Manners Monday - Ellen Delivers the Pizza Alongside a Happy Helping of Oscars

The gloomy skies parted just in time for Oscars’ big night and who better to bring the sunshine than the ever cheerful, Ellen Degeneres. All the months of rehearsing paid off as she achieved her mission to make “Oscar” accessible, warm and friendly just like her Emmy Award winning talk show “Ellen.”  Her brand did not deviate - in a good way - with light-hearted, under-the-radar, self-deprecating humor that garnered genuine laughs rather than the typical forced chuckles from the audience. After a brief introduction that made mention of her hosting gig seven years prior and the familiar faces that once again graced the list of nominees, she launched right into her monologue with an hysterical opening line about the weather, “For those of you watching around the world, it’s been a tough couple of days for us. It has been raining. We’re fine. Thank you for your prayers.” So simple and yet poking massive fun at how unequipped this town is to deal with rain.  

She broke television barriers by bringing the audience in close for an impromptu "Selfie" (which set a Twitter record of 2 million for the most retweets) with some of Hollywood’s biggest names and ordering cheese pizzas for the starving celebrities who squeezed into their respective gowns and tuxes and hadn’t eaten a morsel in days. The bit was hilarious, but then turned tedious when Big Momma's Pizza arrived and viewers were forced to watch while the distribution of the pizza and then the collection of money for the delivery man. I was sure someone was going to touch their greasy fingers on their formal clothes and rue the day this happened. 

She cracked funny jokes, “Lupita Nyong’o is here. She is from Kenya. She is a Kenyan. Barkhad Abdi from Captain Phillips is here. He is nominated. He is from Somalia. He is a sommelier. So he knows a lot about wine. Who’s the wine captain now?!”

She teased celebrities both young and old. June Squibb, the oldest nominee, was singled out as if she was hard of hearing, "I'm telling everyone you were wonderful in NEBRASKA!" Jennifer Lawrence, still a newbie, was the butt of a long joke referencing her trouble with tripping (she fell ascending the staircase to receive her Best Actress award last year and then fell again getting out of her car on the red carpet before this year’s show) prompting Ellen to say, “If you win tonight, I think we should bring you the Oscar!” Jonah Hill also received a nod for his role in The Wolf of Wall Street garnering one of the bigger laughs of the evening, "You showed us something in that film that I haven't seen in a very long time!"

She had one mean-spirited moment taking a jab at Liza Minnelli referring to her as “Sir” that left viewers scratching their heads, but then redeemed herself in the end with a joke about racism in Hollywood exclaiming, "Anything could happen tonight! So many possibilities. Possibility number one, “12 Years a Slave” wins Best Picture. Possibility number two, you're all racists. And on that note she welcomed “first white presenter, Anne Hathaway.”  

What captured our attention in this year’s red carpet manners Oscar roundup?

Trending on the Red Carpet. Every red carpet has its theme as if designers and stylists engage in a pow wow beforehand to determine the trends. This show was no different. Standout colors were snow white, blush tones and shades of blue. Actresses from Kate Hudson and Naomi Watts to Calista Flockhart and Corinne Foxx (Jamie’s daughter) opted for white with the men getting into the game as well. Ryan Seacrest, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto all wore white tuxedo jackets some with contrasting accessories. Shades of blue were also a hit. The most talked about was Lupita Nyong'o’s Niarobi blue Prada dress which she wore as an homage to her country. Sandra Bullock and Amy Adams also wore blue as did many of the A-list men from DiCaprio to Spacey who decided on a navy tuxedo rather than the typical black formal wear. Ellen single-handedly brought back the female tux appearing first in navy velour, then in all-white ensemble and finally a black smoking jacket. Strapless or backless gowns took precedence along with statement necklaces and Veronica Lake tresses. Jennifer Lawrence was a stand out in Dior red as was a shimmering Kristin Chenoweth in metallic gold Cavalli. Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Angelina Jolie and a slew of others preferred figure hugging embellished blush tones. The biggest misses of the evening came from two Hollywood sweethearts, Julia Roberts and Anne Hathaway, whose black dresses only served to distract and detracted from their natural beauty. 

Spreading Positive Vibes. Pharrell was a constant topic of conversation wearing a laid back Lanvin tuxedo with knee length shorts and leather lace ups with no socks.  His album GIRL dropped the same night as Oscar continuing the wave of wild success.  As the first musical performer of the evening, his nominated song “Happy” set the tone with childlike dancing and innocent pleasure that brought a welcomed looseness to the room.

Church Moment. Darlene Love was so moved by her win for Best Documentary for "20 Feet from Stardom", that she broke out in song and brought the house to its feet with a spiritual, church choir jam that had everyone silently saying “Amen.”

Mom’s Night Out.  Oscar moms were all the rage as Jonah Hill, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto escorted their proud mothers on their arms showering them with love, admiration and gratitude. These strong women clearly raised good, wholesome sons.   

Ovations Worthy of Standing. Backup singer extraordinaire, Darlene Love, received the first standing ovation of the evening kicking off a domino effect of standing ovations for all the musical performances from Pink and U2 to Bette Midler and Idina Menzel.

Executive Decisions. One of the most noticeable allowances came from producing pair Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.  Although there was a set 45 second limit to speeches, it seemed that recipients of the golden statue were able to own the mike for as long as their hearts desired. No matter how long or awkward, every major award winner had their moment and was able to complete their thanks without fear of getting cut off by the exit music.

The Year of Spectacular Speeches. While we're on the subject of speeches, the best by far came from Jared Leto for “Dallas Buyers Club” and Lupita Nyong'o and Steve McQueen for “12 Years a Slave.” These fine recipients spoke intelligently and eloquently. They were thought-provoking and moving. They remembered to thank their team, both personal and professional. They acknowledged the politics of their subject matter, and above all, they were gracious and grateful. 

Tough Prenounciation.  There were a few very tough names to memorize and rehearse if you were a presenter or part of the press at this year's Oscars.  Lupita Nyong'o, Alfonso Cuaron, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Barkhad Abdi were at the top of the list.  So when a seasoned John Travolta butchered legendary Broadway star, Idina Menzel's name by introducing her instead as "Adele Dazeem," the firestorm of backlash began. The faux pas was so big that it inspired an instant name generator that will Travoltify any name.

Unfortunate Elder Statesmen. While it is an honor to be asked, future older thespians may wish to decline rather than face the scrutiny.  Poor Kim Novak's plastic surgery made it nearly impossible for her to move her mouth while attempting to present her award. Although aided by the beautiful Angelina Jolie, Sidney Poitier's speech was slower than usual and had us hanging on every word to make sure he was still breathing. Veteran actresses, Bette Midler and Sally Field, hit home runs in our book exuding both strength and beauty.

Bonus Thank Yous & Engraving. When the winners walked backstage they were escorted to a bar where they could have their golden statuette immediately engraved and emblazoned with their name. Also backstage, was a brilliant stunt by Good Morning America that allowed winners to write down the names of anyone they inadvertently forgot to thank onstage garnering extra points with those they may have accidentally hurt.

This was one of the first Oscars where I had watched nearly all of the nominated films and I have to admit, I was only sad that "Nebraska" did not receive much recognition.  In my opinion, it was a brilliant, uncomplicated film that deserved more accolades, but I'm not a member of the voting academy.  Oh well.  And there you have it. See you next year!  Alright, alright, alright…

Red Carpet Manners at Golden Globes 2014 – FeyPo Tried their Darndest to Deliver

For the darling of awards shows that joins together talents from television and film under one happy roof, dynamic female duo, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, tried their darndest to deliver the goods. Before a single syllable was uttered, the pressure was on to repeat their performance from the previous year as the hostesses with the most who hit a home run with both the viewing audience, as well as their peers.   So when Fey admitted that in Hollywood when something “kinda works, you keep doing it till everybody hates it,” we wondered if this was an ominous premonition. It’s not that anything catastrophic occurred, the evening just felt a bit odd.  The constant flowing of Moet & Chandon - the official champagne of the Globes - may not have done anyone any favors. Alcohol and public speaking do not mix.

Nevertheless, the girls had their share of witty one-liners. My personal favorites were the opening line that poked fun at Lee Daniels calling the telecast the, (“71st Annual Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s Lee Daniels’ The Butler Golden Globe Awards”), the dig at George Clooney and his penchant for younger women (“Gravity is nominated for best film: It’s the story about how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age.”), and the double standard in Hollywood when joking about Matthew McConaughey’s weight loss of 45 pounds for his role in Dallas Buyers Club (“what actresses call ‘being in a movie.’”)  Our favorite quote from the evening though came from Amy Adams on the red carpet. When interviewed for her role in “American Hustle” as to how she was able to keep her déclotage intact, she replied, “Good posture keeps everything in place.”  Great advice, not only for the red carpet, but for every day.  

This year’s show had all of the fanfare and glitz we have come to expect when you put the hottest stars of the big screen and small in the same room.  The celebs did their best to turn on the charm and donned their finest wears for the camera as they kicked off the height of awards season.  Here is our recap of red carpet manners highlights and low points from one of Hollywood’s biggest nights.  

What they Wore.  Black, red and green were the chosen colors of this year’s Golden Globes. A-listers Amy Adams, Lupita Nyong'o, Tina Fey, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus all looked smashing in cherry red.  A laundry list of actresses including Amy Poehler, Jessica Chastain, Sofia Vergara, Julianna Margulies, Uma Thurman, Hayden Panettiere, Julia Roberts, Melissa McCarthy and more opted for an elegant and sultry black to contrast the red carpet. Other more daring personalities like Reese Witherspoon, Helen Mirren, Olivia Wilde, and even Matthew McConaughey selected rich shades of green and happened to wear them very well - not an easy feat.  Lena Dunham would’ve succeeded in her canary yellow dress if only she added a piece of material to cover the massive tattoo emblazoned on her right arm.  It was distracting and detracted from the overall splendor of the dress.  The men are stepping up to the plate more and more with each year. A great number were decked out in a traditional Tom Ford tuxedo.  Weatherman and song man, Al Roker and Usher, went rogue wearing burgundy. Beauties Taylor Swift, Sandra Bullock and Julie Bowen elected a color-blocking pattern while others like Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence and Zoe Zaldana went with various B&W ensembles.

The Long Walk.  We noticed an inordinate amount of long painful walks to the stage.  Most obvious was Jacqueline Bisset who was clearly stunned by her win and almost unable to move. Unlike the People’s Choice Awards where stars receive their nods beforehand and are seated theatre-style near the stage, the Golden Globes ballroom is overflowing with wall-to-wall tables making it difficult for those placed towards the middle or back to reach the stage in a timely manner.  The farther away you are located, the more people you feel compelled to kiss and hug along your way, not to mention managing not to trip on your dress.  The only benefit of the long walk is that it gives winners an opportunity to compose their thoughts and hopefully recall who they wish to thank.

Malfunctions & Expletives.  What we originally thought was a poke at the recent Michael Bay incident at CES turned out to be a genuine teleprompter malfunction early on in the show. Wolf of Wall Street stars Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie handled it well however and improvised their speech until they were handed a yellow piece of paper helping them to recite their category and the applicable winner.  We also noticed an inordinate amount of swearwords sprinkled throughout the show as celebs seemed to have forgotten their manners and the fact that they were on live television in front of millions of people, not just in the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton among their friends. Jacqueline Bisset, Elisabeth Moss, Diane Keaton and Aaron Paul all put their hat into that ring.

Beyond Bizarre Moments.  Jacqueline Bisset’s win will forever be remembered as one of the most bizarre moments in Golden Globe history.  So astonished when her name was called that she was frozen in time, hardly able to walk or talk pausing for what felt like an eternity before taking to the mic.  Her speech was a mixed bag of incoherent rambling and frustration especially when the exit music began. She offered some sage advice from her mother, “Go hell and don’t come back,” as well as a few words about forgiveness being the best beauty treatment and then somehow managed to leave the stage. Emma Thompson didn’t do much better announcing the Best Screenplay award with a Martini in one hand and her Louboutin’s in the other.  Appearing a bit more sloshed than necessary, she forgot the most important item – the envelope!! After reciting the list of nominees, she realized she was missing the envelope containing the winner’s name. Once received, she tossed her shoes into the air, handed her drink over to Miss Golden Globe (Sosie Bacon) and then finally announced the lucky recipient. And, we get the profound friendship that exists between Woody Allen and his muse Diane Keaton, but did that warrant a camp rendition during the Cecil B. DeMille award?  We think not. It was very strange and reminded us of fellow actress Meryl Streep when she sang at the end of Postcards From the Edge.   

Effervescent & Expecting.  Expecting mommies, Kerry Washington, Olivia Wilde and Drew Barrymore all beamed from ear-to-ear providing a much needed distraction from all of the craziness onstage.  Experiencing a banner year and eager to share her happy news was a smiley Kerry Washington who couldn’t contain her excitement confiding that her belly was her best date ever. First time pregnant stunner, Olivia Wilde, also prominently displayed her baby bump in a tight sequined Gucci number.  And of course, the perpetually positive, Drew Barrymore, proudly flaunted her rather large tummy in a flower dress that was completely suited to her bubbly personality.

Forget Photobombing, What about Micbombing?  What is it about P. Diddy and Kayne West that they can’t contain themselves around a mic?  Sean “Diddy” Combs turned his formal presenting gig into a casual affair interrupting musician Alex Ebert as well as band U2’s speeches to interject some nonsensical information that was best kept between friends.  Did we really need to know that he was on a boat partying in St. Bart’s with the winner recently?  An emphatic NO!    

Best Acceptance Speech. In a sea of poor acceptance speeches - some riddled with expletives - the ever polite Texan, Matthew McConaughey, gets our vote for the most humble and gracious at this year’s awards ceremony. From his respectful praise towards the other gentlemen in his category addressing them as Mr. Hanks, Mr. Redford, etc., to his perserverence as he shared how his film was turned down 96 times before receiving the green light, he also thoughtfully thanked everyone in his life including his wife and children reserving a special thanks for his mother for encouraging him to do things for himself. The speech ended on an uplifting note claiming that his movie, The Dallas Buyers Club “was never about dying” and with that he reminded everyone to “just keep… (livin).”  Inspiring words to live by.