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.

Sports Illustrated and Game of Thrones

Sports Illustrated uses Game of Thrones as the theme of its latest Power Issue, which features an illustration of Roger Goodell sitting on the Iron Throne as the cover.  SI named Roger Goodell the most powerful person in sports this year.  SI also did a sports map based on the Game of Thrones landscape, including Selig's Landing (King's Landing), Stern's End (Storm's End), Vale of Anschutz (Vale of Arryn), and the NHL as wildlings to the North in the Land of Always Hockey (the Land of Always Winter).  The last part will be controversial to Mr. Y. 

SI also did a podcast with Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin.  My favorite part of the excerpt was Martin comparing the two teams I hate, the Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots, to the evil Lannisters, and the revelation that Martin called Patriots coach Bill Belichick "Evil Little Bill" on his blog, as well as Martin speculating that Belichick might be worse than a Lannister - perhaps a Grejoy. 

Hawaii Five-O, Train, and the 2013 Pro Bowl

Hawaii Five-O's latest episode, "Paʻani" ("The Game") was shot during the actual Pro Bowl occurring in Honolulu, Hawaii, and guest-starred Arian Foster, the star running back from the Houston Texans.  In addition, Pat Monahan from the band Train showed up to play the CEO of a technology company who had one of its employees killed during a team building military-style exercise. 

It turned out that Train was the halftime performer at the Pro Bowl, and they also shot a video for their new single, Mermaid, that incorporated the Pro Bowl and featured cameos from Hawaii Five-O and the NFL. 

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.

Nicholas Hoult

GQ has released cool photos featuring Nicholas Hoult in its March 2013 issue, and he looks so different from his usual casual, laid-back style.  It's a nice change for the up-and-coming actor. 

Nicholas became famous playing Marcus in the film adaptation of About a Boy, co-starring Hugh Grant, and was one of the stars of the controversial British teen series Skins.  He also played the younger Beast/Hank McCoy in X-Men: First Class, and will reprise his role in the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past.  He stars in two movies coming out within weeks of each other this year, the zombie movie Warm Bodies, which took in $20 million and first place when it came out a few weeks ago, and Jack the Giant Slayer, coming out on March 1, 2013.

Nicholas dated newly-minted Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence for about two years, until they broke up earlier this year.  They met on the set of X-Men: First Class, where Jennifer played Mystique/Raven Darkholme.  It appeared that the break-up was pretty amicable, and Nicholas was quoted as being very excited for his ex-girlfriend's Oscar success.  They seemed very cute and grounded together, so maybe this is not the end of the road for the two of them. 

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.  

Oscars Predictions

Here are my predictions for the major categories of the Oscars.

Best Picture: Argo

I would have picked Lincoln when the nominations first came out, but Argo has been emerging as the favorite in the weeks since.  I think Ben Affleck's non-nomination for Best Director is the best thing that could have happened to the movie, because it shined a spotlight on the movie and I bet some people voted for it because they were outraged over Ben's snub.

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln

It would be a big surprise if Daniel Day Lewis doesn't win.  I didn't see the movie, but Mr. Y did and he said Daniel Day Lewis was amazing.

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

This one comes down to Jennifer Lawrence or Jessica Chastain, with Emmanuelle Riva as the dark horse.  I pick Jennifer Lawrence because I think she will give the best speech.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

This category is a bit of a toss-up, too, and all of them are former winners.  I would not be surprised if any of them win.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Unlike Best Supporting Actor, this is Anne Hathaway all the way.

Best Cinematography: Life of Pi

I think Life of Pi should win this one because it's an amazing piece of cinematography.

Directing: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

Ang Lee might also win this one because Life of Pi was a great cinematic achievement.  However, Argo's surging popularity actually makes Steven Spielberg an underdog for this category.  Since voters can't award Ben Affleck, they might give this one to Spielberg as a consolation prize for not voting for Lincoln for Best Picture.

Visual Effects: Life of Pi

Bengal tiger and shipwreck - Life of Pi by a mile.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Argo

Chris Terrio wrote a great script that balanced tension, drama, and some comedy.  He has stiff competition, but he should win this one.

Writing (Original Screenplay): Zero Dark Thirty

Mark Boal is the favorite in this category.  Zero Dark Thirty is polarizing, but the screenplay has been universally lauded.