummm hmmm, Michelle wore a perfectly modest but feminine coral Louis Vuitton dress which matched her pixie haircut perfectly.

Viola Davis looked lovely in green - not glam, but lovely. Glenn Close looked lovely and modest in Zac Posen. And Meryl Streep looked like a winner in gold Lanvin. Meryl has obviously read my blog of past years and took my advice. I always say: “if you want to win an Oscar, dress like one.” Gold is for winners.

Other honorable mentions, wearing gold were Jessica Chastain in a Victorian Alexander McQueen statement gown, and Stacey Kiebler in a bronze/gold Marchesa gown that no one else could wear, except maybe Charlize Theron. George Clooney may not have won an Oscar, but he got to take home a gold statuette nonetheless.

So who was the best dressed of the night? That award has to go to Penelope Cruz. She just looked perfectly stunning in Armani – a mix of old Hollywood glamour and 2012 style. The color of the silk was a slate periwinkle blue that stood out on the red carpet and on the stage presenting. She was a vision – perfection.

There were many who weren’t terrible, but they just missed the target. All the Bridesmaids girls looked great. If Kristin Wig had glammed it up a little more, or if Rose Byrn had worn different shoes, they could have been superb. But they were great presenters proving that funny is just as fabulous as fashion. Berenice Bejo was lovely, but the long sleeved Ellie Saab looked a little old on her and her hair was a little too tight and not romantic enough for the dress, but she still looked lovely. Shailene Woodley wore a beautiful very sophisticated Valentino Couture dress that I absolutely loved, and if Cate Blanchett had worn it, she probably would have been Best Dressed. But Shailene is much too young to wear that dress – it just looked old on her. But, I give her props for good taste, the dress is fashionable and stunning.

Also missing the boat was Sandra Bullock – her hair and makeup was beautiful, but the Marchesa vintage-looking dress was not a flattering silhouette for Sandra’s boyish figure. And Cameron Diaz also had beautiful makeup and a great new haircut, and the dress was sexy, but the dress had too much going on at the bottom – simple silhouettes are better on her. Emma Stone was beautiful and I loved her dress, but perhaps Emma is too young to remember the legendary Balenciaga dress that Nicole Kidman wore to the Oscars almost ten years ago - A long red dress with a big bow at the neck. Nicole Kidman has worn a couple of dresses that will live in Oscar history and that dress was one of them. Sorry, Emma. You should have picked a different dress.

If you happened to catch Sherri Shepherd, you wished you had missed her. For a woman who’s been top-heavy her whole life, she still hasn’t learned what to wear to flatter her figure. Her gown had loose chiffon on top and tight taffeta on the bottom – completely backwards. She needs a fitted top and loose volume on the bottom for balance. She looked like she might actually tip over. Jane Seymour was also one of the worst of the night. She must have heard red was the trend, but she got it all wrong. A red shiny slinky candy apple red dress that looked like a Vegas costume. If you want to be a dancer, Jane, stick with Dancing with the Stars – and hire a stylist. Busy Phillips arrived with Michelle Williams as her friend and “plus one.” Busy’s dress was too busy, and honestly, if you’re going to be Michelle William’s accessory, you should look the part. Michelle was a Best Dressed Nominee and Busy Phillips was a Worst Dressed Nominee.

Unfortunately, the Worst Dressed of the night was mostly just the most disappointing, and for that reason alone, she’s getting the Worst Dressed award: Natalie Portman. The dress was almost pretty but it looked more like a dress for an awards luncheon – a little too picnicky. It could have been chic and fabulous if it were accessorized properly, but she wore a very glam sparkly diamond necklace as if she wanted to glam it up but it didn’t match at all, and her hair was down and sloppy and tucked behind her ear. She looked like her baby had just spit up on her backstage and she just couldn’t deal with getting herself dressed up for the Oscars this year – after all, she was only presenting this year, not winning.

The men put on an excellent parade of sharped dressed tuxedo clad well groomed stars. P. Diddy looked sharp as always, perfectly tailored. And his diamond earrings were bigger than any diamonds I saw on the women. Brad Pitt and George Clooney – handsome and classic – even Brad’s long hair didn’t detract from his handsome appearance from head to toe. Jean Dujardin looked like a winner – he truly epitomizes old Hollywood glamour. And he had the perfect accessory – Uggie, the jack russell terrier.

But two men stood out to me as the best dressed of the night. Bradley Cooper presenting with Tina Fey made the best dressed couple. Bradley wore a dark navy double breasted tuxedo with a black satin shawl collar. That navy tuxedo looked perfect with Tina Fey’s navy Carolina Herrera gown (she never looked better). Best dressed “couple.” And the surprise best dressed of the night was someone who I think usually looks classic but this year stepped it up a notch. Tom Hanks wore a perfectly tailored midnight black double breasted tuxedo with a shawl collar, a crisp white shirt with a covered button panel, and a perfectly folded white pocket square. Both Bradley and Tom Hanks are tall enough to wear the double breasted tux, and both chose to move on trend with the shawl collar. I just love that look. An unexpected Best Dressed Winner: Tom Hanks.

The show ran only ten minutes long, which for the Oscars, is ten minutes early. So if it felt long, it was probably because there were a few too many clips of actors reflecting on how they learned to love movies. Billy’s opening numbers did not disappoint. And Billy was a great host. Billy is everything we love in a host - funny, relaxed, and enthusiastic and entertaining. He can sing, dance, adlib, and deliver a joke. His medleys and clever film clips always make us laugh. This year, they gave us just enough of that….not too much.

I was personally disappointed that there wasn’t more of a tribute to Gil Cates who produced the Oscars fourteen times. Gil Cates and the Academy Awards were synonymous for years. I wish they had shown some clips of Gil over the years working behind the scenes. He was a Hollywood legend and the Oscar stage was his home. I remember Gil as a great producer, a gentleman and a genuinely nice guy. He will be missed.
Christopher Plummer and Meryl Streep had the best acceptance speeches of the night. At 82 years old, Christopher Plummer became the oldest actor to win an Oscar. He looked at his Oscar, “You’re only two years older than me – where have you been all my life?” Best line of the night even if it was rehearsed. Meryl Streep has broken every record for nominations, and she is irrefutably the best actor of all time. Yet, her win was a surprise. And her acceptance speech was heartfelt, genuine, and articulate yet seemed unrehearsed – then again, she is the greatest actress of all time.

Love that Woody Allen won for original screenplay – I only wish he had surprised everyone and showed up, or at least sent Owen Wilson up to get it. Owen really does do a great Woody. And I was glad that the makeup artist from Iron Lady finally won an Oscar after so many years. Gwyneth and Robert Downey Jr. were pretty funny together. Emma Stone and Ben Stiller were almost funny. Will Farrell and Zach Galifianakis were a little bit funny, not as funny as the Bridesmaids. “Scorcese” – do a shot. A new Oscar drinking game is born. Billy could have used a little more help with the laughs – I thought maybe Uggie, the dog from The Artist might have given him a hand, or paw.

All the Frenchies were fabulous. Every time the Artist won an award, the recipient was charming and gracious. Interestingly, of all the nine films that were nominated for best picture, The Artist was the only film that was shot entirely in Hollywood, California. And even though Spielberg and Scorcese were in the mix, there was no runaway Hollywood blockbuster. Thank goodness, there was no James Cameron film this year. The Artist captured the spirit of the year – a creative, artful, feel-good film. Next year, I’m hoping for a color film with Jean Dujardin, Jonah Hill and Michelle Williams shot in Paris, directed by Woody Allen. And if someone calls Harvey Weinstein, maybe it can win an Oscar.

Lisa's Oscar Commentary: The 83rd Annual Academy Awards

Lisa’s Oscar Commentary
The 83rd Annual Academy Awards

Hathaway, you’re hired! Franco, you’re fired! Oscar’s attempt to be “appealing to a younger demographic” was a success in part, and a failure in part - namely the James Franco part. Though he’s terrific when given a role to play other than himself, hosting is not his bag. Don’t expect him to land his own talk show any time soon, or ever. He looked like he got off the Hollywood Freeway at the wrong exit and was disoriented the entire night. He just looked lost and uncomfortable. He should have hosted the whole night in the Marilyn Monroe dress – it was the only time, he looked relaxed. Anne Hathaway, on the other hand, stole the night. Not only did she look magnificent in her numerous (count ‘em seven) costume changes, but if you didn’t already know Anne could sing, you do now. Her agent’s phone will be ringing off the hook today.

The three hours and fifteen minute ceremony had some memorable moments: The opening green screen clips of Hathaway and Franco, presenters Kirk Douglas, Robert Downey Jr. with Jude Law, Russell Brand with Helen Mirren, Jeff Bridges, and Billy Crystal who made us all miss Billy Crystal who along with Bob Hope still holds the crown for greatest Oscar host. And there were some well delivered performances in the In Memoriam and Best Song presentations, though Gwyneth Paltrow’s singing was wincing like the tailor left a pin in her dress and it was poking her the whole time.

There were some well-delivered acceptance speeches: Natalie Portman, Aaron Sorkin, Christian Bale, and Colin Firth. And there were also some memorable acceptance moments: Melissa Leo will make Oscar clip history with her accidental dropping of the F-bomb, Randy Newman – was this really only his second win out of twenty nominations? And a few favorite moments from some of the lesser known recipients – Robert Stromberg (Art Direction) who’s first line was “why didn’t I lose that twenty pounds?” and similarly, Luke Metheny (Live Action Short) who commented that he should have gotten a haircut (he also gave a very endearing speech), Tom Hooper (Best Director) who taught us to always listen to your mother, and David Seidler (Best Original Screenplay) who informed us that he was the oldest winner of that award and hopefully won’t hold that record too long.

All the actor awards were awarded as predicted. Inception took home a lot of technical awards, Toy Story 3 may have become the first part 3 to take home the best anything, and The King’s Speech took home the correct four awards including Best Picture.

And now the moment you’ve been waiting for….the red carpet. First, I have to give a shout out to the women that made the red carpet what it is today – Joan Rivers. Before Joan started asking “who are you wearing?” nominees and presenters actually dressed themselves and even bought their own dresses and tuxedos. Thanks to Joan, designers compete to send dresses, tuxes, and millions of dollars in jewels, and stylists put their looks together and dress them, and hair and makeup artists get paid to sit in the green room waiting to touch up their celebrities during commercials. So, thanks to Joan Rivers, the red carpet keeps getting better and this year may be one of the best.

Trends this year were red, jeweled tones, metallic, strapless, netting, less jewelry and dresses that sparkle, sparkle, sparkle.

There were many women who were best dressed nominees this year. Some of the sparklers included the age appropriate princess Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa, and Mandy Moore in gold sparkles and mesh from Monique L’Huillier looking like a grown up version of Hailee, Michelle Williams in off-white, short-sleeved, not too tight sheath from Chanel, Amy Adams in a navy cap-sleeved sheath from L’Wren Scott, Hillary Swank strutted like a glorious peacock in silver sparkles and feathers from Gucci, Gwyneth Paltrow in sleek, liquid metallic Calvin Klein, and Halle Berry redeemed herself after the Golden Globes looking glorious in a Marches strapless champagne sparkles with tulle trim.

There were also many women who didn’t sparkle but still shined. Mila Kunis was a knockout in Elie Saab lavender chiffon and tulle – made you forget that Angelina wasn’t there. Natalie Portman lovely, pregnant and the only one in purple. Cate Blanchett was controversial in a very artistic and unusual Givenchy gown, but I liked it – and I want that haircut! Helen Mirren actually improves with age, looking as elegant as ever – she makes grey hair and a grey dress look red hot. Reese Witherspoon looked like Barbara Eden in that glorious blonde inside out ponytail in a black and white dress that was reminiscent of Julia Robert’s Oscar winner Valentino gown. And the runner up for Best Dressed had to be the tangerine Versace clad, newly svelte, Jennifer Hudson. How many women will be running to Weight Watchers today to sign up?

So, with all those amazing well dressed women, who was the best dressed? It’s actually a tie between Anne Hathaway, Anne Hathaway, and Anne Hathaway. Fuhgetaboutit. She wore seven dresses between the red carpet and the show, but one was more beautiful than the next. If I have to pick, I would say that the red dress from the red carpet, the white jewel encrusted dress she wore in the opening of the show, and the charcoal sparkling long sleeve sheath she wore at the end of the show were my faves.

Worst dressed nominees were hard to find, but Marissa Tomei was disappointing – that navy gown looked like she cut two dresses and sewed them together. And though I loved her haircut, her hair was too messy. Helena Bonham Carter is always on the worst dressed list – it’s unfortunate because she’s so beautiful, but I loved that she wore a dress from Costume Designer and Oscar Winner Colleen Atwood – I just wish the sleeves didn’t look like a car wash. Melissa Leo was also disappointing. She wore a mirror encrusted white Marc Bauer dress with a stand-up johnny collar, and hair that looked like her bun was falling out….just none of it was quite right, but sooo glad she won. Nicole Kidman wore white strapless Dior Couture but basically it looked like an upside down kimono – not a good look for her, but it will be memorable and some will love it – not me.

Worst Dressed was a tie this year. First, Kathryn Bigelow was so disappointing after winning last year and being the first woman to take home a Best Director Oscar and making everyone’s best dressed list – it was so sad to see her show up as a presenter in an ill-fitting baggy dress with bed-head hair. I guess in her eyes, the Oscars are only worth dressing up for if you’re nominated. The other Worst Dressed of the night was Scarlett Johansson in a magenta stretch lace Dolce & Gabanna made from her grandmother’s table cloth – terrible color for her pale skin and to top it off she got a very cute hair cut but forgot to brush it.

The men mostly looked classic and elegant in the blackest of black tuxedos and crisp white shirts. Mark Ruffalo, Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Renner, Colin Firth, and Hugh Jackman all looked classic. Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin rocked their three-piece tuxes. The Best Dressed, wearing a wide lapel luxurious looking tuxedo from Tom Ford was Justin Timberlake – he personifies young Hollywood and sets the bar. But, I’ve got to criticize Justin too. Although the best prop you can bring to the Oscars is your mother, you should get her a decent dress! Shame on you Justin to show up in Tom Ford and let your mother cruise the sale rack at Macy’s.

Worst dressed guys were hard to find though there were a few that were dressed well but were not groomed well – if they’re not in the middle of shooting, the need to shave! Mark Wahlberg and Mathew McConoughy could have been best dressed, but just looked too sloppy. Robert Downey, Jr. always wears a little bit of a clown tux, and Russell Brand in a plaid shirt and perpetually bad hair were worst dressed runner-ups, but that award has to go to Christian Bale. That beard may be for a current role, if not, there’s no excuse, and when will he learn that the black on black look is out. Overall, a handsome guy trying to look ugly. But, so glad he won – he’s a brilliant actor and he deserves all the kudos.

Overall, the show was a winner. The wealth was spread around – The King’s Speech, The Social Network, The Fighter, Black Swan, Inception, Toy Story 3. Good to see a lot of happy winners. Big loser of the night was definitely James Franco. He’ll be back in school today – hopefully, he’ll stay there for a while. Anne Hathaway and her stylist, Rachel Zoe, were the big winners. Maybe next year’s hosts they’ll try mixing old Hollywood and new Hollywood – I suggest Betty White and Justin Timberlake.

Lisa's Annual Oscar Commentary: The 82nd Annual Academy Awards

Lisa’s Annual Oscar Commentary

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards

Double the best picture nominees, double the hosts, half the fun. What a waste of talent. One of the longest, dullest, and unfunny Oscar ceremonies in years. The opening number with Neil Patrick Harris with the Vegas-ish showgirls was reminiscent of the worst opening in Oscar history - Rob Lowe dancing with Snow White. Why didn’t Steve and Alec do the opening? Were they paid by the minute? They both work harder when they host Saturday Night Live. A total of twenty-two minutes on stage and none of it was memorable.

Fortunately, people will remember Kathryn Bigelow becoming the first woman to win the best director Oscar. People will remember The Hurt Locker winning the best picture Oscar and Jeff Bridges finally getting the recognition he deserves for the role of a lifetime. People may remember a few heartfelt but imperfect speeches like Mo’Nique’s and Sandra Bullock’s and the brat pack tribute to John Hughes. And people will certainly remember James Cameron not winning for Avatar.

Adam Shankman, the producer of the show this year, should really stick to choreography – it’s what he does best and is probably why the dance number to the musical scores was the show’s highlight. Opening the show with all the lead actor nominees on stage not only felt like a strange trip to Madame Tussaud’s wax museum but communicated that Oscar celebrates actors, when in fact, Oscar celebrates all aspects of filmmaking. There were very few funny scripted moments. Ben Stiller redeemed himself from past years, and Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr. had the funniest exchange of the night in presenting the best screenplay Oscar to Mark Boal for The Hurt Locker. Shankman seemed like he was operating on a very cheap budget. Only a lack of funds could explain the missed opportunities such as shooting some green screen fun with Alec and Steve, or providing some fun costume changes for them throughout the show. Five seconds of Steve in a Hasmat suit or Alec Baldwin in a football uniform could have gone a long way. Oh well, at least the red carpet was exciting.

Lots of interesting fashion trends on the red carpet this year: architectural tops, big skirts with lots of fabric from the hip down - particularly from one hip, crisscrossing and/or ruching around bodice and waist, blush and metallic tones, and iridescence. Who did it well? Jennifer Lopez captured the look of the night with her usual fashion forward elegance – Armani Prive voluminous, iridescent, pale pink, with the architectural stiff top and lots of flowing fabric from the hip…and her hair and makeup was flawless. Rachel McAdams was also one of the best of the night in an interesting subtle print dress with the crisscross bodice and voluminous skirt. Vera Farmiga almost got it right in hot pink Marchesa – a little too voluminous with all those architectural ruffles but at least anyone standing next to her looked boring. Also in Armani Prive, Amanda Seyfried almost got it right but the pale iridescent fabric was too voluminous for her frame and her age – just too much dress.

The one who got it all right and was the “Best Dressed” of the night was Demi Moore. Everything was on trend – the strapless, crisscrossed bodice, and the ruffles below the hip, but the color was a little deeper and perfect with her coloring and she actually appears to be getting younger. Her hair wasn’t special, but it was shiny and sleek enough to balance the ruffles and her makeup was flawless. Bravo Demi.

Others looked beautiful but weren’t as fashion forward. Sandra Bullock followed the advice of my previous years – if you want to win an Oscar, dress like one. The shiny sleek gold Marchesa dress was elegant and statuesque. Her lipstick was a little too bright, but she looked like a winner. Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet, Queen Latifah, and Anna Kendrick all looked beautiful and wore the right gowns for their ages and figures. Cameron Diaz never looked better – usually I comment that her hair looks stringy and she looks like she had sex in the limo on the way to the show – but this year, she got it together, got a few hair extensions, but not too much, and looked elegant. Meryl Streep looked beautiful in white, but that long sleeve boring gown designed by Chris March, the Project Runway loser, was far from fashion forward. And Sarah Jessica Parker in Chanel Couture and ten pounds of piled up hair extensions made a statement all of her own. Many will not like that look because it wasn’t figure-flattering, but it was luxurious, elegant, captivating, and memorable. We’ll be seeing photographs of her in that dress for years to come.

Others tried to be fashionable, but failed miserably. There were many. Mariah Carry almost never manages to find a tasteful gown for the evening. Sigourney Weaver looked like a six foot wrapped Christmas present. Charlize Theron wore two giant roses on her boobs – did anyone notice anything else? Miley Cyrus will never look good in any gown until she improves her posture. Molly Ringwald was frightful. Tina Fey, in Michael Kors, looked like she was wearing a dress made from her grandmother’s head scarf. How is it possible that such a thin, attractive, and smart woman could look so consistently terrible on the red carpet? Suzy Amis looked anorexic in “Navi” blue. With all his money, can’t James Cameron buy her a burger? But the “Worst Dressed” of the night was Zoe Saldano. She is so beautiful and tried so hard to be a fashionista but that dress looked like four dresses collided to make one giant multi-colored, multi-layered, multi-textured, arts and crafts explosion. Vegas showgirl on the top and southern belle on the bottom, that dress was a disaster. Nonetheless, she was memorable and her photograph will certainly appear in every magazine which is good since her face (in human form) did not appear once in Avatar.

The men were less interesting this year. Mostly they all looked great. The black shirts were out and crisp white shirts and blackest of black tuxedos were in. Some of the young Hollywood guys captured the look - lean tuxedos with single button closure, narrow peaked or shawl collars, and skinny black ties, and classic bowties. Zac Efron, Taylor Lautner, Jake Gyllenhaal, Gerard Butler, Neil Patrick Harris, and Colin Firth all got the young lean tux look right. Lenny Kravitz also looked incredibly sharp. Ryan Reynolds took the more classic tuxedo approach along with Matt Damon and George Clooney. The “Best Dressed” man of the night was an obvious choice – Tom Ford. Wearing his own blackest of black tuxedos, perfectly fit, with black studs, the shiniest silk hand-tied bowtie, and a perfectly groomed beard, Tom Ford was elegance personified.

Other men tried but didn’t quite get it right. Jason Bateman’s tuxedo jacket was too long and out dated. Stanley Tucci’s lapels were too wide for his bald head. Keanu wore a perfectly fitting tux, but his beard was unruly. Robert Downey Jr. wore a ridiculous blue bowtie – was he supporting Avatar? Jason Reitman’s tux was too big, his tie was too wide, and his beard and hair were not groomed. Jason should have been the “Worst Dressed” man, but I will give that award to Oscar Producer Adam Shankman because not only did he not have the good taste to put forth a great award show with all the talent he was given, but he wore a tacky striped tuxedo and paraded down the carpet as if he looked great.

Sometimes old-fashioned is classic, and sometimes it’s just old. Old jokes, old song and dance bits, and old technology. If it weren’t for the fashion, the 82nd Annual Academy Awards looked like it could have taken place fifty years ago. Oscar may be classic, but every year brings new films and new awards, and hopefully new surprises. No surprises this year. Maybe next…

Lisa's Annual Oscar Commentary: The 81st Annual Academy Awards

Not a dry eye in the house – or is that not a teary eye in the house? Where were the tears? Though the most touching moment was the posthumous award to Heath Ledger for Best Supporting Actor, the evening was mostly filled with moments of joy and glee, and the usual dose of yawns, but no tears. There was a noticeable absence of tears – no hyperventilating Halle Berry, and the recently overcome Kate Winslet of the Golden Globes was no longer overcome. Her British breeding held true and she showed emotional restraint and polite gratitude. Elegant? Yes. Interesting? No.

Hugh Jackman returned the Oscars to an awards show filled with song and dance and scripted entertainment. Gone was the stand-up comedian approach to one-liners, zingers, and hopeful ad libs. The show was just as long as usual and went 29 minutes over three hours even though the producers assured us that it wouldn’t. However, for some reason, the show seemed shorter. The format changes all worked. Fewer presenters were more efficient. Five actors presenting the five actor nominees brought a more interesting and personal tone to the presentation of the four awards. Queen Latifah singing “I’ll be seeing you” during the in memoriam tribute was tasteful and prevented most of the inappropriate clapping that usually occurs. And contrary to the goal of creating a shorter show, the orchestra never once attempted to interrupt an acceptance speech.

The red carpet was not unlike the show itself, filled with its usual number of yawns, and not so many tears of joy. Some of the fashions were bold and courageous, elegant and tasteful, but not many of the stars stood out as getting it all right. The trend of the night was modern, architectural dresses, with sleek, sculpted hair, and big chunky jewelry of filled with colored stones. And the one who did it best and therefore, the Best Dressed of the night, was Heidi Klum. Of course, when you’re Heidi Klum, its hard to not look gorgeous, but her sculpted modern red dress, sleeked back hair, and eclectic collection of chunky jewelry all worked together for the best total look of the night. Marisa Tomei stood out in a voluminous modern pleated gown, also sculpted and architectural and she wore it well. Teraji P. Henson also looked stunning in a slightly less dramatic dress but her hair was modern and chic and her makeup was perfection. Other actresses working this modern trend well were Virginia Madsen, Ann Hathaway, and Evan Rachel Wood. None of them got their hair and make up quite as right as Heidi, but they all looked great. Amy Adams was also pushing this modern trend but red-heads in red dresses are always a tough sell, and that hunk-a-necklace was just too much for her.

Then there were the ballerina couture belles of the ball. Sarah Jessica Parker is always a fan of this look and this time wore Dior haute couture in a colour she called “barely mint.” If her hair were a softer blonde, the look would have been more ethereal and less severe, but she still looked lovely. Penelope Cruz also opted for the big couture ballerina gown in cream with a lot of crystals and ruffles of tulle…a lot of dress for sure. But, once again, her hair was too severe for that dress. Her heavy bangs seem to start from the back of her head and didn’t know quite where to rest. But, nonetheless, she looked like a winner.

There were also the less trendy, less fashion forward, and those nowhere near the cutting edge. Meryl Streep looked better than she’s looked in years. Alecia Keyes looked gorgeous in a soft lavender mauve gown, and her make up was stunning, but the 5 pounds of hair extensions was so 2007…lovely, but not a fashion icon. Same for Natalie Portman. She’s so beautiful its hard for her not to look completely gorgeous. But, bubble gum pink is better for of a prom dress than the red carpet, and the heavy duty spray tan and bronzer is pretty but is as dated as Alecia Keyes’ hair extensions. Jennifer Aniston looked beautiful, and it was great to see that she wasn’t wearing black for a change (especially since Angelina was), and her dress was modern and beautiful but not cutting edge, and her hair colour was the best its been in years, but she wasn’t scoring any big fashion points with that hairdo that screams “so what if I’m forty, my boyfriend is thirty, so I can wear this silly braid in my hair if I want to.” Viola Davis looked beautiful and followed the conventional wisdom of “if you want to win an Oscar, dress like one.” The gold plunging halter was fabulously flattering on her and she looked radiant, but that look will not be gracing the cover of Vogue, and unfortunately the only gold she brought home was that dress.

Where the women were bad, they were very very bad. In the running for the worst dressed were Tilda Swinton – an alabaster-skinned women in wrapped in a bed sheet to match. Whoopie Goldberg in a cheetah print chiffon which looked like she went shopping in the Frederick’s of Hollywood Catalog – perhaps it made for a naughty but nice negligee. And speaking of Frederick’s, Melissa George (who is she anyway?) in a long white bustier ball gown, looked like it came from Frederick’s Bridal. Jessica Biel was trying hard to be cutting edge with the modern architectural dress, but she didn’t read the whole memo and missed the part where it said that the dress still needs to be flattering – what a waste of her, um, assets. Reese Witherspoon also didn’t take advantage of her good looks – her hair, makeup, and unflattering blue and black dress all looked like an effort to make her look worse - she looks better in tabloid snapshots when she’s taking her kids to the grocery store. Kate Winslet also didn’t quite get the memo. Her dress was interesting and different, and modern and architectural, but the steel grey color and asymmetric neckline did absolutely nothing to flatter her figure, and her sculpted sleek hair did nothing to flatter her face. She just missed the fashion boat but still grabbed the Oscar. Vanessa Hudgens’ black and white Marchesa dress may have been pretty in person, but on screen it looked like an arts and crafts project. But none of these women were the worst dressed of the night. That award is a tie between Miley Cyrus, impersonating a sparkly wedding cake topper, and Beyonce Knowles in a black and gold graphic print or should I say misprint mermaid dress. They were the worst dressed of the night by a seventh avenue mile.

Among the men, there were no great stand outs. Hugh Jackman was probably the best dressed of the night. But, this year, an ensemble award needs to be given for best dressed and that award goes to the cast of Slumdog Millionaire, particularly the kids. Together, they were the most exuberant, exciting, tasteful, and engaging talent on the red carpet and on the stage. There was no greater joy of the night than seeing that whole sharply dressed group get up on stage to accept the best picture award – demonstrating the way a best picture acceptance should be made. Of course, Brad and Angelina win the best dressed couple award, unless Hugh Jackman and Ryan Seacrest count as a couple, of hosts, that is.

There weren’t any men that stood out as stylish and sharp or tailored and elegant. George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio usually bring that old Hollywood elegance, but they were noticeably absent. Robert Downey Jr. looked sharply dressed, healthy, clean cut, and younger than he’s looked in years. Mickey Rourke brought the edgy look to the red carpet in a style all his own, but he made it work. The Jean-Paul Gautier white tuxedo with black vest, white shirt, no tie, all worked on him. Of course he always goes a little overboard with the accessorizing with wallet chains, tinted glasses, and stringy slicked hair, but he had one accessory that was really great – the charm with the portrait of his recently deceased dog hanging on a black silk cord around his neck. His love for his dogs didn’t help him win the Oscar, but Mickey’s back and he’s got game. Now there’s hoping that overlooked director Darren Arronofsky will cast Eric Roberts in a movie this year.

There were so many men that were sloppy with unbuttoned collars and loose ties, ill-fitting tuxedos, and overgrown hair – among them: Danny Boyle, Gus van Sant, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Josh Brolin, Zac Ephron, and James Franco (and I didn’t think it was possible for him to look bad), but only one can get the worst dressed award, and that easily goes to Jack Black. Someone of his height, or lack thereof, and stocky stature shouldn’t wear a double breasted jacket, let alone a long one. He’s always a mess, and not that he cares, but it shows.

The awards were mostly predictable with Slumdog Millionaire sweeping most of the deserved wins, but the best acceptance speeches of the night belonged to “Milk” - from screenwriter Lance Black, and from Sean Penn. Both gave heartfelt, poignant, relevant speeches. We all watch the awards hoping someone will say something other than five hundred ways to say “thank you” and these two both stepped up to the challenge. Then again, the winner of the Best Animated Short Film found the five hundred and first way to say thank you and bless him for it – “Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto.” Yes, he actually said that. Personally, I would like to thank his American friend who must have told him, “trust me, just say it, Americans will think its funny.”

The highlights of the night also included the bits from Seth Rogan and James Franco (and brilliant cinematographer Janusz Kaminski as a first-time presenter), and from Steve Martin and Tina Fey. And Penelope Cruz’s acceptance speech, but only the part in Spanish – she really shouldn’t be allowed to speak English, ever. And the worst bit of the night was Ben Stiller as Juaquin Phoenix. Not the first time Ben has bombed at the Oscars but kudos for not giving up. There were some shining moments in the song and dance sequences, particularly the one that Ann Hathaway saved, and not so much the one where Beyonce lip synched. And Oscar got lucky again this year with the music from Slumdog Millionaire – the best dance sequence since The Lion King.

Will Hugh Jackman be back next year? The jury is still out. But the show is likely to stick with some of the changes they made this year, and we can all only hope that next year will bring as many great films and brilliant performances to make watching the awards all worth while.

Lisa's Oscar Commentary: The 80th Annual Academy Awards

This year’s Oscars should be called the International Academy Awards – apparently you had to be from somewhere other than the US to win an award this year. Unless you were an American whose last name had four letters and started with “C” (that’s Coen or Cody), you didn’t have much chance of taking home the gold. Almost every category was scooped by the European invasion.

Other than the shocking lack of American winners, there weren’t many surprises. Tilda Swinton and Marion Cotillard were the surprises of the night and their shock in hearing their names was delightfully genuine. Unfortunately, neither of them were dressed like winners. Though Tilda looked like she was wearing a dress she may have made herself, she did have one of the better acceptance speeches of the night. And if Tilda Swinton’s exuberance (if you can call it that) was a high point, that’s a pretty low key night. The tone of the show felt more like the BAFTA (British) Awards then the Academy Awards.

Forget about best performance or talent, more awards for Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Cuba Gooding Jr. Or why couldn’t Adrian Brody have starred in “There Will Be Blood” or Halle Berry in La Vie En Rose? We want some real excitement and some real tears. Aren’t the casting directors forward thinking enough to consider who would give the better acceptance speech? Daniel Day Lewis does get some points for stopping to kiss George Clooney – proving that everyone wants to kiss George Clooney.

Jon Stewart gets some equally low key kudos for being classy, and funny, and for trying to move the show along in record time – only three hours and fifteen minutes – if you blinked you nearly missed it.

Did the writers strike really cause that much general malaise? The abundance of clip montages were evidence of a lot of pre-production without a writing staff. There were no scripted Jack Black or Ben Stiller type of bits. Rather, they greased the floor near the podium hoping to cause a Three Stooges pile-up. Though there were a few stumbles, the big pay off never happened.

There was a great comic moment on the red carpet though. If you weren’t glued to the E! channel watching the fashion parade, you missed one of the best unscripted moments of the night. Ryan Seacrest was interviewing Laura Linney and Jennifer Garner noting how they look remarkably like sisters when a drunk and disturbing Gary Busey busted in and mauled both women, kissing a terrified Jennifer Garner on the neck. Though one of the highlights of the night in entertainment value, Gary Busey’s invitation next year is likely to get lost in the mail.

Generally the red carpet was a success, though not a lot of standouts either way. Red was the colour of the night – Heidi Klum, Anne Hathaway, Ruby Dee, Miley Cyrus, Helen Mirren, and Katherine Heigl were among the ladies in red. With the exception of miss Hannah Montana, they all did it right. The red dresses were sophisticated and elegant and made a statement. Some were flowing chiffons and some were structured silk satins. Helen Mirren and Ruby Dee looked elegant and age appropriate in their structured gowns while young Miley looked too old. Though simple, that long dress had too much structure for her age and the red was too sophisticated.

Other faves were Jennifer Garner and Hillary Swank, though not her best, she always gets the whole look right. And Renee Zellweger never looked better – a standout in silver, she gained a little weight, put on some muscle, got herself a stylish haircut and a gorgeous beaded silver silhouette – excellent. Definitely in the top 5. Also on top were “it girl” Katherine Heigl, in a red Grecian modern gown with perfectly sculpted hair and matching bright red lipstick, and the pregnant and glowing Jessica Alba in flowing Marchesa aubergine chiffon. And also in flowing Marchesa, the best dressed of the night, Anne Hathaway also in perfect red lipstick and porcelain skin – Miranda Priestly would be proud.

On the flip side, some of the stylists were still supporting the writers strike. Marion Cotillard in ill-fitting white mermaid scales. Kelly Preston, pretty as a sunflower but way too caught up in the empire waist excess material fashion – I guess she really wanted to eat this week. Cameron Diaz’s pale pink Dior taffeta looked like a bridesmaid dress, and once again, her hair looked like she took a page from the skanky bridesmaid’s handbook and went for a quickie in the men’s restroom before the show. And Diablo Coty, the happy writer turned stripper turned writer success story was shopping in Wilma Flintstone’s closet. Then again, her parents looked thrilled that she was wearing any clothing at all.

If she were more famous, Daniel Day Lewis’s wife would receive the worst dressed award, but since she isn’t famous enough in her own right, that award goes to Tilda Swinton. With her white skin, bright orange hair, and half of a black cloak of a dress, she looked like a Halloween night that ended in a trick instead of a treat.

On a positive note, the men did it right. The classic tuxedo has returned. Good bye black shirt, black tie (no one will miss that mournful ensemble), hello crisp white shirt and bow ties. The men looked elegant and appropriate, some in peaked lapels, some in shawl collars, but classic ensembles and silhouettes. Kudos to Jason Bateman, Patrick Dempsey, George Clooney, John Travolta, and Duane “The Rock” Johnson. They could all tie for best dressed, but to choose one perfectly groomed and tailored guy, the best was Steve Correll (clearly he had some help).

Colin Farrell’s hair was long and a little sloppy, and the knot in his tie was in need of tightening, but his wide peaked lapel navy tux was sleek, contemporary and fit him like a custom tuxedo should. Javier Bardem also went for contemporary blue tux with covered buttons – a look that he can pull off with his height and charm. Mostly, it was just great to see him with an attractive haircut again.

Always a little too “costumey” were the talented and handsome Johnny Depp, Viggo Mortensen, and Daniel Day Lewis. And on the sloppy side were James McEvoy and the Coen brothers, but none were the worst. The worst dressed was Wesley Snipes in a purple tuxedo that was clearly raided from Arsenio Hall’s 1980’s wardrobe department. If you missed seeing him, consider yourself lucky.

Although I liked the Coen brother’s line that they were grateful to everyone for letting them be able to play in their “corner of the sandbox,” ABC needed to move there play ground to a different corner of the sandbox. Plenty of boring sand, but not enough toys to make it all interesting. Hoping for a better playground next year.