Red Carpet Manners - Oscars 2010

The 82nd annual Academy Awards, like its predecessor the Golden Globes, was unable to escape the California rain. Luckily, the tents had been assembled and the heaters turned on so that the celebrities were able to stay dry as they strutted and sauntered down the red carpet with family members and significant others in tow. So while the rest of the world was dissecting the style and fashion of the celebrities, we are more interested in what is happening underneath the couture drapery and beading. How did the celebrities behave? Were they gracious or boorish? Did they look comfortable in their skin? Those were the questions we wanted to uncover. So let’s take a closer look at a few elements that stood out for us on the red carpet and during the show.

Non-Celebrity Red Carpet Manners. It’s always interesting to me to look at the faces and body language of those standing with the celebrities during the long red carpet stroll and during the all important interviews. Sometimes the family members and significant others are brushed aside and other times they are politely included in the interview and even invited into the camera shot. I noticed that both Ryan Seacrest at E! and George Pennacchio at ABC actually did a pretty good job of being inclusive and paying deference to the guests of the celebrities, but I did find it a bit awkward when George was interviewing Oprah and Gabourey Sidibe and her poor mother was caught staring from the background with nothing to do. Just a quick note for the non-celebrity who is there to accompany the celebrity, make sure to smile, try to look interested and always appear supportive and happy.

Hosting Etiquette. I was really anticipating knock down, funny bits between Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin and I have to say I was a bit disappointed (sorry guys!). As handsome as they looked in their dapper tuxes, I still longed for the days of Billy Crystal singing and dancing his way into our hearts. I think everyone used to look forward to watching his hysterical depictions of characters from the Best Picture nominees. The writing back then was as classy as it was witty, especially for the Oscars which was and still is the crème de la crème of awards shows. I have to admit, I was completely distracted by Alec Baldwin’s left hand which was nervously tapping against his left thigh every time he opened his mouth to speak. Now here’s a guy who’s been in the business for many years, but clearly the Oscars was a big deal for him and unfortunately that communicated through his physical behavior.

Audience Etiquette. Beware of the giant audience scan across the room. In my opinion, if you are nominated, you better have a smile on your face at all times. It seems very unfortunate, when a celebrity is caught with a frown, or worse, when they have lost their category, looking sincerely disappointed and not genuinely happy for their fellow nominees. Standouts in this category were several reps from the film “Up in the Air”. In my opinion, Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga could have turned on a little more charm. They both seemed to possess a bit of attitude and sarcasm that was not very becoming. And, don't get me started on Jason Reitman who appeared entitled and almost mad after not winning for Best Screenplay Adaptation. Perhaps a lesson in humility will gain them all awards in the future. Finally, poor Sarah Jessica Parker, who is usually quite elegant and poised, was caught of all things chewing gum with an open mouth during a camera pan! Yikes!!!

PYT Posture. The pretty young things were out in full force this year with overpowering and overbearing dresses for their frames. Zoe Saldana’s purple Givenchy dress looked almost uncomfortable with too much material that seemed hard to manage. I began to actually wonder whether it was going to affect her walking. And, I just wanted to jump out of my living room and into the television screen to grab Miley Cyrus and Cameron Diaz’s shoulders and pull them back!! There they were wearing these beautifully beaded gold strapless dresses with slumped shoulders!!! Was the beading too heavy? Wear their stomachs aching from hunger? Who knew? For goodness sake, stand up straight ladies!

Speech Etiquette. Oscar night is not a night for long speeches unlike its cousin, the Independent Spirit Awards, where you can drone on forever thanking everyone and their grandmother. We noticed the Documentary Short winner for “Music by Prudence” carrying on much longer than aloud inviting the exit music to begin. And, I can’t imagine anyone appreciating the acceptance speech from the Best Costume winner, Sandy Powell, who sounded nothing short of condescending about her third time Oscar win. Who acts as if they’re over the Oscars!!?? She should be thanking her lucky stars! If it were up to me, she wouldn’t be invited back!!!

Standing Ovation. Typically a standing “O” is reserved for an outstanding performance, but I think the audience was a bit confused as to whether the Honorary Award winners Lauren Bacall and Roger Corman were deserving of the admiration. A few audience members stood up and then it appeared that the remainder of the theatre needed to follow suit. I mean, come on, these guys are like Hollywood royalty! Their standing ovations were very different from the genuine standing “O’s” that Sandra Bullock received for winning Best Actress and that Kathryn Bigelow received for being the first female to ever win for Best Director! Kudos Kathryn!!

Applause Etiquette. When your category is announced, it is polite to clap for each of your fellow nominees, however, when your name is called, you refrain from clapping. We noticed Carey Mulligan applauding herself when her Best Actress category was announced. In the event you were thinking to yourself, what is the proper way to applaud a performance? I will tell you. Ladies should clap their hands by cupping their left hand slightly and hitting it with the fingers of their right hand and gentlemen should hit the two hands together evenly. For a standing ovation, the entire audience stands and applauds in unison.

So there you have it, our takes on what lies beneathe the sheath. We hope these revelations help you to get a closer look at these celebrities to see that sometimes they're not all they're cracked up to be.