the worst part of this is the primetime telecast here in fiji is way past my bedtime. yep, i’m like a grade school kid who needs to be in bed at a certain hour. it’s called discipline, bitches. a.k.a. best skincare routine.

why i’d hate missing this year’s oscars: if trent reznor wins best original score for his work in the social network, i would miss seeing him accept an oscar. who would want to miss that??

actually, he looked like this…

 

…when he accepted the golden globe for the same category. along with co-writer atticus ross.

someone notify me immediately if they pull the same upset today.

update: and they did win. now that i think about it, it’s not really much of an upset, is it? well-deserved.

the book, written by sara gruen, itself has gained a following even before talks of a movie adaptation surfaced. but when it was confirmed some time ago that mr. edward cullen himself was playing jacob, the following increased probably ten-fold thanks to the world’s most ravenous fans.

i’m not sure how literary snobs view this sudden popular attention from girls a-twitter to one book destined to be a modern classic (a book most of them would likely not even glance at if it weren’t affiliated with pattinson), but i am all for moving this story from the pages to the big screen whatever which way they want to do it. besides, i can always count on obsessed fans to post behind-the-scenes photos online.

this one, for instance. probably the part where jacob jankowski tries to hop onto a passing train.

directed by francis lawrence (constantine, i am legend), the movie is scheduled for release in 2011.

here’s jacob bruised and bloodied.

playing marlena, the beautiful rider in the circus’ equestrian act, is reese witherspoon.

she and robert play the star-crossed lovers, and, as rumors have it, are creating such wonderful chemistry, it might make the alleged girlfriend jealous.

in the role of the antagonist, august (animal trainer in the book, ringleader in the movie), is cristoph waltz. the one who made our jaws drop in awe as col. hans landa, the ss jew hunter in inglourious basterds.

here are jacob and august in what appears to be a conversation on top of a moving train.

and here they are… uh, probably going on set.

mark povinelli plays kinko/walter, the little man jacob makes friends with.

author sara gruen herself makes a cameo appearance. here she is with tai, the elephant who plays rosie.

since this is a circus movie, expect more animals…

let’s not forget the streets for the big parade.

and, of course, the circus train where much of the story occurs.

and here are my three favorite photos on set, so far.

true to devoted fan form, robert pattinson followers have put up an unofficial website for the movie. probably one of the best fan-made movie sites today, it is the most comprehensive source of information on water for elephants you can ever hope to find. including set photos, casting calls, tweets from people involved in the film and even this very interesting account from an extra. with journalistic tenacity, one blogger even went on location to take photos of the old hotel where some scenes were shot.

my favorite photos from her “coverage”:

head on down to the website for more things water for elephants. even if you aren’t a big fan of pattinson, you would find the goings-on behind the scenes such a magical thing to behold. let the fangirls unfold this spectacle before your very eyes!

the social network, based on ben mezrich’s book the accidental billionaires: the founding of facebook, a tale of sex, money, genius and betrayal, premiers october 1 this year. that’s right, facebook. your favorite cyber hangout has a founding story rich enough for a red carpet premier in tinseltown. a history from six long(?) years ago.

it features jesse eisenberg, andrew garfield, justin timberlake, brenda song and rashida jones. and the score will be written by none other than trent reznor of nine inch nails. it is directed by david fincher (se7en, fight club, alien 3, panic room, zodiac, the curious case of benjamin button). with all these names behind it, it has this tremendous pressure to be cool.

image from manny the movie guy.

the book on which the movie was based was published mid-09 and has been reported as an unreliable resource for straight, hard facts. mezrich, after all, is given to exaggeration (e.g., burning down the house, which served as basis for the gambling movie 21; story here) and many incidents you read in the book never occurred at all. or so write certain sources. say, the part where one of the founders pick up a victoria’s secret model at a party, which is widely known as an embellishment (check this too: says here that the book proposal had saverin making out with the hottie, but the published work had zuckerberg doing that instead. way to make facts hold water).

it is said that mark zuckerberg, facebook ceo, is not a fan of the book nor the movie and has even expressed his dislike publicly.

as for the movie rearing its head in facebook ads, that seems to be very unlikely too, given the parameters of posting ads there (story here).

in any case, i would most likely watch it because i am not so jaded as to believe everything in a film that says “based on a true story”. i did watch 21 and enjoyed it. there’s nothing the matter with simply thinking it was entirely a piece of fiction, even though burning down the house was a long-standing bestseller in the nonfiction genre.

but it’s a different case with the social network. unlike 21 where most moviegoers would likely feel detached from the card sharks since not many of us know how to play blackjack and even less actually gamble in casinos, mezrich’s next book-to-movie work may leave a deeper imprint as, although very little of us understand their coding jargon, we are so insanely familiar with facebook that it’s easy to feel for the founders as depicted in the movie. it’s really up to you whether to believe it or not.

for the reason of david fincher alone, i recommend we watch it. before se7en was released, people were already wary of it being just another silly horror flick, but look at how it turned out. before fight club was released, people were saying it was just going to be a movie with losers beating each other up, but look at how it turned out. for the social network, i would like to put my faith in the david fincher.

trailer here:

anyhow, here are a few facts about social networking sites (sns) i gathered (i swear, i didn’t fabricate anything. i write what i read from reliable sources. or at least i think they are reliable):

• based on the definition of sns, the very first of its kind was sixdegrees.com created in 1994 but defunct by 2001.
• the first sns to utilize features to find and manage friends as we know them now is friendster in 2002. when it went live the first quarter of ’03, it spread so fast and so thoroughly that such publications as time (even citing it as one of the 50 coolest sites), esquire and vanity fair wrote about it and its innovations. its creators themselves appeared in several talk shows.
• friendster was followed by myspace, linkedin and bebo a year later. facebook emerged in 2004 and has since grown to become the largest.
• by 2008(?) it is said that there are over 250 active sns. though this source, written in 2006, claim there are around 650. it is hard to determine how many there really are as scores of them spring up and get put down through certain periods.
• facebook clearly dominates the race for members with over 400 million as of this period. it looks poised to break the 500 million mark soon.
• how about the other popular sites? myspace: 130 million, twitter: 75 million, bebo: 40 million, hi5: 80 million, friendster: 90 million, orkut: 100 million, windows live spaces: 120 million, qzone (china): 200 million. as you can see, no one comes close to facebook.
• facebook was initially meant as an exclusive harvard only networking site.

how about you, which sns are you a member of?

dakota fanning

there was a time when dakota fanning creeped me out. back when she was just 12/13 and she dressed like a big person already. that’s what hollywood does to a girl, i guess. it makes them grow up so fast, average teens will want to catch up at the expense of their health…

anyway, as to style, there is nothing much to complain about. but nothing to rave about, either. although the dresses themselves are pretty, overall i find them predictable and quite boring. as many fashion critics put it, “prom-y”, though i wouldn’t go as low as that because, hey, what’s wrong with a prom, especially for one who just turned sixteen?? in fact, that dress she wore to the “coraline” premiere is the same one she wore in her high school prom.

and the hair. she hasn’t experimented with anything outside of letting it straight down. i think i’d like to see her in an updo one of these days.

naacp image awards

cfda fashion awards

people’s choice awards

palm springs film festival

critics choice awards

“push” premiere

“runaways” premiere

“new moon” premiere

“the secret life of bees” premiere

“coraline” premiere

“runaways” premiere

saoirse ronan (pronounces seer’-sha. one of those irish names… like siobhan)

while having starred in only eight films yet (against dakota’s over thirty), saoirse has garnered enough experience to match skills with some of the veterans. nominated for an academy award and bafta, won a critics choice award and ifta among others, her roles in “atonement” and “the lovely bones” made us all sit up and stare.

style-wise, there is more variety in her wardrobe which makes her more exciting to look at. she seems more open to trying out different silhouettes and hairstyles, i look forward to even her shoes. she may have given me the creeps as briony tallis is “atonement”, but she is such a pleasure to watch on the red carpet.

irish film and television awards

“the lovely bones” premiere

bafta awards

“death defying acts” premiere

critics choice awards

“the lovely bones” premiere

bafta awards

“the lovely bones” premiere

“the lovely bones” premiere

so this one goes to saoirse ronan.

can’t wait to see her in more movies and events.

photos from zimbio and just jared.

one thing we notice: no matter how less formal clothes can go on these occasions, heels always maintain their height. i love this trend! i love sky-high stilettos. i would wear them to a corn field if i could.

selena gomez. my favorite of the day, hands down! i think this one is downright pretty, from the loosely plaited hair, the sunny yellow chiffon dress and the metallic beaded belt. i must say i am pining for those shoes and that clutch, they are the best!

victoria justice. this one’s just ok with me. there’s nothing spectacular about it, nothing seriously wrong either. i love the color of the dress a lot, i like the shooties, not crazy about the clutch though. and i think i’m quite bored with ruching now.

ashley argota. i would love to wear a dress like this to the resort or a cruise, but i find nothing eye-catching about the whole ensemble for a special event. she could try harder next time. kind of cute… just kind of.

tyra banks. i am not a big fan of her show, but i must say i’m a fan of her fashion. she’s almost always dressed simple and sassy, she wears classy pumps and i love her hair straight and shiny. my only problem is the too-heavy makeup, but she’s tyra so i can’t complain.

allison iraheta. oh, allison, i never did root for you during your stint on american idol, but i would have liked you better if you appear in better outfits. i know she means to portray some rock persona, but sometimes i think she looks more like a friendly girl trying to be emo and failing at it.

rosario dawson. is it just me or is this dress ill-fitting? is this really meant to look like that?

miranda cosgrove. kind of prom-y to me, but i guess it’s nice overall. i’m just tired of seeing strapless after all the column dresses during the golden globes and the oscars, that’s all. oh, but she wore the best shoes of the day.

keke palmer. like her co-star, she opted for colorful print. of the two, i like this dress better. i’m still not sure whether i like the idea of not wearing any jewelry at all. what do you think?

ariel winter. the dress is rumply, the shoes look similar to a badly dressed wedding guest’s, the makeup makes her look old (she looks 20something here instead of 11, doesn’t she?) and that hair… i don’t even want to start on it. please, alien abductors, take this tacky ariel impostor and bring back the stylish ariel i love!

nikki reed. another dress i would wear to a resort or cruise but not to a special event. the shoes don’t work for me and the clutch is too big.

melanie brown. this is my other favorite. breezy violet top with a tulip skirt. i never thought a loose top would look nice with a tulip skirt. i guess i couldn’t say much about the clutch, but that’s ok. all in all, very pretty.

katy perry. too provocative for a kids show in my opinion.

zoe saldana. hey, someone else wore pants and this one is much much nicer! the kca is one time you can rock your jeans. there’s a very carefully calculated formula for putting tweed on denim and i think zoe has it.

rihanna. maybe she forgot to wear pants with this top… anyway, this dior is meant to be a dress, but it didn’t mean to have shoulders pads that pronounced. obviously, rihanna is still in love with that trend and reinforced the shoulders herself.

and check out her regalia on-stage.

miley cyrus. why miley didn’t take take the orange carpet, we could only guess. maybe because she’s going to sneak to the mall, being underdressed and all? and to think she was my favorite last year and the year before that.

who was your favorite on the orange carpet?

oh, and daylight savings time ended this morning.

please excuse the semi-personal tone and the randomness of this entry. inasmuch as i would like to maintain a considerable emotional distance from this site, my personal blog is not worth its own domain, therefore is still feeling the residual effects of censorship. so this one would have to feel the cathartic blow in behalf of its alter ego.

julie & julia

first off, its general consensus is right to give it good marks based almost solely on the performances of its main characters. second, passionate food bloggers are even more right: amy adams is so adorable as the julie powell created for screen that if you do end up falling for how julie is depicted in the movie, don’t read the actual blog. don’t search for it, don’t read what the critics say about her as a food blogger. don’t even read my next sentence if you can avoid it. she never claimed to be a good cook (and she isn’t: she cuts corners and omits steps under the pressure of a self-imposed deadline), she takes liberties with very acerbic remarks, dispells loads of profane language and was famously unfaithful to her husband (she even confessed that in a later book) despite all the beautiful qualities, qualities essential to the film, shown in his character. you’d get the feeling of (spoiler alert here!) of julie when she was disillusioned by julia child disliking her blog… that is, the endearing image of the person you create in your head will be wiped away by the real one.

however, if you didn’t like the whitewashed movie version of julie powell, then do read her blog; it might change your mind. she was an extremely jaded secretary releasing frustrations in her writing replete with angst. given to episodes of neurosis and prone to meltdowns. in other words, she was like you and me. and i think this is the reason why her julie/julia project was so darn successful: she was extremely relateable.

just before i pressed play on the dvd remote, i told my husband about the mixed feelings i have going back to the philippines in two days. i miss the philippines, but i will also miss fiji. i’m not going back for good, but four months is still quite a long time to be away from the life we just created. and, i have to admit, i went away in an attempt to escape my own demons. going back means i just might have to confront some of them… or i have to consciously ignore them, which is a gargantuan effort itself anyway. yet i am all over myself with thrill going back for reasons my close friends know well about… but even that would mean breaking some people’s hearts. this is life, folks, making tough decisions and taking accountability for them. our conversation eventually moved to turning thirty (which i did last year; no, i am not insecure about age, honestly) and how it should already be a milestone for something in one’s life. then i talked about meaning and mediocrity and the very absurdity of existence. yep, that’s how my mind rolls. if i cannot practice my degree in a university, i will practice it with my husband. i told him that the last few days brought me back to worn out times, the ones i have devoted to much dismemberment the past three years. so much so that while i was contentedly packing my stuff last night, i suddenly broke down when i realized i lost a pair of jeans. it’s like the insane parts of my life decided to take advantage of my mixed feelings and ganged up on me by hiding my favorite jeans where i couldn’t find them.

so in effect, i know how julie powell felt. many of us do. we know how it feels to be utterly exhausted and the idea of succumbing to the gnawing urge to get a life. julie’s way was to complete something by way of her blog project. my way is something else altogether. i am finding myself in a little group we put up and in this simple endeavor with my husband. and, very very much like eric was to julie in the movie, so is my husband to me. he motivates me to take on things and frequently reminds me to look on the bright side. so i wish him a happy birthday! just before he left for his weekend show on the radio this morning, he loaded new kids on the block on youtube because he knows i’m happily cheesy and nostalgic that way.

so there it is, we all have a little (or a lot of!) julie powell in us.

concluding daylight savings time

alright, last night, i saw julie powell experience the existential pang of bitterness at turning thirty without a significant achievement yet. i’m not sure if i felt that depressed when i turned thirty last year, i was too pre-occupied with fixing holes to be bothered by a number… but i know how she feels. i think i felt it last night with my pseudo-philosophical drone as i packed my bags. i am carrying only one piece of luggage on tuesday, but i carry a lot of personal baggage.

as i turned the clock back one hour at three a.m. this morning to end dst, i enjoyed the idea that i am gaining an additional hour today. another hour to have my nails done, to walk around the marina, to spend with my husband. an additional hour makes a difference. then something occurred to me………

how many times have you heard or read the phrase “30 is the new 20″? it sounds fun, doesn’t it? a perspective trend perpetuated by people who wanted to cushion the blow of approaching thirty. if you think this is just some frivolous way of thinking, think again (read the scientific abstract here).

sooooo…….. if indeed 30 is the new 20 and i just turned thirty around the time this phenomenon was documented, that means… i gain an additional decade, right?! it’s like turning back the clock at the conclusion of daylight savings time! you get more time to do the things you want to do!

people my age, we were twenty when the age of twenty was generally viewed as the transition to adulthood, the time to make and learn from mistakes, to love and lose, to try over and over until our heads spin with dream-chasing. now we’re thirty when the age of thirty is the new twenty, therefore we have been given another decade to… well, do all those stuff again. does that make sense?? we get the decade of chasing dreams twice! circumstances have granted us another chance to make good in accepting responsibilities as adults. another chance to learn, to love, to dance!

am i making sense?

if you just turned thirty like me (or will be turning thirty soon), consider yourself re-commissioned. man, i’m so glad i turned thirty at this point in history.

d.s.t. photo from wtvr, julie powell photo from ecorazzi.

of course there are leonard nimoy, mark hamill, etc. “hall of fame” geek-worshipped actors that will put even the most aloof of fanboys in starstruck mode to last for weeks. but the modern age of graphic effects has brought us an onslaught of films that will rock einstein and newton in their graves; along with it, a whole slew of movie personalities that make the thousand-sit-ups-a-day routine some backyard hobby for any aspiring actor.

here are the top ten sci-fi fantasy, literary cult actors still active today who, based on my humble opinion, landed the coolest, most enviable roles:

update: i wanted to keep this a top ten, but now that i think about it carefully, there are two more actors who deserve to be adored by geeks. so here’s the top 12, the coolest dozen:

12. gerard butler

he delivered some of the most memorable lines in 300 as king leonidas and we fantasized about bringing him home in his loincloth. prior to that, he was terry sheridan in tomb raider: the cradle of life; after that he played kable in the cyber sci-fi gamer. oh, and do you know he also played beowulf at some point?

11. jake gyllenhaal

the title role alone in donnie darko put him on the radar of all geeks alive.

now, ten years later, he comes back to the forefront of followers as prince dastan in prince of persia: the sands of time.

10. robert downey, jr.

who on earth can bounce back like robert downey jr? he had problems with substance abuse, was arrested, rehabilitated, relapsed and rehabilitated again in a span of five years. in these his sober years, not only did he come back to the big screen, he ruled the box office as tony stark in iron man, got nominated for an oscar for his role kirk lazarus in tropic thunder (which he lost to another geek idol, heath ledger as the joker) and got nominated for a golden globe as holmes in sherlock holmes.

9. ryan reynolds

one of the fastest-rising stars, if not the fastest rising star, of the last few years.

one actor who played major characters in the three major comic book publishers: vertigo’s hannibal king in blade: trinity, marvel’s deadpool in x-men origins: wolverine and we will see him soon as dc’s hal jordan in green lantern.

8. ralph fiennes

my life-long crush. my fantasy. the one i dreamed of meeting on the front yard, mowing the lawn. he gave us some of the most critically acclaimed roles in the last two decades (amon goeth in schindler’s list, charles van doren in quiz show, count almasy in the english patient, justin quayle in the constant gardener… someone please already give him the darn oscar), but his first few geek-worthy roles, lenny nero in strange days and john steed in the avengers, didn’t receive as much praise from critics (though lenny nero was loved by fanboys anyway). in more recent years, he became even more entrenched into the geek culture as the supreme antagonist: he provided the voice for rameses in the prince of egypt, played francis dolarhyde in the red dragon and lord voldemort in the harry potter series.

in next month’s clash of the titans, we will see him again as… who else? the god of the underworld, hades.

7. hugh jackman

he became the world’s sexiest man after he played wolverine in the x-men series. van helsing was an okay movie, he was gorgeous there as usual. his other role for the geek market may not have been as well-received except by the staunchest of fanboys (stanley jobson in swordfish). but i think his turn as the great danton in the prestige was the most superb. and he’s too darn hot and funny.

6. alan rickman

i think alan rickman’s sheriff of nottingham outshone costner’s robin hood in robin hood: prince of thieves. i think he was the coolest heaven-sent entity as metatron in dogma. he was the the best stock character, judge turpin, to the anti-hero in sweeney todd: the demon barber of fleet street. i imagined prof. severus snape looking exactly like him even before any of the harry potter movies were in production. plus his was the manic-depressive voice of marvin, the paranoid android, in the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy.

5. keanu reeves

if you are wondering what’s with monotone keanu reeves and all these fantastic roles… well, you are not alone. for a six-time razzie-nominated actor, his career sure is doing mighty fine. he first stamped his mark into the movie adaptations game as jonathan harker in dracula. his first cyber sci-fi turn as johnny in johnny mnemonic received harsh criticism from both film critics and i.t. professionals themselves, but in his next cyber fantasy film, the matrix trilogy, his smooth and bullet-dodging, bullet-deflecting neo quickly became the envy of each and every male in the world. then he had to play john constantine in constantine to further fuel the envy. what about the voice of bob in a scanner darkly? true to his inconsistency, his last sci-fi role, klaatu in the day the earth stood still, was another set of bad reviews.

do you like the idea of keanu playing spike in the upcoming cowboy bebop movie adaptation? what about dr. jekyll in the upcoming jekyll? let the hardcore fanboys decide on that.

4. sir ian mckellen

he is not “sir” ian mckellen for nothing. throughout a long and illustrious career, he played role after role to critical success on both screen and stage.

he cemented a place for himself in the hearts and minds of the masses by playing supervillain magneto in the x-men series and, while he was still under contract for that role, superwizard gandalf in the lord of the rings trilogy.

that last role alone put him next to leonard nimoy in the hall of fame.

3. christian bale

we all know he picked up the most lucrative batman with christopher nolan, the same director who gave him alfred borden in the prestige. he added more to the bank and box office appeal by playing john connor in the latest and massively anticipated terminator salvation. but before he became a household name as the dark knight, he has been adored by geeks the world over for playing freaky jason bateman in the movie adaptation of american psycho and john preston in the sci-fi equilibrium. with all these action/thriller roles he is getting best known for, do you even remember his sensitive classic literature-based movie roles?: he was laurie in little women, edward rosier in portrait of a lady, demetrius in a midsummer night’s dream and mandras in captain corelli’s mandolin.

2. johnny depp

do i even have to explain this? edward scissorhands in edward scissorhands, dean corso in the ninth gate, ichabod crane in sleepy hollow, jack sparrow in the pirates of the carribean trilogy, willy wonka in charlie and the chocolate factory, voice of victor in the corpse bride, sweeney todd in sweeney todd: the demon barber of fleet street, the mad hatter in alice in wonderland.

he is rumored to play wallace in sin city 3. got that?

1. liam neeson

his qui gon jinn in the phantom menace taught obi wan kenobi everything he knows…

… his ra’s al ghul in batman begins taught batman everything he knows…

… he provided the voice of aslan in the chronicles of narnia, the great lion of narnia said to be an allegorical reference to christ…

… this year, we will see him as zeus, king of the gods, ruler of mount olympus, god of the sky and thunder in clash of the titans.

can you top that?

images from just jared, comic book movie, ace showbiz and yahoo! movies.

i am not jinxed after all… after the two american idol male contestants and the cool girl i’ve been rooting for failed to get past top 24 and top 20, i considered the idea that i might have jinxed them. but after my hopes from another entry were realized in this year’s academy awards, i knew superstition doesn’t live here.

congratulations to kathryn bigelow, the first woman to win best director!

avatar didn’t pull another titanic on us. congratulations to the hurt locker for winning best picture!

and all the acting awards recipients: jeff bridges, sandra bullock, mo’nique (you go, girl! from stand-up comedy to oscar-winning drama! you are my inspiration) and most especially cristophe waltz! it’s a bingo!

congratulations, sandy powell, her third oscar for costume design! while the talk of the night was merryl streep for having been nominated a record 16 times already, do you know how many she actually won? here’s a hint: sandy powell has now won more statuettes than streep, brando or deniro.

speaking of threads, perhaps we should also congratulate the best dressed ladies of the red carpet:

sandra bullock. the gold dress to accept an oscar in.

sarah jessica parker. the dress to appear on stage with tom ford in.

demi moore. i don’t know if she really means to have the dress match her skin color, but i think the cut and the details are fantastic.

molly ringwald. i love molly ringwald! i love this dress and the cuff!

kate winslet. she wore the best neckpiece of the night.

anna kendrick. i’m not too keen on the color, i think it washes her out, but i like the design and the details.

helen mirren. you go, dame helen!

queen latifah. from a queen on screen to the queen latifah.

elizabeth banks. i like the blue of the dress. and the ruffles are kind of tutu-ish without being over-the-top.

miley cyrus. i know fashion writers have been criticizing this dress for being age-inappropriate, but i actually like it…

kristen stewart. this dress must have given her better posture.

rachel mcadams. in the dress i would like to borrow.

and my three most favorite:

amanda seyfried. the corset judy jetson would wear. the bangles i would wear.

cameron diaz. this gilt made my day.

zoe saldana. i may not like the movie she represented, but i’m crazy about this barbie girl dress!

The Hurt Locker should have won for Best Motion Picture – Drama, and Kathryn Bigelow should have gotten the Best Director win, period.

Instead, Avatar, which I call “Titanic: Take 2″, won for Best Motion Picture – Drama, and James Cameron wins for Best Director. I’m sorely tempted to believe Avatar’s win was a triumph of glossy, shallow style and overinflated hype over serious substance and thoughtful intelligence…

and the hangover winning against (500) days of summer? and qt not getting best screenplay, having lost to one that was adapted? i don’t rant like other buffs who hate the idea of distinguishing drama from comedy/musical saying a good movie should be a good movie no matter what genre, but i’m beginning to see the irony in failing to distinguish original from adapted screenplay. i really don’t know what’s up with the foreign press, i am tempted to take ricky gervais’ joke about buying the awards seriously.

anyhow, i think i can get over this and i think the only real upset that can occur in this year’s awards show is if christoph waltz loses to whoever in the world. winning for his supporting role in inglourious basterds was a no-brainer.

and since i can’t say anything good about avatar taking the plum, i might as well move on to the red carpet…

there were less black and more pales this year. the ones who wore color wore them loud and proud. the ones who wore crystals wore them plenty. i like that more ladies were taking to prints. and oh, i loved very much that it rained because i am crazy about scenes with umbrellas. look at the gentlemen keep their ladies from getting wet!

images from zimbio.

i like…

shaun robinson. i’m into layering different textures and this one created a beautiful rosebud effect in the most royal shades of blue.

dianna agron. i would have chosen a more youthful color and hairstyle, but the empire cut and flowy drape of her dress more than make up for it.

chloe sevigny. at first, i didn’t know what to make of the ruffles extending down to her sides, but it just kind of grew on me eventually. especially after she declared onstage that someone ripped her dress.

tina fey. i like this best. length and silhouette are reminiscent of the 40′s and 50′s, but the cut and print are very modern. and the shoes are gorgeous!

fergie. i actually think the tan brunette look is working for her, though i’d probably miss her being blond and wish she goes back to being one again later. the lavender brings out the blue of her eyes. that’s josh duhamel’s hand holding out the brolly for her.

amy adams. she was one of the few who attended the ceremony in a short dress. i love her shabby updo with the side-swept bangs! and the copper of her clutch and shoes are the best.

drew barrymore. my second favorite. i didn’t know what to think about the anemone sprouting from her hip at first, but like chloe’s ruffles, the strangeness grew on me and i like the overall effect. it’s the perfect sheer and scattered crystals.

lara spencer. the plain white dress made the perfect canvas for her blue cuff and necklace, as well as the pink of her clutch and cocktail ring.

ginnifer goodwin. my favorite photo moment. the blue of her dress provided a very sharp contrast against the red of the carpet. and her striking black hair, shoes and brolly with her fair skin made her stand out.

maria menounos. her dress, on the other hand, matched the carpet. props to her for braving the weather even if the train of her gorgeous dress was getting all soggy!

toni colette. i’m loving the art deco-inspired gold sparkle!

jane adams. she could have done without the necklace and carried a smaller clutch. but it’s a very pretty dress nevertheless.

jaime pressly. i wasn’t so keen on the dress, but when i saw the shoes, i was smitten. and i have always thought she had the most beautiful legs in hollywood!

olivia wilde. the slink and sparkle of the dress is very studio 54, i like! and she carried the coolest clutch of the night.

maggie gyllenhaal. if there is one lady who can pull off an unorthodox design like this, that would be maggie. she’s just too cool like that.

kate hudson. this is a dress that takes getting used to. because this is kate, known to be very ballsy with her wardrobe choices, i’m going to say i like this ensemble, feathers and all. i think she has the best arms and shoulders in hollywood.

felicity huffman. wait, i change my mind, i think felicity huffman has the best arms and shoulders in hollywood.

christina hendricks. she owns this look! she and nicole kidman had the same shade of dress, same shade of hair and same shade of skin that night, but i think christina was more exciting to see.

christina aguilera. another christina, only this one’s a music superstar. which means she can get away with more outlandish designs. i like the married with children classy christina aguilera! such a far cry from her dirrrty persona.

emily blunt. okay, by this time, i’m getting tired of strapless column dresses, but i just have to toss emily in. because she wore just the right amount of deconstruction (unlike zoe saldana) and she wore awesome cuffs.

sophia loren. this era, sophia will never do wrong in my eyes. she is 75 years old and still rocks more than you and me combined!

unlike younger celebs now who hold a clutch in one hand while the other is pressed to the waist, she carries a shoulder evening bag and waves to the crowd more than she poses! that’s old school hollywood, when good movies had good performances and good stories… wait, don’t get me started.

did i mention that she’s 75?

people’s choice awards are voted by the people and critics’ choice awards are voted by critics. duh. i just had to explain why twilight wins somewhere. it’s hard to swallow, but the people has spoken.

i will not waste your time.

here are the major winners of the 2010 critics choice awards:

best picture: the hurt locker

best director: kathryn bigelow (the hurt locker)

best original screenplay: quentin tarantino (inglourious basterds)

best actor: jeff bridges (crazy heart)

best actress: meryl streep (julie & julia) and sandra bullock (the blind side)

best supporting actor: christoph waltz (inglourious basterds)

best supporting actress: mo’nique (precious)

best acting ensemble: inglourious basterds

best adapted screenplay: jason reitman and sheldon turner (up in the air)

major winners of the people’s choice awards:

favorite talk show: the ellen degeneres show

favorite on screen team: the twilight saga

favorite tv comedy: the big bang theory

favorite r&b artist: mariah carey

favorite tv comedy actor: steve carrell

favorite tv comedy actress: alyson hannigan

favorite country artist: carrie underwood

favorite tv drama actor: hugh laurie

favorite tv drama: house

favorite movie actress: sandra bullock

favorite movie actor: johnny depp

favorite male artist: eminem / keith urban

favorite female artist: taylor swift

favorite comedic star: jim carrey

favorite rock band: paramore

favorite comedy movie: the proposal

favorite movie: twilight

favorite tv drama actress: katherine heigl

favorite independent movie: inglourious basterds

favorite pop artist: lady gaga

and for those of you whose time i have wasted with the winners because they would rather see the red carpet dresses, below are the ones i find interesting in one way or another. unlike the golden globes and the oscars, the earlier awards shows are less formal. thus, since the ladies can wear short dresses, we get to see more shoes.

images from zimbio.

critics’ choice awards red carpet

people’s choice awards red carpet