Oscar Fashion 2009!

Our watching-group's consensus was that it was a pretty good Oscars this year. We all enjoyed the new format of presenting the acting nominations, especially seeing how much it meant to each person being honored. But like every year, the most fun to be had is seeing how everyone looks! There were some very interesting dresses this year and some surprising trends. At least outwardly, the fashion didn't seem to reflect a country in deep financial turmoil. There was plenty of sparkling and shimmering on the dresses and on the insane jewelry dripping off their wearers. I tried to pick a "yay" and a "nay" for each of the looks I saw. Let's get to it!

Pretty in Pink - Yay!
Alicia Keys had one of my favorite dresses of the evening. The color suited her skin and I loved the intricate bodice with the simple skirt. It was flattering and feminine. Her eye makeup was a little out of control, but overall her look was great.


Pretty in Pink - Meh
Okay, Natalie Portman is gorgeous, there's no question. I just thought this dress was so bridesmaid-with-bejeweled-under-boob. I don't know if it was the color, the cut, or both, but I just wasn't loving it. The longer I stared at the picture, the more and more it looked like a face on the bodice, with that one piece of fabric like a long tongue going, "Pthhhhbbbbttttt."


Here Comes the Bride - Yay!
There were lots of white and cream colored dresses this year. One that I absolutely loved was Taraji P. Henson. She might just have been my best dressed from head to toe! The soft layers were visually interesting but didn't distract from the curvy silhouette. She just looked so happy all night that it made her look even more beautiful.


Here Comes the Bride in Her Undergarment
Melissa George (who I think maybe used to be on Grey's Anatomy?) completely forgot her wedding dress on the way to the altar but decided her undergarment was dress-like enough to make a quick pit stop on the Oscars red carpet. No, but seriously. It laced up the back and it even had a little satin bow between her boobs. What?


Here Comes the Bride - Ugh.
My apologies to the lovely Jessica Biel but this dress totally sucked. If a dress is going to start "is she pregnant with Justin Timberlake's baby under there" rumors then it should at least be a hot rumor-starting dress. It didn't fit on the top, the column skirt looked stiff like someone had wrapped silk butcher paper around her legs, and what is the weird flapping business in the front? On the plus side, she was wearing a killer cuff bracelet that we girls agreed we would like to own.


Sparkly Ladies - Yes and Yes!
My favorite sparkly dresses were worn by two funny ladies, Tina Fey and Leslie Mann. Both of these ladies are petite so the effect of a fully-beaded dress wasn't overwhelming. They chose similarly cut dresses that were SO flattering on their figures. I was glad to see Tina out of the basic black/other dark colors. I thought she looked even better on stage than she did in pictures, plus her bit with Steve Martin was hilarious.


Leslie's was borderline disco-ball, but in a fun and flirty way that was still tasteful. (In case you're wondering, she is an actress but also married to director Judd Apetow, which is why she appears in lots of his movies.)


Sparkly Ladies - Okay
Anne Hathaway is great. She seems like the cream of the crop in terms of young adults in Hollywood. She is uniquely beautiful, too, and I love that she's the antithesis of the gross tanorexic girls. But sometimes - this Oscars look, for example - her style seems severe. I love the skirt of this gown, but the bodice is so formed it looks solid, like you could knock on it and hurt your hand. So I don't think she looks bad, but I would like to see her do something a little softer next time.


That's A Whole Lotta Dress But I Think I Like It
Penelope Cruz's dress was vintage, and not like last-decade vintage either. She apparently found the 60-year-old dress several years ago and was saving it for a special occassion. While it is very bridal, it is still stunning. The lace is so soft and romantic, and even though the dress is aged it looks timelessly beautiful. I love that she wore the very simple jewelry and a simple updo and left it at that.


That's a Whole Lotta Dress and I Am Feeling Ambivilent
I think the thing that concerned me the most about Sarah Jessica Parker's dress was that it looked to be causing her cleavage physical pain. And I just think the dead center part is very rarely flattering on most women. SJP included. I like that the dress is kind of out there, which is very "her," and I think the silhouette is nice for her petite frame. But the boobs! Ouch!


That's a Whole Lotta Dress and You're Scaring Me
Beyonce. Oh, Beyonce. This dress apparently came from you and your mom's House of Dereon fashion line and I just want to say... don't quit your day job. You are a foxy, curvaceous woman and I'm sure it is soul-sucking to have to work this business next to tiny little actresses whose toothpick bodies you could break with one Sasha Fierce swerve of your hips. But why must you always wear these crazy fishtail gowns? The gigantic gold flocked flower pattern, the neckline shaped like cat ears... I can't. I just can't. PS. Your skin is pretty.


Straps and beads and lace, Oh My!
Kate Winslet & Reese Witherspoon both had dresses that had lots of different elements happening. Kate's was more successful in my opinion. I loved the grey-blue color, the silhouette, and just how awesome she seems in general. But I must admit the one shoulder, the black belt, the black mesh sparkly lace thing over one hip... it was a little much to take in. Also her hair was incredible, technically speaking (imagine the hairspray!) but gave her whole look a steely quality. Maybe that's what she was going for.


Reese's dress had even more accoutrements, not all of which can even be seen in this picture. The skirt is ombre! There's strappy things that are not symmetrical! And beading! Also not symmetrical, but in a different non-symmetrical-ness than the straps. And there were some mysterious looking clear/flesh colored straps too! Also a train! Now I can't stop with the exclamations! It's too much!!!!


Fine, You're the Queen of Beauty. At Least You Smiled This Time. Some.
Angelina Jolie. The dress was simple, and of course, black. She's deigning to spend one night entertaining us mere mortals, so she can't get too worked up about it. But I can't fight it anymore. She's gorgeous. The dress was somehow both sexy and demure. It was soft and looked effortless. Her hair was amazing and I want to take it and wear it on my head. And then, those emeralds. You couldn't tear your eyes away from them! Stunning. She did much more smiling and laughing than all the past years of appearances by Stoic Serious Angie, so I have to give her some props to that. And she got Brad to stop it with the nasty 'stache and grow a proper goatee. For that I will give her my Most Improved award.


Well that about wraps up my take on everything! Now I want to hear from you! Who had a dress you want for your own closet? Who looked like a hot mess?

Oscar Fashion Rundown - Coming Soon!

Just wanted you to know that my Oscar Fashion Run-down is coming soon (hopefully later today). They'll be pictures and praise and recoiling in terror and maybe a little photoshop. You never know with me.

Stay tuned!

This Land is My Land

The other day my coworker asked me, in a serious sort of way, "Do you like Kansas?" I'm not sure exactly what he was hoping I'd say, but in a nutshell, yes. Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas... I love the area most commonly known as the Midwest, running over into the Great Plains, up to the foot of the mountains, dipping a bit into the Southwest. I love the fierce, flat beauty of the parts of the country that everyone else is pretty content to just fly over. I'm sure it's mostly because I've lived and grown up there, and if I'd been raised in the lush Northwest or the genteel Deep South I'd be singing their praises instead. But I wasn't and I'm not - I'm here to show a little love to America's Heartland.


Something extraordinary most people who've never driven through the area don't realize is how breathtakingly big the sky looks when unobstructed by hills and trees. I know Montana is "Big Sky Country" and to be fair I haven't been there. But I've driven through the Flint Hills of Kansas and the open prairie of North Texas and I am telling you, that sky is huge. From horizon to horizon, nothing but blue. And to watch a line of thunderheads advance across that open sky, slowly covering the landscape in shadow and rain... there's really nothing like it in the whole wide world.



Here's some other pictures online I found that made me think of all the natural beauty to be found in middle America.

Kansas Sunflowers

American Bison

The Flint Hills

Snowstorm

Tornado

Mystery Animal Identified?!

Anyone who works with children or once was a child or likes yummy treats is familiar with animal crackers. They are a little sweet, but not too much, and of course it is fun to acknowledge the animal species as you eat them. Camels. Bears. Elephants. Cows. Horses. Goats. All delicious.

However, there's always that one... we call it the Mystery Animal. It is cat-like to be sure - but there are other crackers that are most definitely cats and lions. Plus, it has no tail. Plus, it's front leg is stuck out at an odd angle. What gives? Many people, adults and children alike, have hypothisized an identity for the Mystery Animal.

So today, in a moment of genius, I went to Google Image Search and typed in Animal Cracker. And do you know what came up? This:
It is from the website of Stauffers, a food company that is a major manufacturer of animal crackers. These are the industry standard shapes you can expect in most any animal cracker package. And lo and behold, there it is. Last row. Last animal. Apparently, the Mystery Animal is... a tiger?!

Kind of anti-climactic, yeah?

Adorable a la Mode

Pushing Daisies, ABC's critically-loved - but sadly, cancelled - romantic dramedy, was a show I was interested in watching from the beginning. The quirky plot sounded right up my alley, but my Wednesday nights were taken with church and of course, Lost. The show suffered from last year's writers' strike, unable to complete it's original order for the first season and left with insufficient time to pick up and engage new viewers. A second season was ordered but after airing ten episodes, the show was officially cancelled and no word yet as to when the last three episodes, already shot, will air.

Point being, I never did get around to watching it while it aired. So last time he was at the store, Ben picked up the first season on DVD. We've spent the last few nights falling head-over-heels in love with this adorable show. Witty, spunky writing, a fresh-faced cast, the vibrantly stylized look - all icing on the cake... er, icecream on the pie... of a truly original premise.


Aside from making delicious pies, our leading man Ned has an unusual gift. One touch and he can bring something dead back to life. A second touch, and whatever it was is dead again - this time forever. He enters an unusual partnership with a private investigator, using his talents to help solve crimes. The romantic crux of the show is that in a moment of weakness he revives his murdered childhood sweetheart, a girl named Chuck. How very Prince Charming/Sleeping Beauty, I know. But now, despite the fact that they're falling in love all over again, the fact remains - he can never, ever touch her, or she's dead for good.


Isn't that just wonderful? Aren't they just precious? I can hardly stand it. And I'll admit, I'm a sucker for whimsy. I love shows, books, movies, and music that somehow blur the lines between genres - the way something can be adventurous, dreamy, frightening, enlightening, hilarious, all at once. To me, the magic of story-telling has to be just that - a little bit magical. Pushing Daisies has definitely fit the bill. But I need to stop getting attached to TV shows that have already gotten the ax!

My Traveling Man

Most of you readers know that Ben travels a lot for his job. Not all the time, mind you, but every other month or so it seems he has a burst of trips that take him all over. This weekend he's off to Vegas, which is fun, but I'm most excited about his next trip. We just found out that in two weeks he's off to...

Yep! Ben will be taking his first overseas trip, flying into Tokyo and then headed for Yamaha's headquarters in Hamamatsu. He is accompanying his boss to document some cool new developments for the company. I'm thrilled for him - what a cool opportunity. And, okay, I'm a little jealous that I can't come - though to be honest, what would I eat? I certainly don't envy the 13 hour flight he'll have to take to get there. But hopefully he'll take lots of pictures and have many interesting stories to share. NOT the kind of stories that involve him getting detained by customs. The last thing I need is my husband stuck in Japan. Methinks they might be a little less easy to persuade than the Canadians...

Site Sharing Time!

I thought the wide world of my readers out there might be interested to know what Ben & I have been up to lately at work. Interestingly enough, both of our offices have separately been slaving over new websites. Out of courtesy, we'll cover Ben's first:

Yamaha All Access 360
This is Yamaha's sweet new All Access 360 site, featuring video interviews and photoshoots with some of Yamaha's best endorsed artists. All the videos you see on this site were shot and edited by my own talented husband! He traveled all over the country meeting artists and videoing them, then came home and put all the videos together. He checked out books from the library to learn the basics of film-making and taught himself to use Final Cut Pro. It seemed like every other weekend he was dragging home his massive Mac from the office and setting up the giant 30" screen on our kitchen table and slaving away. But the final product is so fun! Plus, the site was designed by Centresource, a local company where our good friends Chip and Evan both work. If you go to the site you can even sign up to win some sweet Yamaha gear. So check that out and show Ben the love!

Immerse
My turn! So this is the new website for our fabulous new summer event here in Nashville. The event is called Immerse, and it is GMA's music training experience for indie artists, songwriters, and worship leaders. It is going to be a ton of fun and I'm so proud of my coworker Josh, who basically learned Flash so he could create this awesome website for us! Our designer friend Chris of Inkdryer Design created the graphics. I worked on the content of the site and of course I'll be spearheading the promotions and marketing for the entire event. Please check it out and click around... doing so will help boost our search engine results!

Anyway, hope you all enjoy seeing what we've been working on! Just in case you thought all we did was watch TV and play Wii...

Rare

I saw the most extraordinary thing today - a completely white deer. It was grazing amongst its herd-mates on the slope of a golf course at the country club where GMA was having an event. It was starkly and solidly white as snow, and it was so stunning I could hardly bear to look away. I'd never even considered that albinism could occur in creatures. When I got home I looked up online to discover that an albino deer is extremely rare - one estimate I read guessed it happened perhaps once in 30-40,000 births. An adult albino, like the one I saw, is even less common, as the albino condition often manifests with other deformaties and hearing or sight loss. With no camoflauge to defend itself against predetors, an albino deer is an easy target. So to see this one alive and presumabley well, just munching away at the grass with its fellow deer, was really, really cool. Of all the days not to have my camera...

Seeing something so rare felt sacred. Like it was somehow a blessing or a sign. I don't want to pretend it means something in a superstitious sort of way; there's nothing of true faith in speculating on omens and portends. But God has this odd and purposeful habit of revealing himself in the strangest of ways, and I'm not going to say what he can and can't count amongst all his many signs and wonders. Maybe a white deer can be one of them. At the very least I'm so humbled and grateful that he shared this very special bit of his creation with me today.