The 79th annual academy awards
was televised last night on
ABC. From start to finish it
was a big 3 hour breath of
fresh air! The network made
Hollywood glam look as easy as
A-B-C! I felt like I was
dreaming when the red carpet
pre-oscar show began. It was
glamorous, faced paced and
Sophisticated! Chris Connelly
and Lisa Ling
more

The 79th annual academy awards
was televised last night on
ABC. From start to finish it
was a big 3 hour breath of
fresh air! The network made
Hollywood glam look as easy as
A-B-C! I felt like I was
dreaming when the red carpet
pre-oscar show began. It was
glamorous, faced paced and
Sophisticated! Chris Connelly
and Lisa Ling kept the pace
running smoothly. A brilliant
use of captions below the
stars told us what they were
wearing. What a concept! The
actors could actually speak
and talk about their art
instead of the canned 'who are
you wearing???'. GWYNETH
PALTROW wears a Zac Posen
gown, KATE WINSLET in
Valentino and Chopard jewelry,
CATE BLANCHETT in Giorgio
Armani Privé - a silver
one-shoulder Swarovski crystal
mesh gown with tulle overlay
and jet black paillette floral
motif, PENELOPE CRUZ dazzles
in a strapless Versace gown
and Chopard jewels, plus
Daniel Swarovski clutch,
JENNIFER LOPEZ wears a
Marchesa gown with Lorraine
Schwartz jewelry, REESE
WITHERSPOON in Olivier
Theyskens for Nina Ricci with
jewels from Van Cleef &
Arpels, HELEN MIRREN is in a
Christian Lacroix gown with
Chopard jewels, BEYONCÃ? in
Giorgio Armani Privé. The
whole idea reminded me of
Hollywood from days gone by.
Instead of feeling like we
were watching one big
commercial, we felt like we
were watching stars shine
'broadway' style. I thought of
the times I watched the oscars
on the living room floor of my
grandmother's house when I was
10. My cousins and I would
line up stretched out on our
stomachs across the rug. Our
scrunched up fists holding up
our heads would go numb as the
Hollywood royalty dazzled us.
Grandma's house was in a
suburb close to New York City,
but it felt like it was light
years away from that magical
place called Hollywood! I had
that same feeling watching the
79th annual academy awards.
The fashion was a major part
of the show. Glamour was
definitely back. There were no
swans or ballerina tutu's on
the red carpet. The industry
was represented as well in the
pre-oscar show by Vogue Editor
at Large , Andre Leon Talley.
Its was great to see him tone
down his fabulousness and be
the true professional he is.
It was also great to see him
looking so dapper in men's
clothes. You almost forget
sometimes. (Trust me, if you
have ever been in his office
you'd know what I'm talking
about.)Ellen Degeneres was a
perfect host. She has the kind
of demeanor that makes you
smile the moment she takes the
stage. It is a sense of trust
we all have with her because
we know she won't lead us
astray. Her humor is good
natured and friendly. Wearing
one of her famous pant suit
looks she made the whole idea
cool with white shoes and an
open collar shirt. The
comedian is a big fan of
Victor & Rolf , Gucci, & Dolce
&Gabbana. Ellen also pointed
out just how diverse the
nominees were this year. The
amount of Mexican nominees was
unprecedented. It really
reminds us what an amazing
time we live in. Our
generation is one where farm
girls become super models, Out
and Proud lesbians can host
Talk shows, and Marky Mark can
be nominated for an Oscar! To
say that you can achieve
anything if you try hard
enough is an
understatement.One stand out
style star was newcomer
Jennifer Hudson. She was
blessed by two Oscars this
night! Her Oscar de la Renta
ensemble was elegant with its
fitted silver python shrug
jacket over a long brown satin
gown ruched just right to
showcase her curvaceous shape.
We saw footage of Jennifer as
she met with the designer for
their fitting in his atelier
in New York. That is what
makes Oscar such a class act
-- (the designer that is, not
the award) - he knows how to
do things right! He is always
there with his signature suit
and tie with a smile from ear
to ear! Jennifer looked
amazing and how exciting to
have launched her career in
such a dazzling way! Nicole
Kidman was the lady in Red in
a Balenciaga halter dress. Its
was pretty, but the red was
not so flattering for her
porcelain complexion. Gwyneth
Paltrow was able to salvage
the reputation on the red
carpet. She shined in a sheer
apricot Zac Posen dress.
No-one can forget how her
cleavage fell flat in that
pink Ralph Lauren gown on her
big Oscar night a few years
back. Achievement in Costumer
Design deservedly went to
Milena Canonerofor her superb
vision of Sophia Coppola's
Marie Antoinette! This
industry veteran has been
nominated eight times for her
inspiring creations. The award
was a perfect metaphor for
such a romantic evening. See
you at the movies. * Best
Picture - The Departed *
Best Director - Martin
Scorsese - The Departed *
Best Actor - Forest Whitaker -
The Last King of Scotland
* Best Actress - Helen Mirren
- The Queen * Best
Supporting Actor - Alan Arkin
- Little Miss Sunshine *
Best Supporting Actress --
Jennifer Hudson - Dream Girls
* Best Foreign Film - The
Lives of Others

Category Film & Animation

Tags Fashion, Oscars, Celebrity, Academy, Awards, Event, Style, Glamor, Beauty, Designers, publicity, pr