Oscars 2008: Some Gorgeous Guys & Gals.....But A Rather Ho-Hum Night, If Ya Ask Me

I know I promised a full Oscar re-cap on Monday.....but yesterday I was still recovering from Sunday's late-night revelry (Gee, maybe I shouldn't have had 4 of my special "Red Carpet Rehab" martini's! ---- just joshin'!).

Honestly, I was merely too tired.....and somewhat UN-inspired by the rather boring Oscars red carpet and telecast.

Not enough funny on the show......and not enough crazy on the carpet (although that wacky guy Gary Busey did try valiantly to do his part! Did ya see him accost Ryan Seacrest and poor Jennifer Garner on the E! pre-show? Priceless.)


Anyways, this will be just a short post with a few pix and comments.....I'm actually working on a fun musical montage of the red carpet fashions -- the glam gals did show up, however boring they might have been.

Seriously.......where the heck is Bjork?


Bring back Bjork!

Heck, I would have even settled for Mork.


Oh well, maybe next year.

OK......so here are a few tidbits to tide you over, 'til my video recap is done (hopefully tonight or tomorrow).

Enjoy.......

MOST FAVORITE GOWNS OF THE NIGHT, HANDS DOWN..........

The 2 Glam Gals in Red.....Katherine Heigle and Heidi Klum -- Both looked AWESOME!




MOST IN NEED OF A WORKING SHOWER & A GOOD SCRUBBIN'...........

Who else? Colin Farrel, of course!



YIKES! THAT TOP LOOKS A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE.......

Jennifer Hudson (although.....much improved from last year's metallic bolero jacket)



PRETTIEST FOREIGNER AND NEW OSCAR-WINNER..........

Marion Cotillard (Didn't love-love the dress, but she is so pretty and her speech was very sweet)



PRETTIEST FOREIGNER WHO DATES A NEW OSCAR-WINNER...........

Penelope Cruz (Loved the dress and the hair....and she went home with Javier, NICE!)



MOST IN NEED OF A HAIRBRUSH, SOME MAKE-UP (AND A CLUE)..........

Of course -- Cammy. Seriously, girl. This is the Oscars -- not a backyard bar-b-q. Git yer glam on girlie.....shower, fix your hair -- and leave the pink curtain at home.


And finally --

LUCKIEST GAL ON THE CARPET............

Sara ("Me? I'm a former Vegas cocktail waitress/Fear Factor winner") Larson. Seriously, she's on the arm of gorgeous Georgie all night, wearin' what looks to be a beaded mother-of-the-bride dress from the 1980's. Life just isn't fair.


Sigh......

Much more to come soon --

Later,

Cagey :)

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mark Your Ballots....

Yay.....I'm so glad that the Oscar ceremony is actually happening. I was really worried there for awhile, when that writers' strike kept draggin' on and on and on......

OK, OK......I know Georgie's NOT gonna win tonight, but ya gotta admit -- he does look mighty fine in a tux, holdin' that Best Supporting Actor Oscar of his from Syriana.

Hmmm......I better get back on track and focus on the real potential Oscar winners for tonight --

If you've been reading my blog since last years' Oscars, you may remember that I was chosen to be a member of my local newspaper's Oscar-picking group....

CAMPP -- The Columbus Association of Motion Picture Pickers

Cute, huh?

This year they added 10 more movie-lovers to the group -- I think there are 40 of us now. 40 movie geeks of all ages that make it a point to watch as many of the nominated films as humanly possible (Gee, do I HATE that!)

We have "official" T-shirts to wear, and we meet yearly about a month before the Oscars to get our picture taken for the paper (The Columbus Dispatch) and gab about the movies. It's really a lot of fun, and I was more than thrilled to be chosen.

Our main purpose is to choose who we think SHOULD win in the 6 major catagories (4 acting, directing and best picture). We're then asked to write one or two short lines about why we chose who we did.

Last year, the paper printed one pick/quote from everyone. This year, because of our larger number of members, they said not everyone would get a pick printed in the paper.

Their recommendation?

Be brief, witty and brief. Oh yeah.....and did I mention that they said to be brief?

Seriously -- if you are a regular reader of this blog at all, you know that's one thing I'm NOT when I'm talking about movies.......brief.

Well, I just looked at this morning's paper.

Guess what? They DID choose one of my picks/quotes.

Yay!

Which one?

The most brief, of course:

Best Picture -- "(Juno)the only flick on the list that I've recommended to everyone."

Gee, so insightful and witty.

Hmmm.....upon closer inspection, I noticed that they happened to do a little creative editing with my pick -- my actual quote was:

"Juno -- a small film with a big heart, quirky characters you wish you knew... and you leave the theater with a song and a smile. The only flick on the list I’ve recommended to everyone."

Well, I guess that's what you call.....being "brief"-ed.

Hey.....I'm in the Sunday paper -- one more minute added to my 15 minutes of fame countdown (I think that brings me to 6).

OK, enough about that.

Now I'm gonna give ya my predictions about who I think WILL win tonight. Here they are (whether you want 'em or not.....) --

My Oscar picks:

Best Actor -- Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)


(Not much to say here....if he doesn't win, I'll be totally shocked -- along with the rest of Hollywood. I do think he deserves it.....I really hated this movie, but recognize that Daniel did an awesome job in it. Even Georgie says that Daniel's gonna take Oscar home. Georgie, on the other hand -- will probably take the coat-check girl/aspiring actress home.)

Best Actress -- Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)


(This is a tough one, and kind of up in the air right now. Julie Christie had the early momentum, but I think Marion (the Frenchie) is gonna take this one in a surprise upset.....although I'd love to see Ellen Page win for Juno, just to see what she would say up there. Marion, Julie. Julie, Marion. Oh heck, I'm just gonna stick with Marion.)

Best Supporting Actor -- Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men)


(Another one that Hollywood is counting on. He really is great in the flick, and how about that awesome page-boy haircut! Hal Holbrook has some sentimental votes, but I just don't think he has enough screen-time to steal this one away from the psychopathic killer who dominates a whole movie.)

Best Supporting Actress -- Amy Ryan (Gone, Baby Gone)


(Ryan is a stage actress and played a shady, skanky mother of a kidnapped child. She did a great job, you feel as if you are watching a real person....someone you never hope to meet. Tilda Swinton from Michael Clayton may steal this one out from under Ryan -- she has had the buzz lately, but I think Ryan's performance is just a little bit better, so I'm betting on her.)

Best Director -- Ethan Coen and Joel Coen (No Country For Old Men)


(This one is also pretty locked-up. These 2 very creative brothers make truly weird and wacky films -- Hello, Fargo.....a killer putting people in a wood-chipper? Yuck. Well, they definitely know what they are doing and Hollywood (and most actors) love them. That's a lot of votes. Also, No Country For Old Men was a very engrossing and suspenseful film. I liked it, some others did not (Yo, Jules -- I've got that $7 for ya). By the way, I also think the brothers will win for Best Adapted Screenplay and Film Editing. It'll be their night, for sure. )

Best Original Screenplay -- Diablo Cody (Juno)


(I really think this one is also a no-brainer. Whenever anyone talks about Juno -- and there has been an awful lot of talk about it these last few months....they always mention how fresh and witty it is. Fresh....that's Diablo, the ex-stripper/phone sex operator. She has become a kind of "It Girl Writer" in Hollywood right now....she is a little wacky, and not afraid of self-promotion. I think that's good. I also love the fact that in this writing catagory, 3 of the 5 nominees are women .....a first for the Oscars. Yay, I definitely think that's a step in the right direction -- especially if you look at most of the dreck in the theaters today! Let's have a few more films with a genuine feminine perspective out there, OK guys? I mean, gals. I mean....you know what I mean.)

Best Picture -- No Country For Old Men


(I think this one is sewn up too folks......doesn't seem to be anything out there stoppin' the Old Men train. Why? Just re-read what I wrote above about the Coen brothers and Javier Bardem. Hollywood loves this movie -- the cast, the writing, the directing.....the whole kit and caboodle. Middle America may not get it, or have even seen it.....but Oscar voters did. If this one doesn't take home the golden statue at the end of the night, I'll eat my page-boy wig.....standing next to a wood-chipper.)

Well, there ya have it. My Oscar predictions....for whatever they're worth (not much I'm guessin').

Make sure to check back here on Monday for a complete Oscar wrap-up.....and some good dish about the real main event of the evening -- the Red Carpet attire (or as I like to call it: "The Good, The Bad and....Oh Gag, Check Out Cameron Diaz!").

Hope y'all enjoy the show!

Later,

Cagey :)

The Big Night Is Almost Here!

I'm gettin' pretty excited!

The Oscar telecast producer, director and Academy president held a press conference on Friday -- here are a few of the tidbits:


TALKING OSCAR: The 80th annual Academy Awards show promises lots of surprises and less than 3 1/2 hours running time, producer Gil Cates said Friday as he, director Louis J. Horvitz and film academy President Sid Ganis took questions from the press about Sunday's show.

Sitting beneath a clear plastic rain tent that shielded the red carpet and its occupants from drizzly skies, Cates promised a dry Oscar day.

"I'm confident the weather is going to be OK Sunday," he said, ignoring a current forecast to the contrary.

Viewers can also expect a thrill when they tune into the Academy Awards, Cates said, which will reflect Oscar's 80-year history.

Jack Nicholson and Keri Russell have been added to the roster of A-list presenters, he said, and the telecast will open with a 90-second film "that is arguably the most exciting piece of film that has ever opened an Oscar show."

(Courtesy of huffingtonpost.com)

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Wow.....I always look forward to the show opening, that film sounds great. I'll also be interested in Jon Stewart's monologue -- especially since it is an election year, I'm sure he'll throw in a few political zingers as well. Should be interesting, hopefully funny!

The list of scheduled Oscar presenters for this year was also released recently. There are some good names on there, and some real head-scratchers.

The first four are a given.....last years' acting winners always present the same category, opposite gender.

Alan Arkin
Jennifer Hudson -- You go, girl!
Helen Mirren -- lookin' forward to the dress
Forest Whitaker

Here are the rest of the presenter names they have released so far:
(With a few comments from me!)

Amy Adams -- Good, I like her....so does Hollywood right now
Jessica Alba -- Blah. I'll be interested to see her baby bump though.
Cate Blanchett -- Bet she'll wear something cool
Josh Brolin -- He'll bring Diane Lane, I like her
Steve Carell -- Please let him be funny, love him
George Clooney -- Yay! Georgie in a tux always makes the night worthwhile
Penelope Cruz -- Whatever
Miley Cyrus -- Huh? Hannah Montana? OK....ABC/Disney definitely had a hand in that choice
Patrick Dempsey - Go McDreamy, hope he presents w/Amy Adams
Cameron Diaz -- Ugh....bet she wears somethin' kooky
Colin Farrell -- Hope he showers and brushes his hair
Harrison Ford -- Yay! Go Indy -- bet he presents Best Picture
Jennifer Garner -- She almost slipped last time. Like her a lot, so sweet
Tom Hanks -- Another fave, bet he presents something like the "In Memorium" piece
Anne Hathaway -- Like her also.......wanna see her dress
Katherine Heigl -- Yay....like her, can't wait to see her dress and hair
Jonah Hill -- He's funny....hope they let him be funny
Dwayne Johnson -- "The Rock".....blah, blah, blah
Nicole Kidman -- Can't wait to see the dress, hair and baby bump
James McAvoy -- Love him, he's very cool. From "Atonement"
Queen Latifah -- Kinda boring
Seth Rogen -- Yeah, yeah....he's funny. Whatever
Martin Scorsese -- I like to hear him talk
Hilary Swank -- Curious to see what she'll wear
John Travolta -- I heard he's gonna do a Scientology waltz
Denzel Washington -- Love him, very cool
Renee Zellweger -- Another dress I'll be interested in seeing........

Overall, not a bad list.....but where are the funny guys?

We need Will Ferrell and Jack Black.....


Hope they're comin' and they just haven't released their names yet.

They have presented together twice in the past few years.....and both times have been hilarious.

(And one thing we can all agree on....the Oscar show needs more hilarity, that's for sure!)

I just watched a hilarious clip on YouTube of Will and Jack (with a little help from John C. Reilly) performing a musical number together at the Oscars last year.

Check it out.......

Click Here: Will Ferrell & Jack Black Sing At The Oscars Last Year

If you're interested in checking out their other Oscar appearance together (and many more of Oscar's memorable moments)......click the link below to head on over to the official Oscar channel on YouTube.

It's chock full of all sorts of video clips of various Oscar acceptance speeches and fun show moments, etc.

Ya know.....Cuba Gooding's excited speech, the Halle Berry kiss, Jack Palance one-armed push-up.....you get the drift.

As I mentioned, there are 2 clips of Will and Jack singing together.....both very funny.

(Unfortunately, I'm not able to embed them on my blog -- Oscar won't let me...., but you can click the link below to check 'em out.)

It's definitely worth a peek.

Click Here: The Oscar Channel on YouTube

OK.....that's all for this post.

If you're interested, I will be posting my official Oscar predictions on Sunday morning.

Now....I gotta go work on my costume for our big party tomorrow night --

I'll be posting a complete Oscar wrap-up (including pix from our shindig) on Monday.

Later,

Cagey :)

Happy Valentines Day Y'all!

OK........

I'm in the mood for love......love at the movies, that is.

(This is a blog about Hollywood, after all.)

So in honor of Valentines Day, howz about a selection of clips from a few of my favorite love stories on film?

You can watch 'em all......or be selective.

Whatever floats your boat.

I had fun pickin' em out and watchin' em -- so I thought I'd share.

OK, so without further ado......

Happy Valentines Day -- It's Love, courtesy of Red Carpet Rehab.

Enjoy!

Clip #1 - Say Anything
(I love, love, love John Cusack here -- Lloyd Dobler...so funny, sweet and romantic in this flick! This very memorable scene.....the boombox, the song, the lovestruck boy under the window. Young love and young heartbreak. Perfect.)

Clip #2 - The Notebook

(A true tear-jerker/chick-flick...but c'mon, what about that kiss at the end of this clip, in the rain -- Yowza! And then you find out that Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams were actually falling in love in real-life during the filming of this flick.....yep, makes it even better.)





Clip #3 - The Wedding Singer
(I'm not a huge fan of Adam Sandler, but I really liked him in this flick. Ya gotta admit, this scene on the plane, with Billy Idol, the sweet song -- and the adorable Drew Barrymore -- it's all pretty cute)



Clip #4 - One Fine Day
(One of my all-time faves....and not just because Georgie is in it, but that definitely helps! I think the chemistry between George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer here is awesome.....we keep waiting and wanting them to get together. We really root for that match to finally happen. They are truly both very likable and yummy here. This clip is actually the music video for the Kenny Loggins theme song from the film, "For The First Time." George and Michelle, running around New York City -- and Kenny Loggins singin' em a love song.....yep, doesn't get any better than that for this gal.) NOTE: Start this clip and then pause it for about 20 seconds or so to give it time to load. When the gray bar is about a quarter of the way across the bottom, re-start it.



Clip #5 - When Harry Met Sally
(OK, I saved my real fave for last....Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan with Frank Sinatra singin' "It Had To Be You" in the background. It's just....swell. How can you NOT love this flick? Meg is totally quirky and adorable, Billy is sweet, funny and slightly neurotic -- and you just know that they are meant to be together. My favorite line is near the middle of this clip.....you know the one, "I came here tonight, because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." Ahhhh......gets me every time.



Well that's all for now. As you can imagine, these clips are really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to listing my favorite flicks.....of any genre.

There are so many -- I just decided to pick some of the recent few.

Hope y'all enjoyed my trip down movie memory lane........

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Later,

Cagey :)

Saying "Hello" To My 10-Year-Old Self.....

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It was 1974.

I was in love with David Cassidy then........


And I still get a kick out of him now.

Check out cute David (now 58 years young, and a little plastic surgery later.....) performing his big hit "I Think I Love You" on The Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday.



He may not sound as "fresh", but I couldn't stop grinning as I watched it.....it totally took me back to my Tiger Beat "tween" years.

How 'bout you gals -- any memories?

I'll never forget seeing David live at the Ohio State Fair in the early 70's. Jules and I were so excited. We lived for and loved The Partridge Family.


David was a good 2 hours late, arrived in a crazy whirlwind by helicopter.....and had all the girls screamin' and tryin' to bust down the fences to get to him.

It was awesome!

Ahhh......those were the days.

Dear David --

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY.......



And thanks for the great memories.

Yep......."I Think I (Still) Love You."

Later,

Cagey :)

Check It Out: "Reel Geezers" Movie Reviews.... "No Country for Old Men"

Hey there y'all.......

I love, Love, LOVE the movie-reviewing duo in the clip above.....the "Reel Geezers". Marcia and Lorenzo....2 good friends and true Hollywood insiders with wonderful insight and witty repartee.

I recently discovered them on YouTube, and I just had to share.

I chose to post their video review of No Country For Old Men , because Jules and I just saw it yesterday. (Yay, I've now seen all the flix nominated for Best Picture....woo hoo!)

I really liked No Country...... Jules hated it....she told me I owe her $7 for making her go with me and sit through it.

Oh well -- you win some, you lose some.

Like I said, I liked the film -- it is very well-done and super-suspenseful, but I will also warn you, it is very, very violent. Lots of shooting and mega-bloodshed.

Javier Bardem's character (I'm bettin' he'll get the Oscar, by the way) is just totally spooky, creepy, nasty and evil. Hannibal Lecter ain't got 'nuthin on him, baby.

I'm not kidding when I say that he kills pretty much every person he comes in contact with. There were at least 3 times I had to turn my head, close my eyes and plug my ears. No lie......

OK, enough about me bein' a total wimp at the picture show.

Watch the "Reel Geezers" clip above, and make sure to check out their entire YouTube channel. I think they have about 19 videos right now.

Click Here: YouTube -- "Reel Geezers" Video Channel

I especially love their new 2-part video with all of their Oscar picks. (They have both been in the movie biz for years and are members of the Academy).

Also, if I've piqued your interest at all about the "Reel Geezers".....check out this recent article about them in the LA Times.......

Click Here: LA Times -- "Marcia & Lorenzo Are Real Cool Geezers"

Like I said, these 2 are definitely worth a look.

Oh, how I would love to have them over for dinner and a movie. Hmmm....I'll have to work on that.

Also, a little sidenote.....now that the writers' strike is all but officially over (Yipee!).....I'm thrilled that the Oscars will go on as planned.

I'll post my Oscar predictions closer to the big show.....sometime next week.

OK......that's all for now folks.

Later,

Cagey :)

Hey y'all....check out my new Oscar "widgets" on the right (Just under Bjork and her swan) > >

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Woo hoo!

It's almost that time again.......Oscar time!

(less than 3 weeks away)

Well -- that is, if the writers' strike ends or the writers agree NOT to picket the show, or if.....oh what the heck, who knows anything at this point?

I do know that the Academy has said they have a contingency plan in place, if the strike is still not settled by Oscar time.

I believe it involves some kind of a film retrospective "clip show", and an announcement of the winners.

Dear Lord, please don't make it be like that pitiful Golden Globes "dog and pony show" from a few weeks ago!

(Billy Bush="dog" / Nancy O'Dell="pony")

My heart can't take it.

Ya know, it's nice to honor Hollywood and the film achievements of the year....but let's face it, I (and I know most of you....) watch the 3 hour Oscar shmooze/snooze-fest for one reason and one reason only.........

To check-out who's HOT and who's NOT.

In other words.........

We wanna see the gals in their dresses:


AND......more importantly......George Clooney in a tux.

Period.


'Nuff said.

Hey.....don't mess with my fun y'all.

(Sit yer butts down and end this foolishness. Give the writers their internet goodies and get on with the show.)

OK.

That's all for now.

So check out my cool Oscar "widgets" up on the right.......

You can scroll thru them.......click on a link at the bottom left that will take you to the Oscar home page -- there is video, Oscar trivia, current news, scoop on the nominees and a whole lot more.

Hope ya enjoy 'em.......

Have a great day!

Later,

Cagey :)

What The Heck.....It's Not About Hollywood, But It Sure Is Funny!

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Hey y'all.......Happy "Super Tuesday"!

OK -- I watched the short video below on YouTube last night......and it seriously made me laugh.

So.......guess what? I thought I'd share.

It's a recent clip from a local newscast (I'm not sure what town) -- Apparently some thieves stole a statue with great sentimental value, but they left quite the hilarious ransom note behind.

(Take special note of how serious everyone is....especially the news reporter. I'm not sure how he got through this one with a straight face.)

Check it out:



So have a great day......and hey -- watch out for that "Wiener Poopie."

Later,

Cagey :)