I love watching awards shows...mostly for the red carpet (dirty little secret). My mom, Emily and I have way too much fun dissecting who looks great, who missed the mark, and who bugs us in a group text. This year's Oscars didn't disappoint in that department!
Usually we keep the pre-show turned to E!, but it seemed that the downpour in LA caused major red carpet delays and kept E! from their usual shenanigans. It may officially cement my status as shamefully shallow, but I really missed the Mani Cam and 360 Glam Cam, not to mention Ryan Seacrest's interviews. I did, however, love the coverage and discussion of the #AskHerMore campaign, pushing the red carpet to focus less on what the beautiful female nominees are wearing, and more on their achievements, thoughts, and experiences. This article summed it up particularly incisively.
That said, because I am obsessed with the fashion, here were my red carpet winners:
1. Lupita Nyongo.
Oh my god, that stunning pearl dress. Could you even imagine being draped in 6,000 pearls? She kept the rest of her look simple with luminous makeup and just blew me away.
2. Rosamund Pike.
Talk about patrician elegance. That dress is smoldering, which works perfectly with her cool classic-English beauty.
3. Marion Cotillard.
I thought that her dress was beautiful from the front, but the super-unique back is so wonderfully whimsical and her that it took it to an entirely different level.
And my least favorites:
1. Scarlett Johansson.
What the heck is with her weird poison ivy necklace? Ditch that and the look would have gone to a "meh" rather than a "yuck" for me.
2. Chrissy Teigen.
Everyone on E! was gushing about how gorgeous she is, but I hate the light hair color and I think she just looks way grossly overdone, especially next to so many effortless beauties.
3. Reese Witherspoon.
I can forgive her limp, weird hair (it was pouring...), but I can't get over wasting a Best Actress nomination year on that totally blah, conservative waste of a dress.
As for the show itself: The opening number absolutely blew my mind. It's crazy what technology and talent can do, and I think Neil Patrick Harris showcased the Academy's tech and his talent perfectly. Throwing in a little Anna Kendrick didn't hurt one bit, either. The musical performances were all spot-on too! I loved Adam Levine's rendition from "Begin Again," The Lonely Island doing "Everything Is Awesome" was great, and of course Lady Gaga was noteworthy as usual...I didn't realize she had such a gorgeous voice and loved her "Sound of Music" tribute!
The "In Memoriam" was so sad and wonderful this year. Seeing luminaries like Ed Hermann, Maya Angelou and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Richard Attenborough, Lauren Bacall, and of course Robin Williams was incredibly moving, and the way Meryl Streep grew visibly emotional discussing their legacies was so heartfelt and eloquent. Jennifer Hudson's gorgeous tribute too...I thought it was so well-done this year.
And the movies? The only one I actually saw was "American Sniper," which is way off my norm. I loved J.K. Simmons's heartfelt Best Supporting Actor speech, exhorting America to call our moms, but was terribly annoyed by Patricia Arquette name-dropping random social issues every 2 seconds. I think part of the reason I was so annoyed is that her hair looked like mine does after the gym...Patricia, it's the Oscars, try harder!! I'm thrilled for Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore, both of whom I love, and I look forward to seeing Birdman before next year's Oscars...
All said, a wonderful Academy Awards! Next year, I'm going to try to see all the nominees...it's so much more fun when you know what's going on!