I want to thank the Academy...

Were the Oscars awesome this year, or were they *AWESOME*? I'm a total awards show junkie, so I'll watch them anyway, but I just thought the Oscars were done SO well this year... the best show I can remember in years. The set was gorgeous, the host was fabulous, and I loved all the skits and bits thrown in there. Now, admittedly, I totally crashed around 11pm, so I missed the last hour or so. But I had tivo on high alert, so we'll be going back at some point this week to catch it all.

I loved Hugh Jackman (hello, Wolverine!) and I just adored the opening skit he did, especially when he pulled Anne Hathaway on stage! (Sure glad she changed for this - I might've screamed had he tried to pick her up in that red carpet number of hers.)



And I was ROLLING when Ben Stiller came on stage spoofing Joaquin Phoenix... omg. I love Ben Stiller.



I just thought the whole thing was awesome... the presenters were great and well chosen. And I REALLY liked how they did the acting awards with 5 previous winners coming on stage and each one speaking directly to the different nominees. That was really touching and you could tell the nominees loved it too. So much better than that crap they tried a few years ago where winners stood in the aisles to accept their awards. Who wants to accept an Oscar in an aisle? Um...

As for the red carpet viewing (which I explained to the hub is a sport after he commented on the "Nascar signs" pointing to the stars on E!), I was overall very impressed. Firstly, I was glad to see my main man looking rather dapper!


He's hit many a red carpet looking like a goof (a rather adorable goof though), so this was so refreshing and HOT! Again - hands off, ladies. He's been mine since Weird Science, so I don't want to hear it.

As for the gowns, my absolute favorites of the night were Marisa Tomei and Natalie Portman. It was so great to see Marisa looking fabulous (she's worn some weird stuff before too). Her dress was just over-the-top amazing. And Natalie is just such a classic beauty - LOVED her dress.




I also thought Anne Hathaway looked amazing!


And where was Cate Blanchett? I didn't catch wind of her anywhere. I thought she'd be there with Benjamin Button having so many nods. She's one I always keep an eye out for...

Oh but let's not forget the *misses* either... There were several, but I guess my #1 taker for "WTF?" would be Jessica Biel. It looks like she rolled out of bed and grabbed this number off the rack.


It's not the big bow-like fabric draped down the front that turns me off... it's the scraggly tresses and the ill-fitting skirt. For one thing, if you're going to wear a full-length fitted gown, you've got to get the length just right. And did anyone notice that she had black shoes on underneath? I don't like that. I like an unexpected pop of color on shoes, but when your dress is that dramatic, keep it simple, sister. And then the hair... it's not that the hair was overly awful, but it just didn't compliment the dress. With that big blossoming bow, a more sleek updo would have served her better. It's all about balance, and this libra is not impressed.

But yeah... what a great show, huh? So glad I tivo'd it so I can revisit it whenever. Not sure I've ever said that about any awards show! Did y'all enjoy as much as I did? What were your personal hits and misses?!

On another note... someone asked how I liked Confessions of a Shopaholic. I LOVED it! Now bear it mind, I haven't read the books yet, so I can't attest as to how it compared to the book. But by itself as a film, I thought it was super cute. Isla Fisher was great! It's sure to become part of my DVD collection in the near future.

Alright gals, I'm off to hop in the shower and start yet another day of number crunching fun! Happy Tooooosday! :-)