Academy Awards Wrap-Up

Last night was the Oscars and as far as awards shows go, it was fairly predictable. This year the night was co-hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin (making their own fashion statement in a Snuggie, right).

Martin and Baldwin did an okay job at co-hosting, their camaraderie seemed forced at times. Tina Fey and Robert Downey, Jr. stole the show when they co-presented an award for writing: Fey represented the writers ("What does a writer look for an actor? Memorizing, not fear of improving") and Downey the actors ("It's a collaboration between handsome gifted people and sickly little mole people").

The only real surprise as awards go--and it was a minor one--was the Hurt Locker getting Oscars for Best Picture and Best Direction over front runner Avatar. Most of the speeches were fairly vanilla, except for Sandra Bullock, who has gained a reputation over this awards season for memorable speeches. In her speech, after recognizing her co-nominees and thanking the family upon which the Blind Side was based, she thanked "[the] moms who take care of the babies, no matter where they came from" and tearfully dedicated it to her mother, who died a few years ago of cancer.

I don't know about you, but despite warning winners to keep the speeches short, the producers need to take their own advice and trim the show. This year I would have omitted the opening number with Neal Patrick "Doogie" Harris, cut or trimmed the tribute to John Hughes (the way they went on, you would have thought Martin Scorsese died), and the singing and dance number for the nominated songs. The show ran over by quite a bit, bringing the total show to a bloated three hours and thirty minutes.

But the fashions--what an improvement from the Golden Globes! Nearly everyone did a fantastic job, especially the men (Ryan Reynolds and Tom Ford especially).

First the leading actress nominees:Sandra Bullock shone in a gold lame sheath dress with a lace bodice. Normally for a formal event such as this, I'm a big fan of the updo, but she wore her hair long and sleek, with a slight wave and it looked fantastic.

It is hard to believe Helen Mirren is in her sixties and she looked beautiful in a pale sequined sheath with sheer sleeves.

Like Bullock, Gabby Sidibe also wore her hair down and slightly curled and looked beautiful in a flowing Marchesa gown of blue chiffon crepe.

Carey Mulligan's gamine hair reminded me of Mia Farrow in the 60's and I give her points for wearing a fashion-forward black Prada, but the gown didn't work for me. The bodice and waistline was festooned with lots and lots of crystal and embellished doo-dahs, including miniature scissors (yeah, I didn't get it either) and the shortened hemline in the front wasn't working.

Finally, Meryl Streep glowed in a low-cut soft white jersey gown, complemented with flawless make-up and a sophisticated upsweep. White jersey is very difficult to wear and the 59 year old (!) rocked it.




Supporting actress nominees: Anna Kendrick wore a dusky pale pink Ellie Saab gown that worked with her pale skin and her soft updo with tendrils gave it a very Edwardian, romantic look.

Mo'Nique wore a draped and rouched strapless gown in a bright blue. And while I appreciated the gardenia as a tribute to Hattie McDaniel, I thought it didn't quite go with the gown.

Vera Farmiga wore a bold red dress that seemed to swallow her up. It was a beautifully constructed dress, but I would have liked much better if there were fewer pleated ruffles.

Another actress that chose red was Penelope Cruz, in a strapless burgundy draped dress with a slightly asymetrical bodice that gave a modern spin on a classic style.

Maggie Gyllenhall's hair and make-up was stunning, and while her gown fit beautifully on her, but I thought the abstract blue print was too informal.


Presenters and attendees: Queen Latifah gets an A+ in a perfectly fitted pink duchess satin gown with a row of crystal embellishments that complemented the gown, and Zoe Kravitz (daughter of Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz) looked like a dewy ingenue in a strapless gown in crimson and pale pink.

Finally, some disappointments: Zoe Saldana, a gorgeous girl wearing an unfortunate gown choice, Charlize Theron, usually a spot-on fashionista in a misstep here, and Sarah Jessica Parker in a strange Chanel gown with way, way too big hair.

Until next awards season, that's a wrap!

Where the Wild Things Are

When you get right down to it, there are really only two kinds of animals: wild animals and domesticated animals. Wild animals live on their own in their natural habitat while domesticated animals allow humans to live with them (at least that's what my cat tells me).

What I don't understand is why everyone is so dumbstruck over the death of Dawn Brancheau, a trainer at a Florida Sea World that was recently killed by a killer whale. I'm not minimizing this incident because the death of Brancheau is tragic, but it raises the question of whether it could have been preventable and the whole idea of trying to train and domesticate wild animals.

As the story of Brancheau's death and the killer whale (named Tilikum) in question unfolds, some disturbing details are emerging. According to published reports, this may very well have been an accident waiting to happen. Reports tie a total of three deaths to Tilikum over the last two decades, and yet this animal was permitted to participate in shows like the one at Sea World. Individuals in attendance for the morning performance featuring the killer whale reported that the whale seemed irritated and agitated, balking at performing tricks.

While Sea World reports that they will not allow trainers in the water with whales, the former head of animal training at Sea World has already rendered his own verdict on what happened: blame the trainer.

Yep, the fact that this animal has been a) plucked from its natural habitat, b) kept in a confined space, c) been forced to perform and do tricks had nothing to do with the trainer's death. In no way does the fact that this animal's hard-wired physiology makes it a killer. No, that has nothing to do with it. Right.

It is amazing that, with lots of training and conditioning, a person can train an animal to perform tricks with a flourish of a hand. But regardless of the relationship these trainers have--and how seemingly conditioned they are, or as real a bond as they've formed with their human caretakers--they are still a wild animal. You just can't erase thousands of years of evolution and change an animal into something it's not.

If you need further proof of this, Sigfried and Roy are a perfect example. These two men dedicated decades to the breeding and raising of Siberian tigers. By all accounts, men and beast co-habitated together amenably. But for a split second during a performance, a female tiger performing was triggered--by a sound, by a gesture, by something--and attacked and nearly killed Roy.

Even so-called domesticated animals can attack and kill. There seem to be regular reports about a dog attacking and mauling someone, in some cases without provocation. If we can't prevent what we consider domesticated animals from attacking, how can we expect wild animals?

Unfortunately, Las Vegas shows, attractions like Sea World, and even the circus are huge, money-making machines. I predict that Sea World will have its investigation, pronounce their training methods and animals as "safe" and the show--and all the revenue it generates--will go on.

But I can guarantee you that deaths like Brancheau will continue, because you just can't take the wild out of a wild animal--no matter how many fish treats you give it.