A Seasoned Host Barely Skips By in His Skivvies – Red Carpet Manners Oscars 2015

A much anticipated hosting gig by Neil Patrick Harris was largely superseded by an emotionally and politically charged plethora of winners with meaningful messages.  The emcee made famous for his star turn as host of the Tony’s and Emmy’s, had a tougher time with Oscar pouring through a steady stream of jokes many of which fell flat. Typically quite confident with a song and dance routine, this show opener was thankfully resuscitated by a much needed Jack Black who added range as well as levity.  NPH’s most memorable moment may have been his most raw stripped down to his skivvies in a nod to Best Picture nom Birdman.  Taking the stage and revealing a very fit physique in nothing but a pair of tighty whities, he begged the biggest question of the evening – was he or was he not packing?  In an interview on Live with Kelly & Michael, it was revealed that an extra pair of undies were sewn into the fabric lest the shining stage lights reveal too much of his anatomy. Great excuse, but we’ll buy it. Much less notable were his awkward riffs in the audience with Steve Carell and the seat fillers. It’s hard to improvise with two million people watching! Known for his magic tricks, we thought the bit with the briefcase would have more punch. Instead, we were left bored and perplexed as he gave detailed instructions to Octavia Spencer on how to properly guard the goods containing his personal Oscar predictions.  When the big reveal arrived at the end of the evening, it was an accordion fold recap of the night’s events. Clever, but more of a poof than a bang. Sadly, this is par for the course in the biz, they build you up only to tear you down. NPH has been the host with the most with an amazing run, but nothing lasts forever. 

Red Carpet Fashion Favorites & Those We’d Forgo.  We’re always so excited to see what will unfold on the red carpet, but this year’s Oscars pulled out more misses than hits, at least on screen.  Too many of the gorgeous beauties did not radiate in their usual manner. Actresses like Reese Witherspoon, Patricia Arquette, Viola Davis and Kerry Washington were sorely lacking in their blah ensembles.  Similarly to the Globes, red made a major appearance on the carpet with dresses adorned by Dakota Johnson, Rosamond Pike and Sophie Hunter.  Red was also showcased by Lady Gaga, Nicole Kidman and Idina Menzel who donned red gloves, a red belt and a red top respectively. Even David Oyelowo got into the action with a Burgundy suit.  Short slicked-back hair was showing chic by the lovely Faith Hill and Scarlett Johansson.  Cut out designs were a favorite with Naomi Watts and Lupita Nyong’o and bold statement necklaces added drama to Viola Davis, Scarlett Johansson and Cate Blanchett’s formal gowns.  Biggest hits in our book were the eternally impeccably dressed J. Lo along with Rosamond Pike, Naomi Watts and Sienna Miller in head turning looks that fit their frames. Oprah pulled out all the stops in a blush number that hugged in all the right places. Two-tone tuxes were all the rage for Michael Strahan, Eddie Redmayne, Kevin Hart and NPH who wore one during his many outfit changes.

Speeches that Left Us Speechless.  It was the night of sobering speeches that began with an earnest J.K. Simmons who won the first award of the evening for Best Supporting Actor in Whiplash. After appropriately thanking his wife and kids, he then pleaded with children everywhere to call their parents in favor of texting or emailing them.  Patricia Arquette accepted her Best Supporting Actress Award for Boyhood and then launched into a political campaign defending women’s equal rights and wages garnering cheers from females in the audience, especially megastars J. Lo and Meryl Streep.  Julianne Moore’s win for Best Actress in Still Alice shed a much needed light on the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease. Graham Moore, Best Adapted Screenplay winner, brought attention to teen suicide inspiring young teens to stop taking their lives in favor of staying weird and hopeful. And, the most eloquent speech of the evening came from a humble Eddie Redmayne who accepted the Best Actor award for The Theory of Everything winning the hearts of the audience for his portrayal as the suffering Stephen Hawking crippled by ALS. Holding on tightly to his Oscar, he pledged to do everything in his power to help fight the debilitating disease.

A Trip to the Stage.  The single biggest fear of most nominees is the worry that they will trip and fall on their way to receiving the big award.  Jennifer Lawrence famously fell ascending the steps to accept her award for Best Actress in Silver Linings Playbook last year and then quickly laughed it off. This year, we noticed a couple of minor tripping incidents both on and off the stage.  J. Lo almost had a major accident exiting the stage after presenting an award and one of the winners for Best Documentary Short nearly lost his footing as he ran excitedly down the aisle to collect his award on stage.

Scruffy is the New Smart.  A lack of manscaping was prevalent at this year’s awards show with many opting for the scruffy less-than-manicured look bearing unshaven necks a la Channing Tatum or full-fledged hairy beards like Matthew McConaughey. The otherwise handsome Mexicans from Birdman made a statement with their wiry, unruly locks of hair going for a sultry suave look.  

Best Blatant Ignore of Exit Music.  Awards etiquette rule 101 is keep your speech short and sweet lest you run the risk of being played off by exit music. This show seemed particularly bias with the music coming on fast and furious for certain winners and failing to appear at all for others.  Best Foreign Film winner, Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski, disregarded the music altogether plowing through his speech well until the full orchestra was sounded.

Chomping at the Bit.  A 'just grateful to be there' Michael Keaton was either feeling the jitters or worried about bad breath as he chomped away on his chewing gum for most of the show. Every time the camera panned the audience with a mention of Birdman, Mr. Keaton was featured chewing like a cow.  Mints are a much better choice next time, my dear. 

Monumental Musical Performances.  One of the most emotional moments of the evening was dedicated to the movie Selma.  Winner for Best Original Song ‘Glory’, Common and John Legend brought the entire Dolby theatre to its feet complete with tears streaming and a rousing standing ovation. Second to ‘Glory’ was an astonishing rendition of ‘The Sound of Music’ by Lady Gaga.  Not an easy song to sing, her tribute to the film’s 50th anniversary culminated with Dame Julie Andrews taking to the stage herself and another standing ovation.

A Hug it Out Moment. What might have turned out as a cute amends resulted in a rather awkward and laughable moment when John Travolta and Idina Menzel shared the stage to present an award.  Attempting to make up for last year’s guffaw when he butchered her name and addressed her accidentally as Adele Dazeem, the actor’s chin grasp, condescending smile and extended hug were a bit much for our taste.  Better to have left water under the bridge. 

Despite the sudden downpour and upper 50 degree temperature, Hollywood's biggest night succeeded as planned. The stars flashed their smiles, the champagne was flowing and all was good in the land of LA. That's all folks!

A Lackluster Show Delivered More Fizzle than Punch – Red Carpet Manners at the 65th Emmy Awards

“Television is the new movies,” expressed KTLA host, Sam Rubin, during his pre-show interviews on the red carpet at this year’s 65^th Emmy Awards.  With more and more A-list talent fleeing the big screen and flocking to groundbreaking storytelling on a smaller one, it is perfectly understandable that expectations would be especially high for tonight’s show.  Enlisting the wildly talented, Neil Patrick Harris, fresh off his stellar hosting gig at the Tony’s only cemented our anticipation. So when we were treated to a opener that felt as flat as a pilot that barely debuts before the network executives decide to pull the plug, we were gravely disappointed.  Initially, it had promise.  The reference to binge-watching the entire season of television was spot on, as that is how it feels to most of us in this day and age of never enough time and too many good shows, but the bit was too long and the selected clips not compelling enough to hold our attention.  As NPH stepped out of the booth and on to the stage, we nodded along with the jokes, but were secretly awaiting a show-stopping number. When it didn’t arrive, we were left still feeling empty. Not until Kevin Spacey appeared on camera owning the show in complete “House of Cards” character, did we crack a much-needed smile. For some reason, even the Amy Poehler/Tina Fey (whom we typically love) popcorn-induced, team heckling from the front row felt canned.  Finally, halfway through the show, our song and dance man, gave us what we have been waiting for, but possibly too little, too late. Even cameo appearances by Nathan Fillion and Sarah Silverman were hard-pressed to resuscitate the lack of energy in the audience.  And, how many times do we have to endure A-list celebrities dressed down in their shorts and tees as if that is naturally funny?  Who decided it was hilarious to see Will Ferrell in this ridiculously casual outfit.  He’s presenting the final two awards of the night – dress up for goodness’ sake - and while you’re at it, put your offspring in their own mini tuxes too! There weren’t any serious crimes that breached good red carpet manners, only a few misdemeanors.  Here is our complete list of winners and losers in the etiquette department, as well as a sprinkling of other thoughts we felt were worth mentioning. 

Patriotic Colors Ruled the Red Carpet. Wearing brilliant shades of blue, actresses Tina Fey, Allison Williams and Edie Falco rocked the red carpet in dresses constructed perfectly for their figures. A clean and crisp white (even after Labor Day) was the chosen color by Taylor Shilling, Padma Lakshmi, Emilia Clarke, and the stunning Kerry Washington who went with a more embellished version. And not red, but a richer Pomegranate, was adorned by such knockouts as Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara.

Hair, Wardrobe & Style Malfunctions. What big event would be complete without a mention of malfunctions in the appearance category?  Apologies in advance to all the uber-talented ladies, but we could see a noticeable hair extension that went astray in Amy Poehler’s pony tail, Tina Fey’s Spanx line was visible around the waistband area of her dress, we were in constant fear that Juliana Margulies’ gown would fall to the ground and reveal her breasts, and Anna Faris’ bright red lips did nothing but compete for attention with her canary yellow dress. Don’t even get me started on Lena Dunham.  The tattoo/heavy eye makeup combo with the print dress doesn't do her any justice.  She can be edgy and still look presentable by wearing a solid color in a classic cut and taking the less is more route on the makeup. The idea is to enhance the look, not fight with it.

Surprisingly Short Speech. Accepting an award, let alone the first winner of the night, is enough to give even the most seasoned vets the jitters.  So when two time nominee, Merritt Wever, actually won the award for Supporting Actress in a Comedy for Nurse Jackie, it was clear she was overwhelmed with emotion and perhaps a little anxiety-ridden.  Her only words short and to the point, “Thank you so much. I gotta go. Bye.”  Was that a joke, we wondered?  Was it funny or awkward?  We couldn’t decide. Perhaps, both.

Famous No Shows.  No matter how nice they may be in person, it always leaves the audience feeling a bit jilted when thespians do not show up to collect their awards.  Both David Fincher, who won the award for Best Director of “House of Cards,” and Laura Linney who won the category for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Miniseries or Movie, couldn’t be bothered apparently.  Where were they?  Together watching the last episode of “Breaking Bad” perhaps?

Overuse of the Word Crap.  This throwback word has endless meanings and is the closest thing to a swear word without getting into trouble with the FCC.  Chanteuse Kerry Underwood let out an, “Oh crap!” on the red carpet when she temporarily could not recall the name of her famous dress designer.  And you couldn’t miss, “Breaking Bad” show creator, Vince Gilligan, let out an exuberant “Holy crap!” when he accepted the award for Best Drama. Both instances were innocently used, nothing intentionally uttered that would make us feel uncomfortable like an actor saying, “Cut the crap” or ” I don’t need this crap," or this awards show is a bunch of crap.

Citations for Visible Gum Chewing.  We happened to catch Vera Farmiga chomping away during an unsuspected pan to the audience.  She is such a beauty and to be caught in the act truly detracts from that.  And, poor Jeff Daniels, who was already the upset win in his category for Best Lead Actor in a Drama for "Newsroom," but adding insult to injury, no one was listening to his acceptance speech because we were all too busy focusing on his incessant gum chewing!  Yes, it’s of the utmost importance to maintain fresh breath, but please remember to dispose of your gum in a tissue before your category is called.

Memorial that Caused Turmoil.  The In Memoriam tribute is a staple in all awards shows, however tonight’s decision to memorialize in depth only a chosen few, and then lump the vast majority together in a video montage, was to the detriment of many. I suppose it makes sense that respected actor, James Gandolfini who unexpectedly succumbed to a heart attack and young actor, Cory Monteith, who died of a tragic overdose were mentioned, but why single out Gary David Goldberg, Jean Stapleton and Jonathan Winters?  There were at least a handful of others who were veteran television icons that were somehow overlooked. One such icon was Jack Klugman - famous for countless award-winning television shows - whose son took to Twitter to express his unhappiness.  Unfortunately, the whole approach put a morose tone on the entire show and left everyone with a bad taste in their mouths. Lessons hopefully learned…

So there you have it, but just so we don’t leave you with a depressed feeling, here is a final bit of levity and camaraderie.  Michael Douglas was a shoe-in to win Best Actor in a Miniseries for his portrayal of Liberace in “Behind the Candelabra," but what was so sweet and genuine was that he sincerely shared the award with his co-star and friend, Matt Damon, and managed to garner some pretty hearty laughs with his unintentional  - and then intentional - references to a certain male body part and the golden statue.  We certainly chuckled. 

In the event you missed it, here is a complete list of all the winners. http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/09/22/emmys-2013-winners-list/