Courtesy of Huffington Post, it appears that last night’s “Angelegging,” as the pose is now being called, was not an aberration.
Archive for February, 2012
The Angelina Leg Story (With Pics)
Monday, February 27th, 2012A Fun Oscars Night At My House
Sunday, February 26th, 2012First, the meal. I decided to make coq au vin for my Oscar dinner guests, figuring I might as well go French since “The Artist” was a sure winner for Best Picture. I made the chicken a day ahead and when I first tasted it on Saturday I panicked. The sauce seemed really bitter. I called my friend Laurie Burrows Grad (check out her Epicurus blog over on the right) and she suggested I add some brown sugar to sweeten it up, along with some extra chicken broth. Her tips were perfect, and so was the chicken. Whew. The other applause-getter was my dessert: chocolate silk pie.
The photo doesn’t do it justice. It’s a chocolate mousse filling on a crust of ground chocolate wafers, and I served each slice with a dollop of creme fraiche. Yum.
Okay, on to the show.
I thought Billy was great. Not ground-breaking. Not edgy. Not hilarious. Just good in a way that the Academy needed him to be. Loved his opening number, especially.
The banter between the presenters was awful. The producers seriously need a new writer next year.
The awards themselves went entirely as predicted, except for Meryl Streep’s win over Viola Davis, which was a bona fide surprise given Davis’s success in all the run-ups to the Oscars. Meryl’s acceptance speech was lovely and she looked beautiful.
Speaking of looks, my picks for best dressed?
- Stacey Keibler
- Jessica Chastain
- Michelle Williams
- Viola Davis
- Gwyneth Paltrow
My picks for worst dressed?
- Rooney Mara
- Melissa McCarthy
- Penelope Cruz
- Sandra Bullock
- Angelina Jolie
Other random thoughts…
- Did Tom Cruise have work done? He’s got a new face, sort of.
- Good to see Michael Douglas looking healthier than last year.
- Glenn Close must be sick and tired of losing to Meryl Streep.
Dolores Hart: Another Reason To Look Forward To Oscar Night
Friday, February 24th, 2012I always love watching the Oscars, even as I always bitch about how long and boring the show is. This year I’m having people over for dinner to watch, so it should be lively no matter how good/bad the show is. But one of the things I’m really looking forward to is the appearance of Dolores Hart, the actress who gave Elvis his first screen kiss….and who later became a nun.
Hart is the subject of an Oscar-nominated short documentary, “God Is The Bigger Elvis,” which will air on HBO in April. (The New York Times has the story.) Despite being in poor health and despite the fact that she’s Mother Dolores now, living at a monastery in Connecticut, she’ll walk the red carpet on Sunday night. I really hope the film wins, so she’ll be on stage and receive a standing O from the audience.
In the meantime, I found a piece that “20/20″ did about her not that long ago. It gets cut off at the end, but it’s fascinating.
Imagine giving up a life in Hollywood at the height of your stardom. Hart’s honesty in the ABC segment is refreshing. She’s asked whether it was a difficult decision to leave the movie business and cloister herself away at the monastery, and she says it was.
And by the way, she’s still beautiful. Not every woman can wear that habit.
Photo: Wendy Carlson/New York Times
Sneak Peek At My New Ebook Covers
Thursday, February 16th, 2012As the Pointer Sisters used to sing: “I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it!”
The reason for my excitement? The launch, possibly as early as next month, of the brand new ebook editions of my 11 novels that have been out of print and, therefore, never before available as ebooks.
The novels have gotten a facelift too, thanks to extremely talented designer Lilien Hoffman, who has created both a colorful look for my “brand” as well as eye-catching images for each book.
Want to see what will be appearing on an Amazon or BN.com page soon? Scroll down for a sneak peek…
Are these covers gorgeous or what?
This Plush Toy Won Westminster?
Wednesday, February 15th, 2012
According to Huffington Post, the dog show went with Malachy, a Pekingese, this year. Seriously.
Photo: AP/Seth Wenig
The Grammys: Random Thoughts
Sunday, February 12th, 2012For starters, I need to vent about CBS’ decision to tape delay the show for those of us on the west coast. WHY? Well, I know why. God forbid they should shelve their money-maker, “60 Minutes,” for a week or air it after the Grammys. Somehow, the Oscars, Globes and Super Bowl always manage to broadcast their events in real time for us Left Coasters.
On to the good stuff.
* LL Cool J did a nice job as host. He transitioned smoothly from the prayer for Whitney Houston to a celebration of the year’s best in music.
* I hated the Foo Fighters and had to leave the room when they were performing. They “made my ears bleed,” as the saying goes.
* Excellent duet by Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt in tribute to Etta James. Well done, ladies.
* Not-so-excellent duet (or whatever it was) by Rihanna and Coldplay’s Chris Martin. What I did enjoy was Rihanna, period. She’s electric and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Chris Martin, on the other hand, sounded like a cat in heat.
* Bruno Mars’ number was great. I was on my feet dancing the whole time.
* Why does Tony Bennett still look the same? Isn’t he like 90 years old?
* I loved the Civil Wars! Their “Hunger Games” soundtrack intro of Taylor Swift made me want to see the movie.
* Speaking of Taylor Swift, she’s flat out adorable. My only quibble was with the staging. I can’t stand when the microphone blocks a singer’s face/mouth.
* The Beach Boys’ reunion was…odd. I wasn’t sure if Brian Wilson knew what was going on, except for his occasional “Bop Bop Bop”s.
* I’m thrilled for Sir Paul McCartney that he’s found love again, but his Valentine song was something I could have written….when I was 10. Luckily, he came back with a winning closing number to the show with lyrics that had special meaning because of Whitney Houston’s death.
* Jennifer Hudson’s own nod to Houston was very moving in its simplicity. She’s seen her own heartbreak and loss, so I found her rendition of “I Will Always Love You” poignant and memorable.
* Adele is so refreshing. She doesn’t look or act or sing like every other young female pop artist, and deserves all the awards she got. Talk about a sweep.
* I wish Glen Campbell well. He doesn’t have an easy road ahead of him.
R.I.P. Whitney
Saturday, February 11th, 2012I was stunned tonight when I was sitting at dinner with friends, having been away from the TV/Internet all day, and heard about the death of Whitney Houston. I started thinking about all the times I’d enjoyed her music, including her first appearance on “Soul Train” so early in her career.
She was so beautiful and so talented and so troubled. People jumped on her when her comeback tour went awry, but I actually loved her last album because her voice had ripened and matured.
To have her die on the eve of the Grammys tomorrow night makes the whole thing even more tragic. I understand Jennifer Hudson will sing a tribute on the show. I can’t imagine there will be a dry eye in the place.
What To Make Of Lana Del Rey?
Thursday, February 9th, 2012
I didn’t even know who she was until I started reading all the negative feedback after her performance on SNL. Then came Kristin Wiig’s parody on a subsequent SNL….followed by one article about the singer-songwriter after another…followed by the announcement that her album was selling like crazy…followed by an appearance on Letterman the other night.
All I can say is she has long nails and plumped lips. And her stage presence reminds me of someone on Valium. Is her voice the worst I’ve ever heard? Not by a long shot. And there’s something oddly fascinating about her lyrics, the strings backing her up and her depressed wail. She’s sort of the opposite of Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, who are both perky and smiley and cheerleaderish.
Whether Del Rey will be a 15-minute wonder remains to be seen, but my guess is….yes.
Loved This
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012Mitt Romney’s “I’ll never apologize for America” shtick is getting old, so thanks to Jimmy Kimmel for giving us a little dose of reality.
Big Wins For Mr. Sweater Vest, Ironically
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
On the day when my state of California overturned the ban on gay marriage, the biggest social conservative in the GOP race had some wins.
It all goes to show how divided this country is on social issues (as well as on everything else). Santorum was the “Terri Schiavo candidate” once upon a time, so at least he’s not a flip flopper. He’s always maintained his right-leaning positions.
Still, I can’t help scratching my head. Rick Santorum? Seriously?
I assume Romney will get the nomination, but maybe the Rickster will earn himself a shot at the VP job.
