The Oscars are over and I'm tired.

Yesterday I was thoroughly exhausted from the weekend and Sunday night's festivities! No joke, I was too tired to update. I had my annual Oscar Party in which I represent each Best Picture nominee with something edible, entreat my friends to play Oscar-related games for prizes, and generally have lots of fun. I can only imagine that my exhaustion was probably extremely similar to being a nominee myself.

I think this year's preparation took the longest! Nine Best Picture nominees! Here was my spread:

Amour = Champagne [you got two Parisians growing old, one of them slowly dying onscreen - not a lot of representitive food choices! I'm not going to lie though, I entertained the idea of making a dessert in the shape of the dead corpse in the first scene; I think I made the right decision going with champagne, huh?]

Argo = Canada Dry Water [to represent the Canadians of the film harboring the Americans, and, y'know, airline water I guess.]

Beasts of the Southern Wild = Clam Strips from the Bathtub [I searched for hushpuppies in the frozen food aisle without success; making the southern delicacy which is also the main character's name seemed to entail needing a Cornballer, so clam strips it was!]

Django Unchained = Calvin Candie's White Cake [with requisite Tarantino blood splatter! I loved that scene near the end so much, the dessert seemed so crucial to it -- "White cake?" "No, I don't go in for sweets..." - the beginning of a glorious scene.]

Les Miserables = Valjean's Fateful Loaf of Bread [yeah, that stealing bread scene never occurs on screen, but y'know, that's the amount of effort I will put into this movie.]

Life of Pi = Pi(e) [in the film, the character Piscine is named after the word for swimming pool in French, but as a child his peers always refer to him as 'Pissing,' so he tries to become 'Pi' like the mathematical constant. Also, sounds like a FOOD! I am not much of a chef so I went in for an easy lemon merengue pie recipe, and it was a hit. I also used orange sprinkles because, duh, tiger.]

Lincoln = Silhouette Brownie [this was the hardest one to come up with; I just started thinking of Lincoln's famous top hat and beard and decided to make it using brownies because, hey, I didn't have brownies on the menu yet and they are easy to make.]

Silver Linings Playbook = Dolores' Crabby Snacks [minus 'And Homemades' the character always says in conjunction. I found the recipe online - I'm not the only crazy person with their Oscar party - and while it smelled absolutely putrid combining Kraft Old English cheese spread ::gag gag gag:: and canned crab meat, after they came out of the broiler they smelled great and were delectable.]

Zero Dark Thirty = Reward Hummus for the Prisoners [you know, that scene where the guy they've been torturing for days is allowed to sit down with his interrogators and Jason Clarke's character is all, "Have some hummus and this other stuff"? Boom, easy.]

So, I prepared all of that most of the day Saturday and all day Sunday. Also, cats are really into the smell of pre-cooked crabby snacks. Like vultures, they were! Frito the cat had been circling me all day - I needed security detail to make sure the food on the countertop would be safe. Even during the party he eyed the spread from afar, hoping to glean a morsel when nobody was looking. He visibly grimaced as I took this photo (I like to believe) --

ON TO THE SHOW!

My guests arrived not as dressed up as myself (sorry I have no pictures of my black and purple chiffon floor-length attire), but that happens every year. They each recieved an Oscar Ballot and an Oscar Bingo card. High spirits all around as everyone filled out their ballots during the red carpet and we sliced and diced the fashion (more on that later).

I was pretty depressed last year when I found out Seth MacFarlane would be hosting the Oscars; I'm not a fan of his misogynistic humor and feared the worst. And he definitely delivered on the misogyny  but it was somewhat skimmed over during the party because of hostessing duties, judging duties for bingo, and general lack of interest on my part... I will say that MacFarlane has a great retro-sounding singing voice and I enjoyed the bits of dancing with Charlize, Channing, JGL and Harry Potter, but the in-betweens -- the supposed bits that made him the worst host according to Captain Kirk's future were dumb. I understand that the framing of the jokes was supposed to infer it was in bad taste, but y'know... I should have cared more, but when has anybody been like super positive about an Oscar host? Ever? What a thankless job, no wonder Robert Downey Jr declines the offers! (Also, Zan says everything better.) I smiled along placidly, because in the end, all I cared about were the actual awards!

You'll be happy to know (no, nobody really cares!) that I only got three of my guesses wrong on my ballot. I was most happy that the first award out the gate, Best Supporting Actor, went to Christoph Waltz over Tommy Lee Jones (which I had changed on my ballot from my Friday post prediction). Hurrah!

The three I got wrong? Animated Feature - I've seen zero! Original Screenplay - I guessed in my prediction post it might go to Tarantino, but I was hoping Boal would take it! And, happily, Best Director - I thought Spielberg would take it, but my personal favorite Ang Lee did. Not too shabby with my guesses, and I'm quite proud that I got so many of those random (to me) categories correct.

Of course, as the hostess, I don't play my own games. This year Erica took home both prizes for predictions and bingo! I got Oscar nominated movies that featured a nominee from this year:

Overall, I was really happy with this year's nominees! My personal favorites didn't win each category, but that's what votes are about. Not that I had a vote.

ON TO THE FASHION!

When I watch the red carpet, I do that fantasy thing where I imagine I'm a world-class actor and I am wearing one of those dresses. My favorite dresses are the ones that I would kill to wear (or try on, maybe once?). Here are my top three looks:

Jessica Chastain in Armani Prive - unfff. As soon as I saw her on the red carpet I know she was destined to be my best dressed. She was talking about how she loves movies and old Hollywood glamour, and when she tried on the dress she thought it was perfect for how she felt about film. Girl, we already share the same first name, let's be best friends and watch movies together when I get off work and you wrap up your Broadway show. The hair, the red lips - she looked beautiful and wins the evening in my book. (I'm sorry she didn't actually win the Oscar. I love Jennifer, and Imma let her finish, but...)

Naomi Watts in Armani Prive (clearly if I'm ever an international movie star with a red carpet booked, Armani Prive will be the first people I call...) - that neckline! Not something you normally see, and also very hard to pull off. In my head I was like, I would love to wear that, and then I was like, buuuuut my body's not Naomi Watts' body, which is making that thing look chic as hell. I would look like a robot. That's why she gets paid the big bucks...and I'm hanging out in an office.

Halle Berry in Versace - the woman has a body that can pull of anything, and I love the long sleeves and stripes and somewhat 80s throwback feel to it. She looked gorgeous!!

Honorable Mention: Jennifer Lawrence - because she can fall in it and still look beautiful. I think this was the princess dress I would have wanted to wear in younger years. Plus, her accessories and make-up were perfect - I loved the delicate backwards necklace.

I think the worst look was Melissa McCarthy's truly terrifying gray ensemble and tragic hair. I can't even post it here. She's dressed better in the past! And, sadly, Anne Hathaway's Prada was second worst. I love Anne and I think she's a great actress, but the 90s apron prom dress with a poorly chosen necklace was horrible. Her hair still looks adorable, though.

Also, her win solidified the fact that I have spoken on the phone with an Oscar winner! Here's my Anne Hathaway story: back in college one of my friends was in an a capella group that travelled to Vassar for a show. This was the year that Get Real was on television and I had been telling my a capella friend how much I loved it and Hathaway. Get a call late one night from friend who said she was partying at Vassar with Hathaway and I should tell her how much I enjoyed her acting. Which, I did. She was very sweet and appreciative! You know, just being a fangirl from the start! Congrats, Anne!

Oh, and I can't forget the men... LOOKING GOOD, BEARDS:

This post was very long -- TELL ME ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS! Seth? The dresses? Did you have a party or go to one? What'd you think about the winners?

Oscar predictions!

It's almost TIME! Going over this list of nominees, I think there could be some great upsets and surprises this year. In the past few years I've handily guessed who would win Best Picture...but this year things seem more up in the air. I've only taken the top eight categories to measure...

Adapted Screenplay

Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
Argo, Chris Terrio
Lincoln, Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell
Life of Pi, David Magee

This race is pretty tight - it could go to any of these scripts without surprise. I think Argo and Silver Linings are probably in the lead, but you never know with Lincoln. Personally I really liked the script to Life of Pi... I haven't read the book it was based on, but it would get my vote if I could vote.

Should Win: Life of Pi
Will Win: Argo

Original Screenplay

Flight, John Gatins
Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal
Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino
Amour, Michael Haneke
Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola

I think Mark Boal's Zero Dark Thirty will and should win this category, even if I do have a soft spot for Moonrise Kingdom. Tarantino's gotten a lot of the script awards this season, though, so he may be up at the podium on Sunday even though his script isn't nearly as good as Boal's.

Should Win: Zero Dark Thirty
Will Win: Zero Dark Thirty

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained 
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master 
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook 
Alan Arkin, Argo
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Everybody's talking about Tommy Lee Jones, but I want him to lose just to see that grumpy face again from the Golden Globes. Just kidding, he will probably scowl all night regardless. In all seriousness: Jones was good, but I never got 'great' from his performance. I don't know why Arkin was nominated, either. De Niro was better than I've seen him in years, but Hoffman and Waltz were spot on. Waltz has been winning a lot of the other awards (even though his role in Django was much more of a leading role, don't you think?), but does he have the clout to beat Jones? Or could Hoffman grab another Oscar for a worthy (if, to me, expected and kind of boring) performance?

Should Win: Christoph Waltz
Will Win: Tommy Lee Jones

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 

Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Amy Adams, The Master

I mean, wouldn't it be a great moment to see Anne Hathaway starting to get up but another actress' name is announced? It won't happen, but it still makes me laugh. I love Anne Hathaway, but she's been really grating on me this awards season with her ubiquitousness and Taylor Swiftian surprise faces. I think Helen Hunt had the best performance of the bunch, but like Waltz her role felt more like a lead role than a supporting one. Anne's performance was great, don't get me wrong, she definitely had the best five minutes of a terrible movie.

Should Win: Helen Hunt
Will Win: Anne Hathaway

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Denzel Washington, Flight
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables 
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

There is no greater actor today than Daniel Day-Lewis -- the man can transform into anyone. His Lincoln was astounding, and he should win and will most definitely win. I can't help but think that Joaquin Phoenix was right up there with him, though in a strange, mesmerizing way.

Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis, Joaquin Phoenix
Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty 
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook 
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

I loved each of these performances. I think Jessica Chastain should win, but Jennifer Lawrence has been pulling out more actual wins lately (though Riva just won the BAFTA...). They are all deserving, so I wouldn't be upset in this category if any of these ladies took home the prize.

Should Win: Jessica Chastain
Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence

Achievement in Directing

David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Michael Haneke, Amour
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

This is a great category for an upset this year; most people have their bets on Spielberg but I think Ang Lee, respected director that he is, really has a chance. He's got my vote, too. I really was not impressed by Lincoln's directing; to be honest it was the least impressive of the five movies here but it will probably win because he's Spielberg.

Should Win: Kathryn Bigelow Ang Lee
Will Win: Steven Spielberg

Best Motion Picture 

Beasts of the Southern Wild
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Lincoln
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Amour
Django Unchained
Argo

I think Argo's going to take it away (I think?!), but I'd love to see Zero Dark Thirty or Silver Linings Playbook or Life of Pi win! Upset! Upset! I love being surprised, Oscars, let's do this!

Should Win: Zero Dark Thirty
Will Win: Argo

I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR SUNDAY. Who do you think will win?!

Strong animals know when your hearts are weak.

OSCAR NOMINATION DAY! AKA my favorite "hit refresh" day at work. They started this morning at 8:30am, and I usually get to work between 8:30 and 9am. Until last year, the CBS Early Show studios were on my walk into work and I was able to stand in front of their window monitors and see the nominees live--unfortunately, they moved! Work doesn't have livestream capabilities (it hardly lets me use the blogger site) but soon enough I was refreshing a news site to get the full list. There were definitely a few surprises, but overall I was happy. Sure, it's just another awards show, but I've been watching the Academy Awards since I was a kid, and now I even have an annual party with corresponding appetizers to movies. It's fun!

Here are my thoughts -- what do you think about this year's nominees?

Best Motion Picture

Beasts of the Southern Wild
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Lincoln
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Amour
Django Unchained
Argo

The only film I haven't seen on this list is Lincoln. I am most excited to see Amour and Beasts of the Southern Wild appear, and while I shouldn't be making guesses just yet, my first instinct is that Best Picture will go to Lincoln.

Achievement in Directing

David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Michael Haneke, Amour
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

What a category! My rant from Tuesday has been dignified -- NO TOM HOOPER NOMINATION! All these directors are better than Hooper, and also better than Affleck. Everybody is calling Affleck's non-inclusion as a "snub," but I'd pick any of these films' directing over Argo. I would have to say I'm disappointed Katherine Bigelow was left off the list for Zero Dark Thirty. If it was me, Russell would be left off for her -- he made a nice film, but Bigelow's directing surpasses his. Again, I haven't seen Lincoln, but y'know, SPIELBERG. Which is why this award will probably go to him.

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Denzel Washington, Flight
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables 
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

Ho ho! Bradley Cooper! I think John Hawkes in The Sessions was better than Cooper and even Jackman (and I love Jackman), but I've also loved Cooper since he played Will Tippin on ALIAS. Daniel Day-Lewis has this on lock, PER USUAL, but, maybe, perhaps... a Phoenix upset? Nah, the voters may nominate him but then they're all like "remember when you were maybe crazy or not?" Having not seen Lincoln or Flight, I would give this to Phoenix, personally--what a performance. 

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty 
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook 
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild 

Hooray for some truly great performances this year... I HAVE seen all of these films and ALL of these performances are great and deserving. I think Jessica Chastain has my ultimate vote--and not because we share a name! Zero Dark Thirty hinges on her character, it's really a character study, and she's brilliant. But I can't overlook Emmanuelle Riva in Amour (the oldest nominee for Best Actress ever) OR Quvenzhané Wallis (the youngest nominee for Best Actress ever). They're both stunning performances!

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained 
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master 
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook 
Alan Arkin, Argo
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Surprises! I am so glad to see Christoph Waltz nominated again (come to think of it, all of these guys have been nominated and won an Oscar in the past!), and I thought we might see Leonardo DiCaprio win a nomination over him. I think Waltz was truly the better of the two in the film, but I know Leo really wants that Oscar. I still can't believe he wasn't nominated for Revolutionary Road, or even The Departed. This will probably go to Jones. I know I'm the only person that was bored by Hoffman. Arkin was good, but not great. I was surprised by De Niro's performance--it was the best I've seen him in years.

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 

Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Amy Adams, The Master

I'm so glad Helen Hunt got nominated, and I'd give the Oscar to her. She's so great in The Sessions and I would think it was a lead role, but that's neither here nor there now. It's been so long since I'd seen her on screen and it reminded me what a great actress she truly is. I'm a bit perplexed by Jacki Weaver's nomination, and while I think she is a great actress (see Animal Kingdom), her role didn't merit much in the film as a whole.

Original Screenplay

Flight, John Gatins
Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal
Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino
Amour, Michael Haneke
Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola

Okay, now I really need to see Flight I guess! The four I have seen are all masterful works... Boal with his research, Tarantino with his dialogue, Haneke with his economy, and Anderson/Coppola with their nostalgic take on youth. I really liked all of these scripts... it's hard to choose! I won't choose. Until later.

Adapted Screenplay

Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
Argo, Chris Terrio
Lincoln, Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell
Life of Pi, David Magee

Lincoln will most likely win, but all of these are great adaptations -- right now I want it to go to Beasts of the Southern Wild for giving us the force that is Hushpuppy.

Best Foreign-Language Film

Amour (Austria)
No (Chile)
War Witch (Canada)
A Royal Affair (Den)
Kontiki (Norway)

I haven't seen any of these except for Amour, but I'm not sure any of them can beat the foreign film that was nominated for overall best picture...

Original Score

Anna Karenina, Dario Marianelli
Argo, Alexandre Desplat
Life of Pi, Mychael Danna
Lincoln, John Williams
Skyfall, Thomas Newman

HURRAH! The soundtrack that I've been playing on repeat -- and which I mentioned in my Top Albums of 2012 post -- was Dario Marianelli's score for Anna Karenina. And while I would have loved for Jude Law and Keira Knightley to be nominated, I'm glad it wasn't completely shutout (lo siento, The Dark Knight Rises!). The music is a true component of the storytelling in this film...I vote for it! I suppose I will have to take another listen to the other scores, though. I will say none of them stuck with me after the movie like Marianelli's did. The only other soundtrack that stuck out was the music for Beasts of the Southern Wild by Dan Romer--listen to "Once There Was a Hushpuppy." So much love...it still makes me all kinds of emotional.

Original Song

"Before My Time," J. Ralph; Chasing Ice
"Pi's Lullaby," Mychael Danna & Bombay Jayashri; Life of Pi
"Suddenly," Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boulil; Les Misérables 
"Everybody Needs a Best Friend," Walter Murphy & Seth McFarlane; Ted
"Skyfall," Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth; Skyfall

Ugh, Ted got nominated? On the real? Okay, I suppose this has to go to Adele and "Skyfall," because that song really is great. Here's what that Les Miserables song was like to me... I have never seen the broadway show, heard the music, nor seen another film. When the movie gets to "Suddenly" I definitely perked up because it was not that great of a song (that's how bored I was), took place in a carriage ride, and could have been cut from the film entirely and nobody would have noticed... then I was like, "OH, this is the Oscar bait." (Since only original songs, not songs that have been written for other productions can be nominated.) It's not a good song.

Achievement in Cinematography

Anna Karenina, Seamus McGarvey
Django Unchained, Robert Richardson
Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda
Lincoln, Janusz Kaminski
Skyfall, Roger Deakins

ANNA! ANNA! ANNA! But: all of these are great. Deakins is a legend without an Oscar yet despite ten nominations, perhaps this will be his year. Life of Pi is also worthy. I might have replaced Django, however -- with The Master, which was not even nominated. Though it is a flawed film, the cinematography was breathtaking. If it was in this category, I'd give it the win.

Achievement in Costume Design

Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran
Les Misérables, Paco Delgado
Lincoln, Joanna Johnston
Mirror Mirror, Eiko Ishioka
Snow White and the Huntsman, Colleen Atwood

I knew we'd see Colleen Atwood's name here, and that's because she made some truly awe-inspiring costumes for that film. They were WOW when you look at the details. I'm talking ravens skulls as part of the evil queen's dress above... gorgeous. Of course, I wanted every single dress that Anna wore. ALL OF THEM, GIVE THEM TO ME. Those are my votes.

Achievement in Visual Effects

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
Marvel's The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman

Ah, visual effects! The only place we see The Avengers and Prometheus. These all had stunning effects... I think Life of Pi will probably take it, but I can't stop thinking about those effects in Prometheus...

Again, I think it was such a great year in film that there were quite a few surprises, and I'm excited for the awards (minus the host). Good thing the Golden Globes are this week (after the Patriots take down the Texans!), and I'm looking forward to it mainly because Amy Poehler! Tina Fey! As the Oscars near I'll post my final predictions...until then, may the odds be ever in your favor!

This was us on Sunday.

We are video chatting GOOFS.

He'll be home in a matter of hours! He's supposed to get here at 6:30am, so I'm taking one (only one!) small break from my morning gym time. And he'll be here for two whole days (that's a lot, my friends). 

He & Motion City Soundtrack will be performing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tomorrow night, February 2nd - you don't want to miss it! Watch it at 12:37am (technically Feb 3rd)! Set your DVRs! I just did. And I'm serious that you're NOT going to want to miss it!!

And guess what else is happening tomorrow? THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS. I'm obviously a huge film fan, and though the Academy Awards are The Academy Awards and don't exactly do the best job of honoring the bestest and greatest movies - I still love them. They are a family tradition, if you will. 

And guess what ELSE is happening tomorrow?! THE SEASON PREMIERE OF LOST!! THE FINAL SEASON!!

When did GROUNDHOG'S DAY turn into such a relevant DAY?!

I'll stop yelling now.

You're different from the former.

I'm always happy when the nominees I think should win actually win! YES! This happened in the case of Best Supporting Actress going to Penelope Cruz over Viola Davis, and Best Actor going to Sean Penn over Mickey Rourke. Everything else I said would win...did.

I actually liked the awards a lot this year - I'm also a sucker for Hugh Jackman. What does that dude not possess? He's what I like to call a "full package." He's endlessly charming, and I couldn't help but be smitten. I also love Baz Luhrmann, so, yes, I liked that tribute to musicals in the middle. And Erica and I definitely giggled when we realized that Zac and Vanessa were singing a song from HSM3 - mainly at ourselves for recognizing it.

The introduction of the actor nominations sometimes stretched a bit too long, but I liked the past winners showing appreciation for the nominees. There were many a moving moment, as well, from Heath Ledger's win to Dustin Lance Black's acceptance speech for scripting Milk. And hilarious moments like Ben Stiller Joaquin'ing it up. I just hope future shows are as enjoyable.

But let's get to the important part. THE FASHION! This year didn't offer up too many surprises, but I did have my favourites and...not so favourites. I'll start off with my tops -

Penelope Cruz in vintage. At first, I was kind of like "eh, wedding dress," but then they did some close-up shots and I fell in love with the details. Also, her hair and make-up are perfect - she reminds me of Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, and as cliche as it may be, I adore that look. Also, I don't understand why Penelope continues to irk some people - she's amazingly talented. Watch any of her works with Almodovar (whom she thanked in her speech - they are a great team), and you'll understand. Especially Volver. Plus, she always manages to look classy and elegant on the red carpet.

Marisa Tomei. Okay, I know that this dress has actually shown up on some worst dressed lists. But, like my directors, I like risk-takers. I'm kind of mesmerized by the pleating here, and she looks fabulous. It's avante-garde but lovely. I like the super-structure of the dress with the soft hair and make-up. I think a severe hairdo would have ruined the look. And this dress would have so easily overtaken a different person - Marisa can pull it off.

[Sidenote: Marisa is apparently dating the actor who played Ryan Atwood's brother Trey on The O.C. - you might have seen him sitting next to her at the awards. What's weird is that I was behind that same actor a little over a year ago in a Best Buy customer service line, and he was with a woman and had a wedding ring on. It was obviously his wife...back then. Hey oh!]

Obviously, when I watch the red carpet, I have these delusions of "If I were invited to the Oscars - would I wear that?" And I would definitely wear the above dresses. I have also always told myself that if I were ever able to go to the Oscars, and had the power to borrow a designer dress, I would wear Jean Paul Gaultier. He's a little weird, a little different, but I always like his designs. They're usually that nice balance of elegant and risky that I love so much. Marion Cotilliard wore him last year. Neither here nor there, as I am sitting at my desk in New York.

Freida Pinto looks radiant in that bright color. Though there were many asymmetrical dresses on the red carpet, I loved the inclusion of the sleeve. It's different.

Also, how gorgeous is Freida? Very simple hair and make-up completes it. This is what it looked like on the runway:

With just a little more fabric, the dress becomes red-carpet worthy, but not completely boring.

Also good, but not as awesome as above: Evan Rachel Wood (I didn't like her hair, though), Tina Fey, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotilliard, Angelina Jolie (boring, but the green jewelry sold me).

Oh, and now, yes, m'dears, it's time for the worst. I don't really rank the top dresses, but I'm going to have to rank the following.

Jessica Biel wins Worst Dressed. Not only is she clearly irrelevant to the show (um, she gave out tech awards, whatever - Jessica Alba did it last year, and she too was horribly dressed and irrelevant to the night's events). She also had these clunky black heels under this. Ick. You can't really tell here, but on stage her hair looked very messy and not in a cool way.

Amanda Seyfried's dress almost beat Biel for the worst. But I give her credit for roles in Veronica Mars and Mean Girls, and Biel blows. (These are when those extra credit points, count. Related: I'm SO effin' weird, I know.) I digress. Amanda, how old are you? It looks like you're going for 40 with this dress, but no self-respecting 40-year-old would choose this. You know Jennifer Aniston is 40 right? And she looked waaaaay better than you. Just sayin'. Dress your age, and maybe one day you'll come out on top. BLECH.

We all know Heidi is phenomenally gorgeous - too bad I don't like anything about this at all. From the hair, make-up, dress, to jewelry...nada. Nothing flatters here. Except for the fact that, yes, she is Heidi Klum.

Oh, Reese. I couldn't find any good pictures of her on the red carpet, but I did notice that her hair was all down there and all up on stage presenting. That was why it looked like a bungled mess on tv. This picture is from the afterparty, where I guess she went halfway. Her dark eye make-up also looked horrible on tv; her eyes looked sunken-in. The dress wasn't very flattering on her at all. And, um, you can also see in this picture her "invisible" bra straps - Reese, I see them. Tsk, tsk.

And in my final fashion thought: I love Tilda Swinton. I know she's going to show up to any red carpet looking completely abstract and infinitely cool. I, personally, could never and would never show up wearing this - but Tilda can do it. And, she rocks.

Now I must dedicate a section to RDJ, who looked quite dapper and continues to charm me from afar (I hear you, RDJ, I hear you...) -

On the red carpet, an interviewer asked him who his date was. He said, "My date? Yes, my date for the rest of my human incarnation - this is Susan Downey." Yes! Let's double date, RDJ & Susan! Also, let's party, because you two look like fun in pretty much every picture:

To end this GINORMOUS post, I give you pictures of Jon Hamm I found from Oscar afterparties. One with Paul Rudd (hot nerds alert!), and another with his girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt! You're welcome.

I'm glad to bring you somebody else's Barftime. Yessssss!

The End.