February 29, 2012

 

ANGELINA JOLIE “STRUCK THE POSE”

  1. . . . That’s what Andre Leon Talley (Vogue magazine editor-at-large who has been moonlighting for Entertainment Tonight as a fashion contributor ) said about her leg exposure that was revealed in that black dress with the split that she wore at the Academy Awards.
  2. . . . Talley was perhaps channeling Madonna and her song “Vogue,” (1990, on Sire Records) in which she rapped: “Ladies with an attitude . . . Fellows that were in the mood . . . Don’t just stand there, let’s get to it . . . Strike a pose, there’s nothing to it.”
  3. . . . LEG ACTION. There was plenty of it and Jolie seemed to enjoy displaying her ‘gam’ on the red carpet and later on stage during her presentation for the Best Adapted Screenplay award.
  4. . . . On stage she seemed to park it right out front for all to see, hand on hip.
  5. . . . It seemed a little bit weird.
  6. . . . When the award-winners for The Decendants arrived on stage they, too, assumed the pose.
  7. . . . It was funny.
  8. . . . And of course a Twitter account was created for it and had more than 12,000 followers by Monday.
  9. . . . TWEETING: AMERICA’S FAVORITE PASTIME.
  10. On to other things about the Oscars . . .
  11. The pre-show, “Oscars Red Carpet Live,” was ridiculous, embarrassing and awkward.
  12. . . . The fawning factor registered high on the scale.
  13. . . . ABC Good Morning America host Robin Roberts led the interviewer pack, which included Project Runway’s Tim Gunn, who said, “Here I am with the ravishing Michelle Williams . . .”
  14. . . . NOISE LEVEL. The lifer crowds who were behind the stanchions were yelling and clapping like they were in the Today show plaza or in Times Square for GMA. Idiots all.
  15. There was a prepared tape segment that featured mothers and other relatives of the stars. Someone from George Clooney’s family said her advice to him was “Go for your dream, follow your bliss.”
  16. . . . Good God.
  17. . . . Bliss this.
  18. . . . Another said, “I’m proud.”
  19. . . . Someone else said, “I’m proud” also.
  20. . . . And another said, “I feel privileged to be his mother.”
  21. . . . Melissa McCarthy (nominee for Best Supporting Actress for “Bridesmaids”) appeared with her mother on the red carpet and talked with Roberts and at one point teared up. Robin told her, “Don’t cry, don’t cry.”
  22. “WHO ARE YOU WEARING?” Haven’t we heard enough of that? Do people at home really care who designs the dresses and provides the jewelry?
  23. . . . Now they’re even mentioning what brand of shoes they’re wearing, for crissakes.
  24. . . . And most of the gowns are floor-length so you can’t even see their feet.
  25. . . . I hope they’ve got flip-flops on or the latest sale item from Payless or even Crocs.
  26. George Clooney’s girlfriend (Stacy Keibler) is taller than he is.
  27. . . . She never says anything. It’s all George to the interviewers and she takes the back seat.
  28. Billy Crystal called the venue where the show was coming from the Chapter 11 Theatre, a reference to the Kodak company filing for bankruptcy.
  29. . . . FYI: The Kodak Theatre is now called the Hollywood & Highland Center.
  30. Crystal said the movies are “to laugh, to cry and to text.” How true in these modern times.
  31. “What the H was Jennifer Lopez doing at the Academy Awards,” I asked myself when she appeared on stage.
  32. . . . She’s not up for an Oscar. She hasn’t even won a Grammy.
  33. . . . She slinked up to the front along with her presenting partner Cameron Diaz and once again wore a revealing, clinging sexpot dress as she often does in public appearances.
  34. . . . There was talk of a “wardrobe malfunction” which allegedly exposed a tiny part of her, um, breast, but I missed it and there is some question as to whether it really happened.
  35. . . . She denied it on American Idol and said, “There was no nipple.”
  36. . . . Nice subject to discuss on TV but nowadays there’s nothing that’s out-of-bounds.
  37. . . . Seeing her reminded me of her sexy athletic moves and barely-there flesh-colored body suit that she wore and cavorted in on the music awards show (Grammys) earlier in the month.
  38. Tom Hanks presented the award for Cinematography (“Hugo” won). He’s grown a goatee, it’s gray and he looks good with it.
  39. Madonna actually got a nomination in the Costume Design category for her W./E. movie about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor but she lost.
  40. Melanie Griffith looked good when they showed her in the audience with hubby Antonio Banderas.
  41. . . . I miss seeing her in the movies.
  42. . . . Tony Bennett was also in the audience.
  43. The acceptance speeches early in the night were actually good, short and meaningful but that didn’t last long.
  44. The academy ran a feature which had stars talking to an invisible person about the movies.
  45. . . . Brad Pitt reflected and appeared several times in it.
  46. . . . I forget what he referenced but it struck me that he’s a little out there.
  47. . . . He’s always pontificating about things.
  48. . . . Get real and bring it down to a working man’s level.
  49. . . . Barbara Streisand was in it too. She needed some eye makeup. Looked like she just woke up.
  50. NICE TOUCH. There was a small ‘ensemble’ band somewhat resembling a chamber group up in what looked like two box-seat areas in the loge of the theater that provided “bumper” music before the show went to commercial breaks during the evening.
  51. . . . It was classy, sounded nice.
  52. . . . Drummer/percussionist-Sheila E., no less (of “Glamorous Life” fame and Prince protégé-plus violin, bass, guitar and keyboards.
  53. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” (American version) won for Film Editing.
  54. . . . The girl who stars in it, Rooney Mara with those long bangs and makeup, looked to me like Dita Von Teese, that burlesque dancer and model and former wife of Marilyn Manson, the theatrical glam rocker.
  55. J.C. Penney, now apparently known just as JCP, did a lot of advertising on the show. Their new campaign features Ellen DeGeneres in various character sketches.
  56. . . . Sorta funny.
  57. Comedian Chris Rock was a presenter for Best Animation (“Rango” won). He looked good with his hair (style) higher, now a modern look.
  58. . . . He joked about how easy it is to act in an animation film and pointed out that working for UPS is harder that.
  59. . . . The winner, Gore Verbinski, said his movie “was created by a bunch of grown-ups acting like children.”
  60. NOTICED. The young guys that night had on the newer-style slim fit/narrow/skinny tuxes and suits that you see from Hugo Boss and other menswear designers. Ben Stiller, Tom Cruise and others looked hip and had it going on.
  61. Octavia Spencer (“Bridesmaids”) and Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”) both got standing ovations for their wins.
  62. . . . Plummer is 82 years old. This was the 84th annual Academy Awards. When he got his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor he looked at the statuette and said, “Only two years older than you darling. Where have you been all my life?” Ha Ha Ha.
  63. . . . GIVE HIM THE HOOK. His acceptance speech, however, ran on and on but the producers didn’t start up the music like they normally do for long-winded speeches.
  64. . . . He mentioned his long-suffering wife “who comes to the rescue every day of my life.”
  65. . . . How many times have we heard that from every winner in the universe at an awards show?
  66. ASSESSMENT. I thought Billy Crystal was almost as good a host as Bob Hope and Johnny Carson (remember them?) were back in their day.
  67. . . . There’s been a lot of criticism about how the show skewed older and that it needs to be more up-to-date to appeal to the younger folks.
  68. . . . Whatever.
  69. The Muppet movie won for Best Original Song (“Man or Muppet”).
  70. . . . Can’t say I’ve heard it.
  71. . . . And there was only one other song nominated this time.
  72. . . . I guess they don’t write songs like they used to.
  73. . . . The winner, Bret McKenzie, had the decency and sense of history to thank Jim Henson, the originator of Kermit and the rest of the Muppet gang. It was touching.
  74. Robert Downey Jr. was a presenter and arrogantly spotlighted himself in an unfunny and overly long shtick along with a portable camera crew in an attempt to popularize his new art form, “live documentary,” to ‘dramatize’ his presentation for the Best Documentary award.
  75. . . . Dumb idea, a bit abstract and hard to follow.
  76. . . . He joined Gwyneth Paltrow on stage and they bantered and “argued” for a bit about what he was doing.
  77. . . . It seemed forced.
  78. . . . It didn’t work.
  79. . . . Some called it “hilarious.”
  80. . . . It wasn’t.
  81. “Cigarette girls”-that’s what they used to call ‘em-strolled through the audience, passing out what looked like popcorn and refreshments, when the program went to commercial breaks.
  82. . . . They had on blue, short-skirted costumes, unlike the days of Playboy nightclub girls with fishnet stockings.
  83. . . . Shucks.
  84. Billy Crystal changed his clothes a couple of times. He opened up in a tuxedo with white tie and tails (or a tailcoat-type thing) and later slipped into a darker, more contemporary formal outfit.
  85. Michael Douglas was there to present the Oscar for Best Film (“The Artist”).
  86. . . . He looked great. Sounded a little hoarse. But after all, he did have cancer.
  87. . . . Still has great hair.
  88. James Earl Jones was given an Honorary Award and they showed outstanding roles he’s played throughout the years.
  89. . . . Remember when he was the Darth Vader-sounding voice that announced, “This is CNN”?
  90. The “In Memorium” segment for those departed was artfully done with nice still pictures accompanied by Esmeralda Spalding (jazz bassist and singer who won a Grammy last year for Best New Artist) who sang a soft and beautiful version of “What a Wonderful World,” accompanied by a chorus.
  91. . . . Whitney Houston was shown and mentioned but nothing special was done for her.
  92. . . . Liz Taylor got the special treatment here.
  93. When the Best Picture award was given for “The Artist” at the end of the show many of the cast and production team came up on the stage, including Uggie, the Jack Russell terrier in the movie, who was kept on a leash held by his co-star Jean Dujardin.
  94. . . . Doggie kept looking up to Dujardin who was giving him treats out of his pocket. It was cute.
  95. . . . UH . . . Dog Day Afternoon (Academy Award winner for Original Screenplay)-starring Al Pacino, released by Warner Bros. Pictures , 1975.


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