SAG Awards = Golden Globes

The 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were handed out in Hollyweird last night. If you missed it, don't worry yourself. Simply rewatch the Golden Globe Awards and you pretty much have the same awards show. Different outfits, different seating configurations, but everything else was pretty much the same. Yawn. I am getting worried that the Oscars will be a three-peat and I will be bored silly. Ugh. That is not to say the winners did not please me. Some were very well deserved (Mad Men, Glee!, Michael C Hall, Alec Baldwin, Jeff Bridges etc), but some were disheartening. It is as if the member of SAG are recognising and rewarding a body of work as opposed to an actual performance. And some pretty much just pissed me off (see my earlier post regarding Drew Barrymore). For a full list of winners click here.

Starting off with the TV winners, I am perfectly happy with both Glee and Mad Men winning for best comedy and drama ensemble respectively. What I really about the SAG awards is that even the "bit" characters get recognised. Each show typically has a handful of stars, but they all get a statuette and all get to soak it in. Some of the best lines from Glee have come from the blonde cheerleader who is not Quinn. The one in the yellow in the top left picture below. Sorry, haven't learnt her name yet. Soon I will. As for their outfits..... Loved loved loved Diana Aragon in that white number. A little edgier and way less prom like than her previous offerings. Her hair, make-up. All of it. Love. People will be all over Lea Michele's teal number. She will be on best dressed lists. But for me, kinda meh. Not bad, but not great. These are young, hot girls. Hot in the sense that designers are clamouring to dress them. I just wish they would take some risks and veer away from what middle America is comfortable with. And Jane Lynch. Well the woman is a glamazon. She is spectacular.

I cannot say enough good things about Michael C Hall winning Best Actor for Dexter. Love him and love that he is finally getting some recognition for his work on this show. This season, trying to juggle being a husband, father, serial killer and blood spatter analyst. All while playing the most amazing game of cat and mouse ever with John Lithgow's Trinity Killer. Gah. Amazing. And for all the cynics out there, I am fairly certain that voting closed before the announcement of his battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. And although they did not win any awards, it is nice to see Anna Paquin and her fiance with the crappy hair - Stephen Moyer - out looking good. Love Anna's outfit - everything is good. Even the shoes (unlike last week) were acceptable. And Jon Hamm... well, because he can wear a beard better than most. Sigh.

I know I am not alone in saying that it would be amazing to see Meryl and Tina Fey in something together. A guest role on 30 Rock perhaps? Oh the amazingness. The amazingness know no bounds. If that were to happen, I think there would be peeing involved. Me peeing, not them. Peeing myself with the utter excitement and joy at this collaboration. You know you want it. And I wonder if that is how it is done. Tina and Meryl chat at an awards show and...bam..... 30 Rock. The women of Nine made an impressive showing last night. I am undecided about Nicole Kidman's dress, but I loved her hair. The loose, perfectly unstyled curls = fantastic. And I think it is darker, right? She has a great film coming out soon - Rabbit Hole. Well, I don't actually know if the film is great, but I saw the play and it gutted me. So f*cking devastating. I hope the movie is good. And apparently white is the new Little Black Dress. Marion Colltiard looked flawless no?

For the first and probably last time, Kate Hudson is getting 3 pictures in a post on my wee blog. She looked flipping amazing. White Pucci gown, fantastic hair, make-up, styling. This look was popular last night, but no-one did it as well as Kate. High neckline, backless. Amazingness. And in white. No words. I threw in a pic of JT and her because I had a thought. Have they ever dated? That would be a fun couple right? But do you think she is a little too Cammie D. for him? Hmph.

I am spending this Sunday holed up in my apartment watching Season 5 of Dawson's Creek. Not for Dawson. Never for Dawson. It is all about Pacey. Has always been and will always be about Pacey. Joshua Jackson is so good in this role. and I like to think that is how he is in real life to a certain extent. Check him out last night supporting his girlfriend (fiance?) Diane Krueger who won for best ensemble as one of the Inglorious Basterds. I read somewhere that she does her own make up for Award Shows. I kinda hate her as a result of that. Not really. I do absolutely love the dress. The colour is bold and unusual, but she can pull it off. Loved it. Love them. Remember when I saw him at the Skytrain station? If I am ever having a bad day, I think of that and it makes it just a little less crappy to be me....

I am christening these lovely ladies the "maybe next time trio." Although all three of them gave amazing performances this year in An Education, Up in The Air and Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire respectively. And this Award Season all three have been completely overshadowed by other performances. It is kind of sad really. Anna Kendrick was phenomenal in Up in The Air and Carey Mulligan in An Education was revelatory, as was Gabourey Sidibe in Precious. Damn you Mo'Nique! Damn you Sandra Bullock. As to how they looked....cause that is really what this is all about right? Carey looked fantastic, Anna looked good, and Gaby looked great. Carey is in my top five for the night. Most definitely. I can't wait to see what she will wear to the Oscars. She is not afraid to take a risk.

The best part of Sandra Bullock last night was her speech for Betty White. And the best part of that speech was Betty White coming up on stage and groping Sandy. Actually, the best part was Betty talking about all the men in the room she has f*cked. Followed closely by George Clooney calling Betty a bobcat in the sack at the end of the night. Love George. Always love George.

I know I am going to burn in Hell even harder for saying that Sandra Bullock winning again irritated the heck out of me. Don't hate me. I like Sandy. She is perfectly sweet and actually kinda funny. She is a competent actress. For that role? Against that competition? Srsly? What the? No no no! And she is probably going to win the Oscar. Ugh. I thought these awards were about one role, not recognising a body of work. This is what they are doing with Sandy, much like they did with Julia Roberts in Erin Brokovitch. And it sucks for those who are nominated against her? How can they compete with the Sandra Bullock machine? They can't. And this, my friends, is why these award shows are bullsh*t.

Sigh. This will not stop me from watching though. And even yelling at the TV a few times. It makes me happy.

XO

Golden Globes disappoint.

This is a long post. Consider this your warning :)

The first really really big awards show of the season were handed out yesterday - the Golden Globes were handed out last night in Hollyweird. I generally very much enjoy these awards as they are a little more wacky and off the cuff than the Oscars. Last night the whole thing was frankly a little meh. This Award Ceremony is fairly unique as it honours both TV and Movie - and it separates the acting and best movie awards into drama and comedy/musical - which I like. A comedic role/movie typically gets drowned out by amazing dramatic performances.

While host Ricky Gervais did the best with the time he was given, that was the problem. He was barely on stage. Lame chicken sh*t NBC - too scared of the unpredictable Brit. He personally came out and introduced both Colin Farrell and Mel Gibson - and they were hysterical. Love him. He should host everything. And not be shackled by those whiny baby asses at NBC.

For a complete list of winners click here. Basically I am perfectly happy with the TV winners - particularly Dexter finally getting some love. John Lithgow and Michael C Hall were amazing this season and their awards were totally and completely spot on. I am calling bullsh*t on many of the Movie Awards. Really? The Hangover as best comedy? Really? And don't even get me started on Avatar. I thought it was a cool movie. I did like it a lot. But best Dramatic Movie of the year? I don't think so. And James Cameron's ego does not need any more stroking. If he wins an Oscar and starts speaking Na'vi in his acceptance speech..... please no. Anything but that.

After flicking through the photos of the dresses - cause it is really all about the dresses - I think these are my favourites. Zoe Saldana needs to eat about 600 Quarter Pounders with EXTRA cheese and bacon, but she looks very pretty. I have nothing but love for Joshua Jackson and even though he is blatantly cheating on me with Diane Kruger, I have to forgive him. He is so rakish and sexy. I am also crushing on Emily Blunt. So beautiful. I wanted to include a picture of her with her fiance (and another of my boyfriends) - the adorable John Krasinski - but none were full length.

I know that Taylor Lautner is only 18 years old - yes all you perves out there, Tay Tay is FINALLY legal, but even an 18 year old should know better than to wear that fricking shiny ugly suit. I think he may be a robot. Perfect teeth, perfect hair, perfect suit, perfect sound bites. And the consistent over pronunciation of ever word that comes out of his mouth. I have been saying this for months, and am glad that others have finally picked up on his incessant and never ending over pronunciation. I am a fan of good diction. I like to think I speak well - if you ignore the cursing. But he honestly sounds like a fricking robot. Robot Taylor. I wonder if I could order one for a friend? My favourite acceptance speech was definitely RDJ. He is not my boyfriend. He is my one true love - so back the f*ck off. And no discussion of the Golden Globes would be complete without mention of George and his woman. Sigh. George is so totally the man.

A quick mention of some of the couples who came out for the Party. Mimi was joined by her Umbrella carrier - Nick Cannon. That is all to be said about them really. Mickey Rourke brought his daughter... sorry, fiance who is actually 5 years younger than his daughter - heh! This picture doesn't show it, but they were both so leathery brown. A world of no. Their relationship just gives me the "no" feeling. I wanna rescue her and tell her that she does not have to marry him. She has options. Finally, Jennifer Aniston and the Scottish douche. I honesty forgot his name for a second. Gerald Butler. Thats it. But still. Ugh. They have what looks like a crappy movie coming out soon, so of course Jen has to show us her snatch in the press room. Sigh. Did you not love when Ricky Gervais introduced her as Rachel from Friends? Made my night.

Hollywood Superstars Sandra Bullock (hate the dress), Julia Roberts (made everything about her) and Halle Berry (very low key and amazing) were also in attendance. Sandy won for The Blind Side. I like her and found her acceptance speech very sincere and endearing. I do like her. She is a competent actress. But was that the dramatic role of the year? Not for me. Carey Mulligan was fricking amazing in An Education. An astonishing performance. Oh well. Sandy has worked hard. I am looking at this as her Erin Brockovitch year. Just as when Julia Roberts won in 2000 perhaps this role in The Blind Side was not the best performance of the year... but Sandy has worked hard, paid her dues, is well liked in the industry..... it is her time. Speaking of Julia, you do know she was offered both The Proposal and The Blind Side? Turned them both down. Regardless, I love how Julia makes everything about her. Red Carpet interview, the award she gave out, you could even her her guffaw when someone made a joke on stage. Cause Julia does not laugh. She guffaws. Trust. And Halle. Gorgeous, amazing Halle. No words.

I liked Anna Kendrick's dress. There I said it. I liked it and I liked Diana Aragon's. Both are a major improvement from what I have seen them in recently. Especially Diana's peach chantilly lace thing she wore a few days ago. Google it. It will make you throw up in your mouth just a little. I was sad that Anna did not win. Although I agree that Mo'Nique was phenomenal in Precious - a devastating, powerful performance. It is her attitude that I do not like. The way she carries herself. But I think someone has had a few words with her, and she is now playing the game. Her speech seemed sincere and heartfelt and inspiring. But I am sorry, she wants an Oscar. She is gonna do what she has to do to get it Which is not necessarily a bad thing. Lea Michele went all out for her first nomination for Glee. It was a'right. Not bad. Just a'right. But she looked a little like a black feather duster.

More couples. Heidi - one half of Heidi and Seal - normally does so much better than that. I guess the fact that she had a baby recently may explain this unfortunate fashion choice. I think she is up to baby number 5 or so. I will forgive her this once. But I do ask - why was she there? Why do they get invited to everything? It is odd. Courtney Cox and David Arquette were there as Courtney was nominated for her great role in the funny funny Cougartown. She did not win and I am sure that David paid the price for the loss when they got home. I am super happy that Toni Collette won for The United States of Tara. If you have not watched this fantastic show - get the to the DVD store and pick up Season One. It is so fricking good. And then there is Cher and Xtina. Who looks good. Gone are the red lips and to that I say a resounding - Yay! Cher and Christina are making a film together and I suppose someone thought that the notion of Cher being back on the big screen wasn't enough to get people into the theatre. That is definitely enough for me! Love Cher.

A lot of people are upset that Jane Lynch did not win for Glee. Granted, she is ah-mazing as Sue Sylvester - and I am personally counting down the seconds until she sings a Madonna song - but Chloe Sevigny last season on Big Love....Holy mother. She was phe-nom-inal. Seriously. So good. This was a well deserved win for Chloe. Many disliked her dress. I like it. Chloe is known for going for the wacky - and this is leaning a little that way.. But I like it. Few could wear it well. Chloe is one of them. I loved her sister-wives dresses as well. Ginnifer Goodwin in the blue is stunning. Just cause I needed another photo to complete the trio - here is Jennifer Garner. I like her. I like that she lives her life and has adorable kids and has some semblance of a normal life with Ben. This was another a'right for me. Not a complete miss. But not a win. And she is to f*cking thin. Eat woman. Please eat.

Apparently these two are in a fight. When Drew went up on stage for her award, she walked right by Cammie D - who was seated at the grown up's table with Leo, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas (why was he there?) and Scorsese's eyebrows - there was nothing. No indication that she even saw her. I wonder what happened. I know that everyone is talking about how adorable and flustered Drew was......ugh. I am over her cutesy act. She is a smart smart woman and she is in no way as ditzy as she pretends to be. I was also over her dress 2 seconds after I saw it. The sea urchins on her hip and shoulder? What was that? Still better than the green nipple dress from a few years ago. I wonder if she had a breast reduction? Cause, the girls are a lot smaller than they were......

On a final note, proof that it can take one small thing to ruin an entire look. As proof of this, look at the picture on the left. Stars of True Blood and recently engaged real life couple - Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer. Love it. Then - the photo on the right. Those hideous shoes - oy! Anna. Disappointing.

Okay, I could go on and on. but this took hours. And I had to forgoe the second half of the season Premier of 24 as that takes concentration! I may make a few random posts about it, but I think I am done. The Golden Globes were lame. Stupid Hollywood Foreign Press. Giving in to middle America. Ugh. Hopefully the Oscars will not piss me off.

XO

Up, Up In The Air

Can I tell you just how completely and utterly over the moon I was that Up In The Air was showing here in Vancouver only a week after it’s official limited release opening last week. I thought I was going to have to wait until Christmas to see this movie. There is a strong chance I may see it again. It was that fricking good. Srsly. One of the best movies I have seen all year. Amazing on so many levels.

It tells the story of Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a corporate downsizer and consummate modern business traveler who, after years of staying happily airborne, suddenly finds himself ready to make “a real connection.” Ryan has long been contented with his unencumbered lifestyle lived out across America in airports, hotels and rental cars. He can carry all he needs in one wheel-away case; he's a pampered, elite member of every travel loyalty program in existence; and he's close to attaining his lifetime goal of 10 million frequent flier miles - and yet . . . Ryan has nothing real to hold onto.

When he falls for a likeminded fellow traveler (Vera Farmiga), Ryan's boss (Jason Bateman), inspired by a young, upstart efficiency expert (Anna Kendrick), threatens to permanently call him in from the road. Faced with the prospect, at once terrifying and exhilarating, of being grounded, Ryan begins to contemplate what it might actually mean to have a home.

Jason Reitman has made 2 fantastic films over the last few years – Juno and Thank You For Smoking. Up in the Air is probably my favourite of the three. It is not as glib as Juno – while the dialogue is smart and well thought out – it is not littered with a myriad of pop culture references – likely due to the absence of the fantastic Diablo Cody. That is not to say the script isn’t fantastic. So much of Anna Kendrick’s dialogue was gold – her interactions with George Clooney will go down as some of my favourite scenes in a movie all year. Honest, smart witty dialogue is so rare in movies. And this was all that and so much more.

I am so impressed with the performance given by Anna Kendrick. While my friend Kent distracted me by pointing out her odd eyebrow shaping – I was able to look past that (he couldn’t) and appreciate that she held her own against Hollyweird superstar George Clooney – and did an amazing job. Her portrayal of the high strung, aptly named Natalie Keener was revelatory to me. And the fact that Reitman wrote the part with her in mind is a big deal. She ain’t in Forks, dealing with the Vampires of Twilight anymore. Anna Kendrick has surpassed all the other bit players in that franchise with one poorly packed suitcase. She was effing fantastic.

George Clooney has shown again why he is. He is George Clooney mother f*cker. 2 time People Magazine’s sexiest man alive, confident, charming, charismatic, relatable in spite of his jaw dropping good looks. Bingham is a flawed human being, but Clooney makes him likable and endearing. Vera Farmiga was also very good, but her role was not quite as meaty as either of the other 2 leads. She’s very very pretty as well – and does not have distracting eyebrows.

Jason Batemen – in spite of the horrible hair style that aged him about 15 years – was also solid, as were the other minor roles. I very much enjoyed Melanie Lynskey and Danny McBride as Clooney’s sister and her fiancé. I have a crush on Lynskey ever since I saw her in Away We Go…. She is an amazing actress. A special mention needs to go out to a number of the “fired employees” who were real life people who had lost their jobs. Reitman found people in St Louis and Detroit who were willing to recreate their dismissals on camera. I have read a few reports of cynics viewing this as Reitman capitalizing on the current economy in the US – I see it as putting a real face to what is going on in the world today. It wasn’t exploitative, it was humanizing.

Up In The Air is funny, poignant, and smart without being condescending to the audience. Without question, one of my top movies of the year. And it was nominated for a slew of Golden Globes this morning. The only question I have is why it was in the drama category? Yes it was dramatic in parts, but for the audience at the screening I saw it was most definitely more comedic than dramatic. I wonder if the production company gets to decide?

Golden Globes in about a month! Squeee. Contemplating a wee soiree. We shall see if it pans out. Especially as I have 2 chairs that people can actually sit in….Maybe.

In the meantime ---> see Up In the Air. It is Awesomeness wrapped up in amazingness, surrounded by a fluffy cloud of fabulosity.

XO