Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Top 5 Red Carpet Winners

I loved parts of the Oscars the other night. Others were kind of a snooze, but that always will happen. I really loved that past winners came out to present the nominees with a little speech. It was personal and gave the audience members who may not have seen their respective roles an idea of why they were nominated for their characters. And I really enjoyed Hugh Jackman's opening number. Sure, it was a little Broadway-like but hey he's been in a show before and it was certainly entertaining (not to mention the little number with Anne Hathaway!).

However, my fave part of the night? The fashion, but of course. Below I recount to you my top five picks.

5. Penelope Cruz



I used to hate Penelope. I think it was during the Tom Cruise days - remember those? Yet, through the years she really has grown on me. Maybe it's because she's made so many good films with Pedro Almodovar (hey, I took a film class when I studied in Spain). Penelope's makeup looks flawless and her hair is perfectly swept up to go with her dress. But look at this white dress. It's gorgeous - the way it falls and its cut. And I love the sweetheart neckline. The dress was vintage Balmain - 60 years old! Penelope bought the dress eight years ago but never wore it because she wanted to save it for a special occasion. This was definitely it, as she was the one to take home the Best Supporting Actress award!

4. Natalie Portman



I've always loved Natalie. She's so classy and a very versatile actress. Although she was not up for an award, she was still a presenter and certainly brought her A-game to the red carpet. In her beautiful fuchsia Rodarte dress she was glowing. This dress says "Party!" to me for sure. Another sweetheart neckline further sells me on Natalie's gown. I probably wouldn't have picked that hairstyle, but I don't personally like to put all of my hair up like that. All in all, she's my number four girl.

3. Anne Hathaway



Who knew Anne had such a great voice?! And she has fantastic taste. She was just radiant in her white, strapless Armani Prive gown. It shines and sparkles just like the actress. And even though it seems to have a lot of detail, it doesn't seem as if it was that heavy, giving the Rachel Getting Married-nominated actress room to move down the red carpet.

2. Jennifer Aniston



In a similar shiny gown, with a bit more detail was Jennifer. I've always loved Jen since the days of Friends and despite all the negative press she's been getting, she really was able to shine. She was so classy in her metallic Valentino. If she was trying to outshine Angelina, well she definitely did. Jen's hair looked great (I love wavy looks) and she was able to show off her great body in that dress. She looked absolutely flawless. Team Jennifer!

1. Taraji P. Henson



I had never heard of Taraji until the night of the Oscars, but she deserves the top award from Simply Fabulous because, well, she looked simply fabulous! Her hair is what I aspire to have my hair look like - the swept bang, the angled bob. It was just perfect! I also was in love with her jewels. They were so different and are definitely going to be in style this season. And her dress was Roberto Cavalli perfection. The material flowed nicely, the train was just long enough, and the ruffles were oh-so-chic. I am obsessing over the complete package that is Taraji. I will definitely try to emulate her hair the next time I go to see my hairdresser!

Sidenote: I really don't like Angelina Jolie - I still don't know what people see in her "beauty". But I will say that I loved her green earrings. Gotta give credit where credit is due…

I can't wait until the next carpet!

Photos: Wireimage
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Friday, February 13, 2009

The Exception or the Rule?

We decided a few weeks ago that we were going to have a girls' night out to the movies. Janine thought it would be cute for us to go see He's Just Not That Into You with Ang. So we planned a date and we went last night. Here is my review.

I had heard so many negative things about this movie - the storyline wasn't good; the ending was terrible; the plot was confusing; and people left terribly depressed after seeing it. In fact, I read one review that had one of the commenters going home, questioning her current relationship, and crying herself to sleep. OK, now, I may be in a relationship too, but I'm not going to take a movie that seriously. To go home and cry yourself to sleep is rather ridiculous. I mean, did you go home watching your back at night for the Vampire Zombies that attacked Will Smith in I Am Legend? No, I think you did not. Movies are supposed to be a method of escaping or just having a story told to you. They don't necessarily need to represent reality all the time.

In any case, I felt that the movie was exactly what it advertised itself to be. It's kind of like when I watched The Break-Up. I was so disappointed at the ending of the movie, yet I failed to keep in mind what the actual title of the movie was. Did I not realize that some sort of break-up would take place? When you're going into a movie that is based on a novel that essentially tells you to not take guys seriously, what do you think the movie is going to be about?

I thought the plot was funny and it really explored the "six degrees" theory, as well. Everyone was somehow connected and I enjoyed the characters a lot. It's like I got to know them in some way over the two hours of which I sat there. What happened in the end may have been predictable or disappointing for some, but I think that it was the way it was supposed to be for all those characters. I was quite pleased.

I really don't want to give anything away to all those who have yet to get to the movies, but I think He's Just Not That Into You was quite entertaining and fun. Please don't take it seriously. I doubt the writers were trying to personally attack you with the plot. So please take it at face value and don't try to interpret too much into this. After all, every single relationship has different circumstances and I really don't believe that you can ever compare two relationships. There may be a lot of people who were just not into this movie, but as for me, I guess my review is the exception to the negative review rule.
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Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Experiencing Summer in Winter

I had a winter wonderland-like experience last night as I drove home from work. And when coming back to work this morning I drove through the same atmosphere. The scene was quite picturesque: lots of trees blanketed in snow, icicles decorating the branches, and a pretty clear path down the road. It was like being in a snow globe. But then I realized something. This would all turn into a slushy mess as the hours passed and I was not thrilled to deal with that.

I just came back from being away and I had such a great time. The only problem is that I was in 85 degree weather in the Caribbean, sunning myself on the top deck of a cruise ship. I came back and have been confronted with snowfall and quite chilly temperatures when I wake up each morning (this morning it was 18). I know what you're probably thinking: "Well you just had this gorgeous week in paradise, Amanda, so you really shouldn't complain." Well, you are right. But I miss being away in the pretend world! It was a lot of fun.

It was also strange because I was really disconnected from the world. I checked my email just twice and left my cell phone home. This comes from a girl who is a completely compulsive email-checker and keeps her cell phone on at all times. When I think about it, though, I kind of liked it. The pace of my life was a lot slower and calmer and I really didn't stress so much. I really needed that vacay so I can't complain. But I really can't wait for my next period of rest and relaxation!
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