Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the 2012 Oscar’s wrap up through the eyes and ears of Life After 20.
If you’re a regular reader, you’re probably already aware of my love for films and in particular, the Academy Awards. If not, then you can get up to speed by clicking on the following posts:
With the unfortunate time difference between Australia and the United States, my Oscars experience this year was reduced to regular Internet updates and red carpet commentary via cocoperez.com
As previously mentioned in the posts above, my quest to see all the films up for Best Picture before the awards commenced unfortunately fell short by just 1, as I still have Hugo produced by Graham King and Martin Scorsese to tick off the list. Without having seen it, it’s hard for me to judge whether Hugo was worthy of its 5 awards, but from those I know who have viewed it in 3D, they couldn’t speak highly enough of the enchanting children’s film which has had a remarkable appeal amongst adult audiences too.
The night began with Octavia Spencer being awarded Best Supporting Actress for her brilliant performance in The Help. The next major award was Christopher Plummer (or as my good friend recently informed me- ‘Mr Von Trap’) winning Best Supporting Actor for Beginners, a film which somehow slipped under my radar and has now made it to the top of my DVD list. Plummer's speech literally brought tears to my eyes, as his appreciation to have won an Oscar at the age of 82, making him the oldest winner in history, transcended television. It was a beautiful, heartfelt moment accompanied by a standing ovation from the star-studded audience.
While Natalie Portman’s dress failed to impress me this year, her presentation of Best Actor was flawless. She spoke of the male nominees with conviction, respect and admiration and delivered her speech perfectly. Moments after, Juan Dujardin stood up from his seat in disbelief after taking out the prestigious award. His acceptance speech began with a reference to the 1920’s, the period in which his film The Artist was set. He spoke of how in that same decade the first Oscar’s was held, with tickets set at $5 and a ceremony which lasted a mere 15 minutes. He was undoubtedly a proud foreign winner.
When Colin Firth took the stage to present Best Actress (a category which I believe was one of the toughest at this year’s awards), he was clearly thrilled to announce Meryl Streep as the winner for her portrayal of British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Having been nominated for an Oscar a record breaking 17 times (winning only 2 statues in previous years), it was obvious that Meryl was utterly shocked that she’d won so far into her illustrious career. Her speech was beautiful, humble and I believe showed a genuine woman who feels blessed to have lived such a fortunate life.
And finally, from the moment the lights went up in the cinema following my viewing of The Artist, I knew it would be my frontrunner for Best Picture and I’m thrilled that such a spectacular film took out this year’s top award. The Artist was magical in all the ways that quality film-making should be and a rarity I don’t think we’ll see again for a long time.
To wrap things up, the Oscar’s can’t be discussed without talking about the host of the evening. The Academy certainly improved with this year's choice in comparison to their Anne Hathaway/James Franco disaster of last year, but at times Billy Crystal was still a little off-beat for me. Maybe next year they should spice things up a bit with Tina Fey or one of the hilarious ladies from Bridesmaids?
Moving onto one of the most anticipated parts of the evening and there's no denying that this year's red carpet looks had more hits than misses- probably because they were all quite safe choices. Despite no one stepping out in 'THE' dress (think Hilary Swank 2005, Penelope Cruz 2007 or Halle Berry 2002) there were a lot of beautiful creations on display. Here's a snap shot...
Moving onto one of the most anticipated parts of the evening and there's no denying that this year's red carpet looks had more hits than misses- probably because they were all quite safe choices. Despite no one stepping out in 'THE' dress (think Hilary Swank 2005, Penelope Cruz 2007 or Halle Berry 2002) there were a lot of beautiful creations on display. Here's a snap shot...
Gwyneth Paltrow was near flawless in her Tom Ford dress. While the matching cape seemed to polarise people, I thought it brought something different and unexpected to her understated look. Her hair however, was terrible. I get minimalistic, but it was a lose low pony tail with no pizazz.
I'm not quite sure why Milla Jovovich was at the Oscar's, but I'm certainly glad her white Elie Saab dress made an appearance. It was one of my favourite looks of the evening.
Nude dresses have been a popular choice on the red carpet this award season and Cameron Diaz wore a Gucci show stopper. Although the dress fit her athletic figure like a glove, sadly, I thought it also washed her out a bit. Her change of outfit for the Vanity Fair Oscar's After Party however, was utterly AMAZING!
No one does red carpet sexiness better than Jennifer Lopez and in a Zuhair Murad dress which left little to the imagination, J.Lo proved once again that she's still got it.
George Clooney may not have won the award for Best Actor, but he had his own golden statue by his side the entire evening. Stacy Keibler was sublime in her Marchesa creation. The rose hip was extravagant and not to my taste, but Stacy's statuesque body managed to carry it with style.
Octavia Spencer shone in Tadashi Shoji with a dress that was impeccably flattering and hugged her body in all the right places. A sensational choice in my opinion.
Rooney Mara is hard to read. She's seems a little shy and a bit alternative, both elements which were perfectly translated in her white Givenchy gown with plunging neckline.
Michelle Williams' peplum Louis Vuitton dress in a shade between coral and pomegranate (according to Ryan Seacrest) was the perfect silhouette for her petite frame.
Emma Stone gets my vote for the best use of colour in this vibrant red Giambattista Valli dress which looks amazing against her skin. While the shoulder bow is a little distracting to me, she not only looked beautiful on stage but was also hilarious while presenting with Ben Stiller!
Melissa McCarthy looked perfect in a Grecian Marina Rinaldi dress. It was lovely to see her steer away from darker shades and from her hair to accessories, everything just worked.
The half Argentine, half French beauty from The Artist, Berenice Bejo was tres chic in an incredibly detailed mint green Elie Saab creation.
Somehow Glenn Close was able to pull off a stunning corseted Zac Posen dress underneath a blazer jacket? Unconventional on the red carpet, yes, but the deep green looked gorgeous against her skin and her hair and makeup were flawless.
Viola Davis was sublime in her emerald green Vera Wang dress which off set her glowing skin beautifully. I LOVED her choice to leave her hair natural and from her makeup to accessories, everything about this look was right on the mark. My only criticism was that the bust seemed far too tight.
Just in case Meryl Streep didn't win the Oscar, she was going to dress like one regardless. This Lanvin number was definitely a brave choice but you can't help but love the care-free attitude she brings to the red carpet. Beautiful draping and a great neckline was what made this dress so fabulous.
Sometimes black fabric with gold embroidery can look more like a Matador's bolero than a Oscar worthy dress, but Jessica Chastain looked stunning in Alexander McQueen.
Australian funny girl Rose Byrne made a statement in her one shoulder Vivienne Westwood number. With a daring open back and blunt hair cut, the whole look came together beautifully.
I think Angelina Jolie practiced this pose a few too many times in the mirror before stepping out onto the red carpet, because she adopted that stance while presenting during the ceremony too. The simple truth is Angelina's gorgeous and when you're in a Versace gown as perfect as this, there's no need to try so hard. She would have looked flawless with half the effort.
[ For a full list of the Oscar Winners, head to oscar.go.com ]
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