Mariano Rivera's Last Game at Yankee Stadium

The greatest closer of all time, Mariano Rivera, pitched his last game at Yankee Stadium on September 26, 2013 in a game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

I am a Dodgers fan, but I cheer for the Yankees while living in New York because I can't cheer for fellow National League competitor the Mets.  Plus it gave me chills to go to the old Yankee stadium, which was steeped with so much tradition.  The new Yankee Stadium is nice, but doesn't have quite the same feeling as the old one.

Rivera entered the last game in the eighth inning with one out and runners on first and second.  The Yankees played longtime announcer Bob Sheppard's introduction of number 42 (Sheppard died in 2010), and the familiar "Enter the Sandman" by Metallica also accompanied Rivera's entrance.

Rivera retired four straight batters, and with two outs in the ninth inning, manager Joe Girardi sent long-time teammates Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte to the mound to relieve Rivera.  That was when the tears and cheers started.  A great ending to an amazing career.  

I had the pleasure of watching Rivera pitch several times, and it's great that he is able to do a farewell tour. Many clubs around the league have paid tribute to him.  It's too bad that the Yankees have been eliminated from the playoffs and they also lost his last game 4-0.  However, Rivera left with five World Series rings, 13 All-Star selections, the all-time save record at 652 saves, and numerous other accolades and awards.  He is also for sure going into the Hall of Fame.

Goodbye, Mo. Thank you for the memories.

2013 Emmys Review and Fashion

It's the 65th Annual Emmy Awards!  I enjoyed the show for the most part, especially NPH hosting.  It is nice that the Emmys are usually held far away from the other award shows, so I can appreciate it without being sick of award shows already.

There were a lot of surprise winners, such as The Voice dethroning The Amazing Race for Best Reality Competition, Jeff Daniels winning Best Leading Actor in a Drama Series for The Newsroom, Tony Hale winning Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for Veep, and Bobby Cannavale winning Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Boardwalk Empire.

Best Parts

- I actually like NPH's opening with the past hosts.  The best part was Kevin Spacey's speech and Tina Fey and Amy Poehler heckling NPH.

- Merritt Wever's very short speech.  She did not do it intentionally, but it really became the best speech ever.  Schmidt is dating an Emmy winner!

- Julia Louis-Dreyfus's speech with Tony Hale holding her purse and being her handler, just like in Veep.  Anna Chlumsky also got into the action by texting during the speech.

- The bit about NPH suffering from Excessive Hosting Disorder (EHD).  We love How I Met Your Mother, so it was fun to see the cast.

- Nathan Fillion in the "Number in the Middle of the Show"

- Oprah doing the introductions of Jimmy Kimmel writers.

- The dance portion choreographed by the nominees for Best Choreography.  We are big So You Think You Can Dance fans, so this is a treat.

Worst Parts

- Jon Hamm's beard

- Melissa Leo's outfit

- Boring musical tributes from Elton John and Carrie Underwood.

Best Dressed

- Sofia Vergara in Vera Wang.  She knows what works for her, and she looks amazing in this red, clingy dress.

- Christina Hendricks in Christian Siriano.  Christina is another actress famous for her assets, and sometimes she can look as if she's about to pop out at any moment.  But this dress is perfectly fitted and shows her curves without danger of over-exposure.

- Allison Williams in Ralph Lauren.  The color is beautiful and the dress is very simple and elegant.  She wears it with great hair and makeup, too.

- Tina Fey in Narciso Rodriguez.  Another gorgeous blue dress.  Tina looks sexier here than what she would normally wear.

- Kaley Cuoco in Vera Wang,  Kaley has had some weird choices for red carpets, but this one is a winner.

- Mindy Kaling in Georges Chakra.  I love the color and it hugs her curves nicely.

- Michelle Dockery in Prada.  I love the color blocking on this dress, and she looks very modern and fresh.

- Kerry Washington in Marchesa.  I think this is the best pastel of the night. It's very fashionable, but she makes it look so elegant.

- Alyson Hannigan in Marchesa. The eggplant color really complements her red hair, and the fit was beautiful without overwhelming her small frame.

- Cobie Smulders in J. Mendel.  Another lovely HIMYM leading lady.  She wears this dress so well and it's well-fitted.

- I just had to include Nathan Fillion and his date, Mikaela Hoover

Worst Dressed

- Emilia Clarke in Donna Karan Atelier.  This dress looks wrinkled and makes her head looks so much bigger than her body.  

- Claire Danes in Armani Prive.  The bottom of this dress is fine, but the top looks ill-fitted and she doesn't quite have the assets to fill it up.

- Jessica Pare in Oscar de La Renta.  The whole look is just messy, and the shoes are awful.

- Lena Dunham in Prada.  It's great that she doesn't do anything conventional, but I wish the skirt was a bit smaller and the pattern not as busy.

- Julianne Hough in Jenny Packham.  She looks like she's wearing a leotard with some sparkly covering, and the off-the-shoulders top looks horrible.

- Zosia Mamet in Honor.  The dress would be lovely without that weird black bustier.

- Amanda Peet in Erdem.  Another wrong move in a sheer dress.

- Robin Wright in Ralph Lauren.  She looks like she's going to a funeral.  Robin, you're not married to Sean Penn anymore - you are allowed to smile once in awhile.

Split Decision

- Linda Cardellini in Donna Karan Atelier.  The dress is a touch too busy, but it has great color and she wears it well.  I love the hair.

- Anna Faris in Monique Lhuillier.  The color is beautiful and the dress is a nice change from the pastels on the red carpet, but her makeup makes her look 10 years older.

- Connie Britton in Naeem Khan.  Connie always looks so pretty, but this dress is just on the wrong side of busy, and the velvet material doesn't help.

Cookie Monster Spoofs Icona Pop's "I Love It"

Icona Pop's "I Love It" has been ubiquitous for the past few months.  Here comes Sesame Street's spoof of the song featuring Cookie Monster, entitled "Me Want It (But Me Wait)."

Royal Baby Named

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge named their baby boy George Alexander Louis.  He will officially be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.

As expected, they went with very traditional names.  No Apple or Blue Ivy or North here. 

Prince of Cambridge

Unless you have been living under a rock, you would know that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had their baby boy yesterday.  The Prince of Cambridge, who is not yet named, was born at 4:24 p.m. local time at St. Mary's Hospital in London.  He was 8 pounds 6 ounces.  The Duchess of Cambridge reportedly had about 14 hours of labor before delivering naturally.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took their son home today.  They posed for photographers and answered questions on the same steps where Princess Diana and Prince Charles introduced William to the world 31 years ago. 

William stated that his son had "a good pair of lungs on him," and that he was "a big boy - he's quite heavy."  He also stated that his son had his mother's looks, to which Kate replied, "No, no, no."  William also joked that the baby "has way more than me, thank God."  Kate added that the whole experience was very emotional.  She said, "It's a moment that any parent having just given birth will know what this feeling feels like."  She also revealed that William has changed his first diaper. 

Congratulations to the new parents!

2013 Emmy Nominations

The 2013 Emmy nominations came out today, and American Horror Story: Asylum scored the most nominations with 17, with Game of Thrones closely behind with 16.   30 Rock scored 13 nominations, Modern Family has 12, and The Big Bang Theory has eight.  Netflix's House of Cards became the first online series to score Emmy nods, including stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. 

1) I'm most upset about the following snubs: Simon Helberg for The Big Bang Theory and Jake Johnson for New Girl.  Both actors have done wonderful work this year, and have made what could have been very cartoonish characters seem vulnerable, funny, and grown-up. 

2) It's also a travesty that Phil Keoghan wasn't nominated again for the Amazing Race, even though the series was nominated.  I like Anthony Bourdain, but The Taste wasn't very good, and the Emmys must be somehow contractually required to include Betty White every year.

3) Yay for Carrie Prestron being nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her work on The Good Wife.  Can't wait to see Michael Emerson and Preston on the red carpet - they are so cute together.

4) Only Jane Lynch and Dot-Marie Jones were nominated for Glee.  It is difficult to break through the ranks of the Modern Family crew in the supporting categories, all of them are again nominated except for Eric Stonestreet. 

5) Michelle Fairley, Nikolaj Coster Waldau, Charles Dance, and Gwendoline Christie also deserved nominations for Game of Thrones.  At least more than just Peter Dinklage is nominated this year.  Emilia Clarke and Diana Rigg also scored nods in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, respectively, and the show is up for Outstanding Drama Series

6) No Taran Killam from Saturday Night Live?  He did a better job than Bill Hader.  Hopefully with Hader gone Taran will get his just due next year. 

7) It's great that Morena Baccarin and Mandy Patinkin got nods for Homeland, in addition to Claire Danes and Damian Lewis.

8) I don't watch Nashville, but anything that gets Connie Britton a nomination is fantastic. 

9) No love for The Office in its final season, except for a writing nod for Greg Daniels. 

10) Love the nominations for So You Think You Can Dance and Cat Deeley. 

Best reaction to getting an Emmy nomination so far comes from Don Cheadle, who released the following statement about his nomination in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy category for House of Lies: "Given all the hilarious film work I've done, from Traffic to Crash to Flight, it's nice to finally be recognized as the comic genius I am. Thank you, Academy members.”

Edited to add Emilia Clarke's statement about her nomination (in Dothraki!): “Yer chomoe anhaan. Jin ha Khalaan, shekh ma shieraki anni.” This translates to: “You do honor to me. This is for the Khal — my sun and stars.”

R.I.P. Cory Monteith

In a shocking news, Glee star Cory Monteith was found dead in his hotel room in Vancouver on Saturday.  He was 31 years old.  The Vancouver police released a statement saying that they had ruled out foul play, and will be conducting an autopsy today (Monday).  They also stated that Monteith had returned to his hotel room alone early Saturday morning, and his body was discovered by hotel staff when he failed to check out on Saturday. 

I have been a big fan of Glee since the beginning, and it was great to see Monteith grow as an actor, dancer, and singer as his character, Finn Hudson, also grew.  He was never the best actor, dancer, or singer, but he always came across as emotionally real and accessible.  The consensus around Hollywood is that he is also a very nice guy in real life.  Monteith just recently left rehab for a second time, and he had talked candidly about his struggles with drugs in the past, which led to him going into rehab the first time when he was 19 years old.  He seemed to be doing well recently, being out and about with his girlfriend and Glee co-star Lea Michele, and looking happy and healthy.  What a blow to his family, friends, co-workers, and fans. 

In honor of Monteith, here are my top five favorite Glee musical numbers featuring Monteith by himself or as the lead:

1) "Don't Stop Believin" by Journey, from the episode "Pilot."  The original that started it all.  Finn was the one who rallied the rag-tag Glee club members together to sing this song, and the result was pure gold.

2) "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson, from the episode "Hold on to Sixteen."  Finn and the other boys look and sound amazing on this cover, and won Regionals despite Rachel's suspension after stuffing the ballot box in favor of Kurt for school president.

3) "I'll Stand by You" by the Pretenders, from the episode "Ballad."  One of the early Finn solos, and Monteith knocked it out of the park with his emotional performance after he found out that Quinn was expecting who he thought was his baby.

4) "We've Got Tonight" by Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton, from the episode "I Do."  This duet between Finn and Rachel showed their amazing chemistry, especially since the co-stars were already dating in real life by this point.

5) "Faithfully" by Journey, from the episode "Journey."  Another great duet between Rachel and Finn, and the start of the Finchel phenomenon.  Glee producers had mentioned that they thought of Finchel as being the end game, so now it would be interesting to see how they would deal with Monteith's passing. 

Game of Thrones - SPOILER ALERT

SPOILER ALERT

This post will speculate about the last two episodes of Game of Thrones, so stop reading if you don't want to know what will possibly happen.

There are only two episodes left of Game of Thrones.  This season has seen many major things happen, but nothing will compare to the last two episodes when two key deaths will most likely occur.

First up is the episode called "The Rains of Castamere"  Normally this title refers to the song written about Tywin Lannister's victory over the House Reyne of Castamere.  In this case, however, it is likely referring to the Red Wedding, where Robb meets his untimely end.  It has been hinted, and sometimes even stated openly by Catelyn, that Robb's decision to marry Talisa instead of Rosalyn Frey will have disastrous consequences.  Robb tried to mitigate that decision by offering his uncle, Edmure, as the substitute groom, but as the book readers know, the Freys do not take kindly to take decision and Robb will pay dearly.

Now the question is whether Talisa will survive.  She doesn't exist as a character in the book, where Robb is married to Jeyne Westerling.  Jeyne stayed behind at Riverrun while Robb went to negotiate with the Freys, so she survived the Red Wedding.  However, in the show Talisa reveals herself to be pregnant in the episode "Second Sons."  George R. R. Martin himself penned this episode, and it's a guessing game as to whether he threw this tidbit in just to confuse fans, or if this will actually matter. 

The last episode is called "Mhysa."  Mhysa means "mother", and it is what the Yunkai people called Dany when she enters the city.  However, this episode will also most likely feature Joffrey's death.  In the book, he was poisoned during the feast after his wedding to Margaery Tyrell.  No one will particularly mourn Joffrey, who has become one of the most hated characters on television (poor Jack Gleeson, the actor who plays Joffrey, who seems to be a very nice guy in real life).  The worst consequence of Joffrey's death is the fall of Tyrion, who would be blamed for the death, but it was actually arranged by Littlefinger and Olenna Tyrell.   If Joffrey doesn't die in this episode, then he will most likely die in the beginning of season 4. 

The Mother Revealed on How I Met Your Mother

On last night's season finale of How I Met Your Mother, the titular mother is finally revealed in the train station buying a ticket for Farhampton and carrying a yellow umbrella.  I love the song introducing her - the Shins' "Simple Song."  The actress playing the Mother is Cristin Milioti.  She was the star of the Broadway show Once, based on the movie of the same name, and was nominated for a Tony.  Here is a clip of her singing Falling Slowly with co-star Steve Kazee.  She also guest-starred on the Sopranos, Nurse Jackie, and 30 Rock.  She will be seen soon as Leonardo DiCaprio's wife on The Wolf of Wall Street. 

I think she's perfect for the role.  She looks exactly like the kind of girl that Ted would fall for - cute, quirky, and has the indie-hipster look.  She and Josh Radnor also look like they could be the parents of Lyndsy Fonseca and David Henrie, and I can see Cristin fitting in nicely with the gang.  I appreciate that the producers didn't go for stunt casting - I think that would have been too distracting and too hard to keep a secret.  It's nice in this day and age that they can still keep something back until they want to reveal it.  

I can't wait for the ninth and final season of the show. 

The 2013 Met Gala

As usual, the red carpet at the Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of the Arts did not disappoint its reputation as fashion's Oscars.  There are some wild and interesting looks on display.

My top five favorites:

1) Anne Hathaway went to her favorite, Valentino, for this creation, and she looked incredible.  I also love the punked-up blonde hairdo. 

2) Beyonce did not disappoint with her Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci outfit.  I like the matching printed boots. 

3) Emma Watson looked amazing in her Prabal Gurung dress.  The overall effect is sexy, but understated.

4) Blake Lively wore a gorgeous Gucci dress with fantastic earrings.  This is how you bring drama without going overboard.

5) Only Sarah Jessica Parker can pull off this Giles Deacon dress and the custom Philip Treacy hat.


My bottom five:

1) Katy Perry donned Dolce and Gabbana, and I actually think the dress itself might have been OK, but the crown and the earrings caused the outfit to go overboard. 

2) Allison Williams's Joseph Altuzarra dress is wrong from top to bottom - the mix of different textures and shapes ended up being too busy.

3) Kim Kardashian wore a flowered bedspread custom-made by Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci.  I get cross-eyed just looking at that dress for more than a second.

4) Christina Ricci wore a McAndrew Tartan corset gown from the Vivienne Westwood Couture collection.  I think the dress would work better if it just sticks to one length.

5) Madonna in Givenchy - just no.

Natalie Dormer Cast as Irene Adler in Elementary

British actress Natalie Dormer has been cast as Irene Adler in Elementary, the updated Sherlock Holmes show set in New York.  She will appear in three episodes

It would be nice to see Dormer in contemporary clothes.  Her most famous roles are as Anne Boleyn in The Tudors and Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones.

Elementary's executive producer stated that Dormer would show up in flashbacks, but my personal theory is that she is still alive and Moriarty faked her death.  In the episode titled "M", it was revealed that her body was never found.  I wonder if Vinnie Jones, who played Sebastian Moran, Moriarty's assassin in "M," would show up again in the same episodes as Dormer. 

American Idol Top 10

Tonight is the performance show for American Idol's Season 12 Top 10.  The theme is Music of American Idols, and as Ryan helpfully explained, the contestants got to choose from songs sang by the winners during their American Idol runs, or songs they have released in their post-show careers.

I thought the performances really showed the divide between the girls and the boys.  Even the worst girl, Janelle Arthur, was better than all of the boys.

Curtis Finch Jr. - Fantasia's "I Believe".  I thought Curtis's lower register was wobbly and his red paisley jacket was awful.  The performance was typical Curtis, and I don't mean that in a good way.

Janelle Arthur - Montgomery Gentry's "Gone".  Props to Janelle for picking an uptempo song, and I thought this was her best performance since Hollywood Week.

Devin Velez - Carrie Underwood's "Temporary Home".  This one was just boring, and like Randy, Mariah, and Keith, I expected more out of Devin.  Hopefully this won't get him sent home this week, because he is my favorite boy contestant.

Angie Miller - Celine Dion's "I Surrender".  Angie did a great job, but I didn't feel that it was as good as the way the judges praised it.  I definitely heard some strain in the higher notes.

Paul Jolley - Lonestar's "Amazed".  His best performance so far, but still bland.  He did look and sound less desperate to be liked, which is a good thing.

Candice Glover - Shirley Bassey's "I (Who Have Nothing)".  Perfection.  I think it was even better than Jordin's version.

Lazaro Arbos - Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway."  Oh, Lazaro.  This was the worst performance tonight, but he might have enough fans to pull him through.  He really needs better song selection.

Kree Harrison - Roy Orbison's "Crying."  Kree put her own spin on the song, and she sounded fabulous as usual.

Burnell Taylor - Ruben Studdard's "Flying Without Wings."  It was just OK for me.  Burnell was lucky he performed second to last, because if this was earlier in the show, he may be going home tomorrow.

Amber Holcomb - Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This."  Amber closed the show with another strong performance, although not as good as Candice or Kree.  She sounded a little rushed in parts, but that may be just nerves.

Predictions for Bottom Three: Lazaro, Devin, Curtis
Prediction for Elimination: Devin

Catching Fire - Katniss's Dress

New posters were released of the second movie in the Hunger Games trilogy - Catching Fire, featuring portraits of the different characters.  The costumes are pretty eye-catching, especially Katniss's and Peeta's wedding outfits.  Katniss's wedding dress, which many thought was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, was actually designed by 28-year-old Tex Tex Saverio, an Indonesian designer who had previously dressed Lady Gaga in the May 2011 issue of Harper's Bazaar and Kim Kardashian in the March 2013 issue of Elle.

Catching Fire's costume designer, Trish Summerville, told the Hollywood Reporter that she and Saverio worked together over Skype to design the dress, which was based in this amazing creation from Saverio's fashion line.  The bodice of the dress has an organza corset under a metal cage covered with Swarovski crystals, with metal pieces rising up that represent fire and flame.  The skirt is made from organza and chiffon.  There are laser-cut feathers on the shoulders and waist that hint at Katniss's eventual transformation into the Mockingjay.

Wall Street Journal's Scene Asia blog did an article on Saverio after the Lady Gaga picture where he talked about being humbled by the comparison to Alexander McQueen, and how he created his clothes to fit the more conservative society in Asia while still delivering flare and drama.  He lives in North Jakarta with his ethnic Chinese parents, with his design studio adjacent to them home and his studio on the ground floor.

Looking forward to seeing more from this very talented designer.

American Idol - Top 20

Now that American Idol has chosen its top 20, it's time for the viewers to vote.  Here are my favorites, in no particular order:

Girls

1) Kree Harrison.  She didn't get much air time during the auditions, but really made up for it with great singing during Hollywood and Vegas weeks.  I like the low-key vibe that she gives out, plus she is primed for one of those major TV makeovers.

2) Candice Glover.  I thought it was a shame that she didn't make it last year, but she came back even better this year.  One of the strongest voices this year, but she has to start picking more daring songs instead of the typical Aretha/Whitney/Mariah R&B ouvre.

3) Angie Miller.  It's amazing how well she sings considering that she is partially deaf, and I liked the original song she sang in Hollywood.  She needs help in the clothes department, though. 

4) Breanna Steer.  She hasn't had a lot of air time, but her version of Jazmine Sullivan's "Bust Your Windows" during Vegas week was great and a nice change from all the ballads. 


Guys

A lot of the guys that I like have been eliminated already, and I do suspect that the producers are really attempting to stack the deck in the girls' favor.  The judges have eliminated guys who have great voices, but who the producers fear will cruise on their looks and charms for weeks, like Johnny Keyser and Jimmy Smith.  Nevertheless, I did like two of the top 10:

1) Devin Velez.  He has guts and a great voice, without the attitude (*cough*Curtis Finch, Jr.*cough*).  Let's hope he doesn't fall into the Karen Rodriguez trap and only becomes memorable for singing in both English and Spanish.

2) Nick Boddington.  His Vegas cover of James Morrison's "Say Something Now" was surprisingly weak, but he has shown enough flashes of brilliance that I hope he sticks around and gets stronger.

Oscars Review and Fashion

The Oscars are now over, and it's like waking up for a long hangover that is the awards season.  I thought Seth McFarlane did an OK job.  A lot of his jokes were dumb and misogynistic, but some bits did make me out laugh.

I was right in six out of the 10 categories where I made predictions.  I was wrong in Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director.

Best Parts

- The dance numbers with Channing Tatum, Charlize Theron, Daniel Radcliffe, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were weird and awesome at the same time.

- I like the musical numbers for the most part.  Jennifer Hudson knocked it out of the park with her rendition of "And I Am Telling You I Am Not Going," and the Les Miserables cast did a great job with the medley of songs.  Russell Crowe was the only sour note from the Les Miserables number - his voice did not fit the songs at all.

- The Sound of Music tribute/joke was made even funnier by Christopher Plummer's grouchy response

- I wish Shirley Bassey and Adele did a duet, but individually they sound great, too.

- All the guys with long hair

- Daniel Day-Lewis's speech - who knew he was such a comedian?  

Worst Parts

- William Shatner stuffed into the Starfleet uniform and the over-long from-the-future joke

- Quentin Tarantino's speech

- The Jaws theme cutting off the visual effects winners

Best Dressed

- Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck - The prom king and queen of the Oscars.  I love Jennifer's custom Gucci gown and Neil Lane jewels, and Ben Affleck looked very handsome in his Gucci tuxedo, despite his beard.

- Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness - I love this couple, and how in love they are.  I also love how Deborra-Lee eschews a traditional dress for the tuxedo outfit.  

- Sandra Bullock - She looks amazing in the cap-sleeve gown with lace panels from Elie Saab.  

- Queen Latifah - The Queen looks very regal in her white Badgley Mischka dress.  

- Jennifer Aniston - The Valentino red dress was a nice change on the red carpet, and her hair looks great as usual.

- Naomi Watts - At first I couldn't decide whether the dress was great or too sparkly, but Naomi Watts' inner elegance really carries this Armani Prive gown.  

- Charlize Theron - Only Charlize Theron can pull off this Dior Haute Couture and with that short haircut she has been spotting for the new Mad Max movie.  

- Catherine Zeta-Jones - The golden embroidered dress was straight off Zuhair Murad's 2013 Couture runway, and she looks amazing in it.  

- Jennifer Lawrence - Beautiful pale pink Dior Haute Couture gown.  I like the long Chopard necklace draped down her back.  

- Kerry Washington - The Miu Miu dress looks so easy-breezy on Kerry Washington, and I love the shade.  

- Jessica Chastain - I wish the shade was a little more distinctive from her skin, but the fit of the Armani Prive gown is perfect.

- Halle Berry - Halle Berry made the comment that she chose this Versace dress to bring out her inner Bond girl, and it definitely works.

Worst Dressed

- Helena Bonham Carter - She actually looks more put together than usual, but the Vivienne Westwood is still messy and her hair is unkempt.   

- Marcia Gay Harden - This David Meister dress was ill-fitting and the embroidered sleeves don't look like they belong to the dress.  

- Melissa McCarthy - Oh, Melissa.  There are so many things wrong with this dress, especially the color and the draping.  

- Olivia Munn - There's too much material to this Marchesa dress, although the color is beautiful.  

- Zoe Saldana - She has never been afraid to take risks, but this Alexis Mabille Couture dress is too much.

- Fan Bingbing - Her Marchesa dress has too much volume and the color does not look good on her.  

I'm Back and Movies on the Plane

Hello!  I'm back from vacation and finally have time to catch up on everything.  I kept up with some entertainment and celebrity news over the vacation, but definitely missed some things.  Our DVR didn't record the SAGs so I missed that show, but we did catch the Grammys this past weekend. 

Mr. Y and I watched Argo on the plane, and we both thought it was an excellent movie.  I'm excited that it is getting great momentum going into the Oscars.  I didn't even mind the cinematic embellishments because the basic true story is so exciting.  I thought Ben Affleck did a great job as a director and as the lead. 

Another movie that Mr. Y and I watched on the plane was Pitch Perfect.  It was a great movie for a plane ride - lightweight and funny.  The singing sequences were great, particularly the riff-off and the final performances.  I didn't know Anna Kendrick could sing like that, and Skylar Astin really should be a bigger star than he is.  I found out later that he was on Spring Awakening with Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff, and that Lea Michele originally wanted him on Glee to play Brody, but his schedule was too busy.  Anna Camp was also believable as the controlling leader of the Barden Bellas, the all-female a cappella group.  Other supporting players were also very funny, particularly Rebel Wilson as another Bella.  The whole movie was just the right amount of sweet and silly, and the chemistry between the actors was believable.  We even bought the movie on Blu-ray when we got back so we can enjoy it on a bigger screen, and it came with a funny Line-O-Rama extra.

Oscar Nominations Are Out!

The 2013 Oscar nominations were announced this morning by Emma Stone and Seth McFarlane, and although most of the nominations follow predictable paths, there were some surprises.  The most notable omission was Ben Affleck as Best Director for Argo.  He has been nominated in every other award so far, so his exclusion is quite a surprise. 

Lincoln leads the way with 12 nominations, followed by Life of Pi with eleven (a surprisingly strong showing) and Les Miserables and Silver Lining Playbook with eight.  Silver Linings Playbook got nominations in all four acting categories, the first movie to do so since Reds in 1982.  Argo scores seven, and Zero Dark Thirty scores five.  The Master, which some people thought may be dead in the water, got nominations in three out of the four acting categories.

I'm also excited that "Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare" got nominated for Best Short Film. 

A full list of nominations can be found here.  Below are the nominees for the major categories:

Best PictureAmour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

The new rules by the Academy mean that there can be anywhere from five to ten Best Picture nominees, and this year there are nine.  There are no real surprises in this category, except perhaps the addition of Amour.  Amour is the kind of movie that Academy voters love - a quieter, foreign drama about an elderly couple struggling with the wife's illness and starring respected actors.  There were some hopes that Moonrise Kingdom, Skyfall, or The Dark Knight Rises might make it in, but they are left off the list. 

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

Joaquin Phoenix's inclusion is a bit of a surprise considering that The Master has been losing momentum and he has openly mocked the award season.  The snubs here are John Hawkes for The Sessions and Richard Gere for Arbitrage.

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

Many thought Marion Cotillard was a shoo-in here for Rust & Bone, but the Academy voters went with Emanuelle Riva and Naomi Watts instead.  Rachel Weisz was also another possibility here for The Deep Blue Sea.  Riva is the oldest nominee in this category in Oscar history at 85 years old, and Wallis is the youngest in history at 9 years old. 

Best Supporting ActorAlan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

The surprise here is that Christoph Waltz gets the nomination here over Leonardo DiCaprio for Django Unchained.  There will be grumbles that Waltz's performance is actually a leading one, not supporting, but the campaign to place him as a supporting actor apparently works.  Poor DiCaprio - what does this guy have to do to get a nomination, let alone win?  He's going to be one of those actors like Pacino, who will get an Oscar later for a role where he doesn't deserve one, but more as a lifetime achievement award. 

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

The predictions have skewed towards Nicole Kidman getting a nomination for The Paperboy after her SAG and Golden Globe nominations, but Jacki Weaver squeaks in instead.  It doesn't matter - Anne Hathaway is walking away with this one. 

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

Other than Ben Affleck, the other big snubs here are Tom Hooper for Les Miserables and Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty, and to a lesser extent, Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained.  The inclusions of Benh Zeitlin and Michael Haneke are definitely surprises here.

Best Original ScreenplayAmour, Michael Hanake
Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino
Flight, John Gatins
Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal

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

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was a favorite prediction for this category, but did not score a nomination. 

Skyfall

Mr. Y and I watched Skyfall over the holidays, and definitely one of my favorite Bond movies. 

SPOILER ALERT

Skyfall was a big improvement over Quantum of Solace, and definitely deserves to be the first Bond movie to reach $1 billion.  The story was straightforward and as personal as a Bond film can get.  Javier Barden is a great villain as a former MI6 Agent who has a personal vendetta against M for abandoning him when he was an agent.  The scene when he removed his teeth and his face sank in was so creepy.  The chase and fight scenes were appropriately explosive, but I also enjoy the quieter moments, especially between M (Judi Dench) and Bond (Daniel Craig).  The ending was staged at Skyfall, the home estate of Bond's parents in Scotland, and Albert Finney showed up as the cantakerous groundskeeper for the estate. 

I do wish they gave the Bond girls more to do.  Berenice Lim Marlohe was sultry and beautiful, but I was not clear what her purpose was.  Naomi Harris turned out to be the modern Moneypenny and we'll be seeing her in future Bond movies, although I quite enjoyed her as a field agent.  I did enjoy the shout-outs to previous Bond movies, like the exploding pen and the Aston Martin.  Ben Whishaw as a young Q is also appropriate, and a nice contrast to the cranky, older Bond. 

I am sad that Judi Dench's M died at the end, but excited about Ralph Fiennes being the new M.  Every time Fiennes and Craig are in the scene together it's like the battle of the intense blue eyes. 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Sorry for the long delay in new posts!  I was away for the holidays, and did not get a chance to post.

Mr. Y and I did manage to see the Hobbit over the holidays, and we both enjoyed it.  I am actually not a big fan of the book, and I was skeptical as to how they would stretch this book into three movies, but after seeing the first one, I like how Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens fleshed out some of the scenes in the book and added stuff from the appendices to fill in some blanks. 

SPOILER ALERT!

The Hobbit definitely brought the fans back to Lord of the Rings land, and it was a welcome return.  The movie is set 60 years before the events in LOTR, and it is bittersweet to know what was going to happen in the future.  The movie started with Ian Holm reprising his role as old Bilbo, and writing his memoirs on the day of his 111th birthday party.  Elijah Wood also came back as Frodo and this movie talked about him surprising Gandalf on the road before the party, which was the start of the Fellowship of the Ring. 

I thought Martin Freeman did an excellent job playing a younger Bilbo.  He really got the mannerisms and hobbit-isms down.  Ian McKellen was amusing as usual as Gandalf, and glad he came back.

The dwarfs were a bit hard to keep track of, but Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield definitely stood above the rest.  He is a very good looking man in real life and all the hair and drawf makeup didn't mask that.  Plus he really brings a sense of power and nobility to the character.

I enjoy the White Council scene between Gandalf, Saruman, Elrond, and Galadriel.  They were discussing the threat of the Necromancer, which will turn out to be Sauron in LOTR, and as a foreshadowing of the events in LOTR, it was clear that Saruman was dismissive of the threat while Elrond and Galadriel took it more seriously. 

The best scenes were between Gollum and Bilbo.  The technology has definitely improved since LOTR, and Gollum is so much more lifelike.  You can really see Andy Serkis's acting choices, and it's a shame people won't recognize what a great acting achievement this is.  You can't help but feel sorry for Gollum, and you understand why Bilbo didn't kill him.

I am definitely excited for the next installment, especially Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug's voice. 

SAG and Golden Globe Nominations

The Screen Actors Guild and the Golden Globes announced their nominations yesterday and today.  A lot of the usual suspects, with some surprises. 

SAG Nominations

Movies
- No Zero Dark Thirty for Best Cast in the Motion Picture, but the cast of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was nominated.  Zero Dark Thirty has been one of the buzzed about movies this award season, and no one had talked about the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel at all, so this was definitely a surprise.  According to one Awards Daily blogger Sasha Stone, the screeners for Zero Dark Thirty and Django Unchained didn't arrive in time for the SAG nominations, but Jessica Chastain did get nominated for her role in Zero Dark Thirty. 

- Javier Bardem got nominated for Skyfall over a slew of other candidates, such as Russell Crowe and Eddie Redmayne for Les Miserables, Leonardo DiCaprio for Django Unchained, Matthew McConaughey for Magic Mike, and Ewan McGregor for The Impossible.

- Joaquin Phoenix was not nominated for his role in The Master, when he was considered a lock a couple of months ago.  Maybe Phoenix's comments about how the Oscars are "bulls**t" hurt his chances. 

- Nicole Kidman's nomination for the Paperboy was also a surprise.  The movie did not get good reviews, and was not widely seen.  According to Anthony Breznican at EW.com, "when awards screeners went out only her name was suggested on the package for consideration."

- Beasts of the Southern Wild was not eligible for SAG consideration because it was not a union production, including the lead actress, Quvenzhane Wallis.  Her exclusion from the SAG awards probably helped Helen Mirren land a SAG nomination for Hitchcock. 

Television

- The television categories did not have as many obvious snubs or surprises as the movie categories.  A lot of the usual suspects are there, such as Modern Family, Homeland, and Breaking Bad.  In the drama categories, cable series tend to dominate, while networks still dominate the comedy categories. 

- Jessica Lange from American Horror Story: Asylum was nominated for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series.  Her nomination isn't the surprise - it's the inclusion in the drama series category.  American Horror Story's creators and FX have insisted that the show is a miniseries, not a drama series, and last year it was entered in the Emmy race under this category.  But the SAG apparently disagreed. 

- It is a bit of a surprise that The Office as nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, especially over buzzed-about series such as Girls and Veep.

- Homeland was ignored last year by the SAGs, but the cast and the two leads, Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, were nominated this year.

- No nomination for Game of Thrones, which will disappoint Mr. Y. 

Golden Globes Nominations

Movies

- Three nominations for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen: Best Musical/Comedy, Best Lead Actor for Ewan McGregor, and Best Lead Actress for Emily Blunt.  This is a surprise because the movie didn't really make an impact when it was out, and no one had talked about it being in the running for any awards.  At least we will get to see the fabulous Ms. Blunt in the red carpet, hopefully along with her handsome hubby John Krasinski. 

- Despite having the best shot because of the separation between Drama and Comedy/Musical, The Master was not nominated for Best Drama.  Same with The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and Beasts of the Southern Wild.

- Quvenzhane Wallis of Beasts of the Southern Wild was not nominated for Best Lead Actress, despite great buzz about her performance.  This might hurt her Oscar chances. 

- Robert de Niro was nominated for a SAG award for Silver Linings Playbook, but not a Golden Globe.  Same with Javier Bardem and Skyfall, although de Niro is probably a more serious Oscar contender.  Russell Crowe and Eddie Redmayne were again not nominated.

- No Best Director nomination for Tom Hooper for Les Miserables or David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook, despite their movies getting a lot of attention. 

Television

- Surprise about Smash's nomination in the Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical category, and yet Glee was not nominated.

- Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy, and Game of Thrones were not nominated for Best Television Series - Drama, but Aaron Sorkin's polarizing The Newsroom was included?

- Sherlock was not nominated for Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television, but at least Benedict Cumberbatch got a nod.

- Yay for Max Greenfield being nominated for New Girl, and for Connie Britton from Nashville.  I don't watch Nashville, but I love Connie Britton, so anything that shines a spotlight on her is OK with me.