Galentine's Day Etiquette - Six Ways to Celebrate Your Gal Pals Properly

I’ve clearly been living under a rock. I was a big fan of Parks & Recreation from the beginning, but somehow missed the landmark episode in which Leslie Knope - aka Amy Poehler - officially christened the day before Valentine’s Day, February 13^th as Galentine's Day. 

A day dedicated solely to our BFF's. What a genius concept!  Our girlfriends are our greatest treasure and they deserve to be honored and cherished. These are the peeps who support us through thick and thin, inspire us to be our best no matter what, and hold us up when the chips are down.  They'll judiciously tell us our thighs look a bit large in our skinny jeans or hold our hair back when we're praying to the porcelain G-d and even give the stink eye to our exes if we ask them.  

Whether you have a hot date lined up for the 14^th or are celebrating your singlehood, girl code dictates chicks come before (you know what) any day of the week. Ladies always come first! So here’s how to celebrate your gal pals properly on Galentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day or, dammit, any other day of the year!

1. Take a Hike. Rather than the usual, ‘let’s have lunch’. Organize a feel good hike in the great outdoors.  Nothing says nurture, like good old mother nature. You don’t have to kill yourself climbing rocks and walking through steep terrain, just stretching your limbs with a good walk or moderate incline will put everyone in better spirits.

2. Lavish with a Galentine’s Day Gift. Select something your pals wouldn’t normally buy for themselves. No one reads anymore! Use this as an excuse to purchase an inspirational book or naughty read.  Anything that enlightens, moves us out of our ‘stuckness’ or evokes a good laugh will do.  Don’t forget to inscribe the book with a personalized note for each friend.

3. Host a House Party.  Ladies love to dance. Go to any party and notice how many girls are dancing without abandon while the guys stand dumbfounded ogling and wishing they could be so free. In the immortal words of country star Sam Hunt, “Turn your TV off and break that boom-box out.”  Dim the lights, take out the tequila, put on your favorite tunes and let loose for as long as you so choose.

4. Retreat to a Spa. You’d be hard-pressed to find a gal who doesn’t enjoy a little pampering.  Organize a mobile unit to come to the privacy of your own home, book an early evening gathering at your favorite day spa or, if you’re feeling really extravagant, hop a plane to the most luxurious offering on this continent or other. If you don’t want to break the bank, grab a few avocados for a facial mask, some cucumbers for puffy eyes, and a jar of coconut oil to add life to lackluster hair. Exfoliate, rejuvenate and come back feeling stronger than ever.

5. Make an Awesome Meal. As the saying goes, the gals who cook together, stay together. Well, perhaps that wasn’t exactly it, but you know what I mean. Research the perfect 3-course menu and invite the gals over to help you cook. Let them supply their favorite alcoholic beverages and start slicing, dicing, chopping and baking until you have a healthy, completely satisfying, gourmet-tasting meal that will leave you all feeling satiated, but not super full. 

6. Let Your Voice Ring Out.  Every lady wants to be heard. Make like you’re Queen B (Beyoncé), Adele or Lady Gaga at the Grammys and head out to the nearest karaoke bar. Let down your hair along with your inhibitions, grab that mike like you own it, and sing it loud and proud.  Get your girlfriends to video your superstar performance and play it back to remind yourself of the bad-ass gal you are or aspire to be.

Dedicated to my dearest girlfriends who are all unbelievably amazing, independent, strong, creative, warm, loving, and beautiful both inside and out. Here's to you!!

Red Carpet Manners at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards – “There’s Something about Andy”

The folks at Fox should pat themselves on the back for selecting Andy Samberg to host the 67^th Primetime Emmy Awards. He may not have produced stellar ratings, but he sure is appealing thanks to a combination of boyish looks, self-deprecation and an adorable delivery of razor-sharp jokes behind a giant Cheshire Cat grin. The guy who cut his chops for seven years as a cast member on SNL and won a Golden Globe for his Fox TV series Brooklyn Nine-Nine is so likable, you can’t help but smile even when he releases one of his stinging one-liners.  Whether he’s skewering Donald Trump or calling out Kim Davis, or pointing a finger at racism, ageism or wageism in Hollywood, his timing is so quick and stealthy you hardly notice the one-two punch it until it’s passed.  

The comedian opened with a musical number that was both hilarious and cautionary as it poked gratuitous fun at the perils of watching too much “Must See TV”.  While it feels like you literally have to hold up in a Kimmy Schmidt type bunker to binge-watch the ridiculous number of shows, the sad takeaway is that many people would much rather spend time with their television content than engage in risky real live human connection.

On TV's biggest night, however, we were happily glued to our television watching intently and hanging on to every word to bring you our red carpet manners recap at this year's Emmys.

A Sea of Black on the Red Carpet. Stars showed up early on the red carpet in a color spectrum that ranged from teal on Amy Schumer and Kelly green on January Jones to canary yellow and shades of orange on actresses Heidi Klum, Mindy Kaling and Taylor Schilling. Black dresses were all the rage for Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Lady Gaga with sequins and silver showcased on Sarah Paulson, Sofia Vergara and Kerry Washington. Chain spaghetti straps made their debut draped over the gorgeous shoulders of Taraji P. Hanson and Claire Danes while new hairdos were on display on the likes of Elizabeth Moss and Amy Poehler. Lady Gaga looked fabulous in a retro bob and actresses Julie Bowen and Sarah Hyland looked sporty in their shorter loose locks.  As far as the night's biggest fashion winner, the young "Modern Family" actress receives our vote for a classic and chic off-the-shoulder burgundy dress by Zac Posen with matching nails and minimal accessories. However, Padma Lakshmi summed it up best proclaiming that on the red carpet, “nothing looks more beautiful than a smile.”  We couldn’t agree more!

Sweat Etiquette. At 96+ degrees in downtown Los Angeles, the stars were schvitzing up a storm on the red hot red carpet. Many of the women chose frocks with breathable fabrics, but the men suffered in silence with long sleeve button-downs and wool tuxes. Apparently, Mario Lopez soaked through four shirts before reaching the theatre! Amy Schumer felt compelled to wipe the brow of Ryan Seacrest during her interview and a perspiring Allison Janney was still clutching her face blotter when she approached the stage to accept her 7th Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy. 

Most Concise Candid Speeches. Thankfully most winners kept their acceptance speeches concise with the most succinct speeches going to the Outstanding Comedy Writing winners of “Veep” who hilariously thanked HBO “for letting us come over here and make fun of American politics and make American money.” And, Frances McDormand who won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series for “Olive Kittridge” for a short, yet poignant speech that reminded us, “We’re all here because of the power of a story well told. Sometimes, that’s enough.”

Best Category Announcement Look. In anticipation of the announcement for Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy, ever the jokester Amy Poehler donned aviator sunglasses and a hoodie going incognito when her category was called. She’s been down this road before so when Emmy veteran, Julia Louis-Dreyfus took home her fourth consecutive win, Amy handled it the only way she knew how, with humor and then a few fun follow-up tweets on social media. 

Silliest References in an Acceptance Speech.  The hysterical Amy Schumer who won for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series thanked all the people who helped her along the way, including a shout out to the girl who “gave me this smoky eye.” While Peter Dinklage who admitted he wasn’t prepared at all and was “even chewing gum” apparently kissed his wife and transferred the gum into her mouth before taking the stage to accept his second Emmy win for Outstanding Supporting Actor in the Drama “Game of Thrones.”

Well-Deserved Standing O’s.  Everyone was rooting for Jon Hamm to take home the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Mad Men so they happily stood to cheer on their fellow auteur. After eight attempts, the Emmy award was long overdue and more than well-deserved.  The actor was so grateful, he literally crawled onto the stage and gave a speech that was both heartfelt and bittersweet after the long-running series ended. The second standing ovation of the evening went to the dapper looking and still recovering Tracy Morgan who took to the stage to present the final award of the evening. It marked his first public appearance since the devastating accident which took place in June 2014 and left him severely injured. Especially thankful, he was thrilled to return to the Hollywood community and the place he calls home.

Shedding Light on Civil Rights. The two wins for “Transparent” shed important light on the modern day civil rights issue for transgender people with Jill Soloway (Oustanding Directing in a Comedy Series) urging the audience to support the trans equality bill and Jeffrey Tambor dedicating his Oustanding Lead Comedy Actor award to the transgender community. 

Doing Away with Diversity.  Viola Davis' win for Oustanding Lead Actress in a Drama for "How to Get Away with Murder" was history making as the first African-American actress to ever hold that trophy. “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity." "You cannot win Emmys for roles that are simply not there.” The additional wins for African-American actresses Regina King (of ABC’s “American Crime”) and Uzo Aduba (of Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black”) also echoed loudly. The hope is that one day we will do away with the idea of diversity and create a landscape of inclusion where all people - regardless of their race, color, sex or religion - will be celebrated and awarded equally for their efforts. 

Red Carpet Manners - Third Time's a Charm for Tina & Amy at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards

A good friend loaned me her copy of Amy Poehler's new book, "Yes Please" on DVD. I had never been one to listen to books on tape and I wasn't much of a reader of them either, especially since having kids. Don't get me wrong, I love reading and I'm great at starting books, I just can't seem to finish them. I inevitably get distracted and then they wind up collecting dust and spider webs. Even reading my own book, Beverly Hills Manners: Golden Rules from the World's Most Glamorous Zip Code, proved an arduous endeavor! Nevertheless, I decided to give it a try. I was growing bored of listening to the same Sirius XM stations and in need of some good laughs anyway. After sweaty minutes of trying to figure out how in the world to insert the discs into my car radio, I was finally geared up and ready to listen. Amy had me laughing out loud, crying and getting teary eyed, totally inspired and uplifted and reflective all at the same time. I'm only through disc two with five more to go and loving it. My husband presented me with Tina Fey's, "Bossypants" as a gift for my 45th birthday.  Did he know I was a Tina Fey fan or was he secretly trying to send a message that I am a bit of a drill sergeant? I keep it on my nightstand and peruse it time and again in search of brilliant Feyisms and other hysterical, meaningful prose. Admittedly, I have not read it cover to cover, but I often thumb through it and come across a line that gives me a hearty laugh before settling to sleep. Bottom line, these two ladies are awesome in my book!!  Not only are they comediennes at the top of their game, they are also writers, producers, authors, entrepreneurs, mothers and Golden Globe hosts taking on the role for the third year in a row and hitting it out of the park!  Let's take a look at the night's biggest red carpet manners hits and misses.

Colors on the Carpet.  As predicted, red was highlighted in all its glory on the red carpet ranging from Pantone's color of the year Marsala to Maraschino Cherry with celebs from Heidi Klum, Kate Mara, Allison Williams, Allison Janney, Helen Mirren, Lena Dunham, Taylor Schilling, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Viola Davis all donning the most powerful color on the spectrum. White, not an easy color to pull off in winter when we tend to look pasty and may be carrying a little extra holiday weight, was equally hot on the red carpet and looked smashing on slender figures from Kate Hudson and Emily Blunt to Rosamond Pike and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Silver metallic was also wildly popular and found its way on the likes of Julianne Moore, Reese Witherspoon, Sienna Miller, Emma Stone, Diane Kruger and Dakota Johnson.  Our least favorite looks were unfortunately worn by two of our favorite actresses, Ruth Wilson who chose an unflattering green Prada sheathe and Kerry Washington who selected a two-toned A-line gown that was less than eye-catching. Other ladies who missed the mark included: Jennifer Aniston, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lana Del Rey, Zosia Mamet, Laura Prepon and Melissa McCarthy.

Dynamic Duo Does it Again.  The third time was a charm for hosts Tina and Amy who delivered another round of nonstop laughs. As expected, there was the requisite string of jokes aimed at North Korea, but the crowd went wild when comedienne, Margaret Cho, took the stage dressed as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and added her trademark deadpan impressions. Cecil B. DeMille Award winner and eternal good sport, George Clooney, was the recipient of one of the biggest jabs of the night. After reciting a laundry list of achievements his wife Amal had received for her various humanitarian works, the duo joked that tonight 'her husband is getting the lifetime achievement award." We had a hearty laugh-out-loud moment when the girls compared the hours of hairstyling and makeup actor Steve Carell had to endure for his role in "Foxcatcher" with the countless hours they had to endure to prepare just as 'human' women. And, you knew they weren't going to shy away from a good dig at Bill Cosby's rape allegations. With a nod to nominee, "Into the Woods," they mentioned a list of princesses who were rescued by their princes with the exception of Sleeping Beauty who just 'thought she was getting coffee with Bill Cosby."

From the Frontlines: Attending The Weinstein Company/Netflix viewing and after party had us up close and personal with some of the night’s illustrious stars.  After just having watched ‘The Imitation Game’ the night before, I was delighted to find a glowing and pregnant Keira Knightley in the ladies lieu. She was gracious, smiling and chatty while we shared mirror space to re-apply lips and wash hands before departing. As luck would have it, I was heading towards the dance floor only to find heartthrob, Channing Tatum cutting lose with wife Jenna Dewan amongst the happy throngs of spectators who were more than bewitched by his moves. Catching a glimpse of the gorgeous Rosamond Pike saunter through the party in her Vera Wang gown with a trail of handlers had us mesmerized mostly for looking so fabulous just one month after giving birth. Watching Will Arnett ham it up on the couch next to us posing for photographs with his buddy Ricky Gervais kept us amused. On the opposite side, Selma Hayek, was holding court from her couch in a purple gown she had donned especially for the party when Globes winner Maggie Gyllenhaal stopped by to pay her a visit. Upon our departure at almost midnight, we bumped into Robin Wright and her entourage including on again off again beau Ben Foster as they made their way to obtain wristbands to enter.

F-Bomb's and Standing O's. After eight nominations, Kevin Spacey was so overcome with surprise and emotion at his Golden Globe win that he accidentally dropped the F-bomb during the opening line of his acceptance speech for Best Actor in a Television Series. Two standing ovations were awarded. One to HFPA President, Theo Kingma, for his important speech on free expression in response to the Paris attacks and Sony leaks and the other to Prince, well for just being the purple man himself who took to the stage in all his glory - shades and cane included - to announce Best Original Song.

Awkward Moments Abound.  While watching her husband, John Legend, accept the award for Best Original Song, an emotional Chrissy Teigen's unusual facial expression set off a firestorm of hilarious social media responses. During Kevin Spacey's acceptance speech, an unknowing Selma Hayek seemed a little spacey herself as she was caught on camera grooming her locks and staring into oblivion. Jeremy Renner said what everyone was thinking when he referenced J. Lo's overflowing cleavage area referring to them as her own set of 'globes." 

Best Acceptance Speech. Billy Bob Thornton not only won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Series Drama, but he wins the top award in our book for the best brief acceptance speech. Painfully aware of how the media likes to mince words, he rightfully lectured the A-list audience with these thoughts, "You can say anything in the world and get into trouble. I know this for a fact. So I'm just going to say, thank you!" 

Politics on the Table. The evening took a more serious tone than usual as a number of causes were brought to light beginning with Joanne Froggatt's Golden Globe win for Best Actress on "Downton Abbey" and her sensitive portrayal as a victim of rape. Rapper Common's acceptance speech had everyone in tears as he shared that making the politically driven movie Selma about Martin Luther King's campaign to secure equal voting rights, "has awakened his humanity." Jill Soloway's personal project and triumphant win for "Transparent" raised acceptance and awareness for the transgender community, and Jared Leto paid homage to the Charlie Hebdo massacre saying "our thoughts, our prayers, our hearts are with you and wearing the slogan Je suis Charlie along with other celebs from George and Amal Clooney to Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson. 

A Nod to my Hairdresser: Finally, I have to give a special shout out to my hairdresser, Tanya Abriol, at the Sally Hershberger Salon, who not only keeps my hair extraordinaire, but tames the tresses of many blonde beauties who presented at this year's Globes including Kate Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Katherine Heigl - all gorgeous gals I am more than happy to keep company with.

Want more Red Carpet Manners? Stay tuned for our Oscar's Red Carpet Manners moments coming February 22nd on Live on ABC!

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.

FeyPoe Hit a Home Run with Razor Sharp Wit & Saccharine Sweet Smiles - Red Carpet Manners at the 2013 Golden Globes

It’s been a stretch of unusually cold weather here in sunny California inspiring the Twitter hashtag #coldinLA for the past week, but last night’s female hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler brought some much needed warmth to our fair city with their razor sharp wit and saccharine sweet smiles. 

It was clearly ladies night at the 70^th Annual Golden Globe Awards with these two beauties knockin’ em out of the park prompting laugh out loud moments one after the other, with only a couple of jabs that solicited gasps from the audience.   Truly hysterical with a deadpan delivery, this dynamic duo sure knows how to party and make an otherwise monotonous ceremony seem totally fun. 

The opening sequence included many one liners that will go down in history.  One of my personal favorites was the joke referencing “The Hunger Games” and the many months of dieting that was required to fit into their formal dresses, followed by the “Life of Pi” which was what they admitted they would be eating to reward themselves in the months following.  My other favorite, that had the audience rolling, was the omnipresent Meryl Streep, who was unfortunately unable to attend due to the flu, but they “heard she was amazing in it” poking fun at her award honors for always sweeping in her category.  When Lena Dunham won for Best Actress in a Comedy (their category) and then proceeded to innocently reference her age difference, they were not deterred.  Instead they came back with a vengeance as two drunken sages, who may be losers, but who will never let age get the best of them.  These two ladies have honed their skills and earned their hosting stripes.  They’ve come a long way since their sketch days on Saturday Night Live and they are reaping the rewards of their success. 

As for the rest of the evening, it was a mixture of highs and lows.  In fashion, it was either a major hit or a massive mistake.  Noticeably missing was the lack of material covering a number of body parts.  Goose bumps were the popular accessory. Hair in elegant Veronica Lake side swoops and swept up-do’s were the most eye-catching.  The presenters and acceptance speeches had their fair share of hits and misses as well ranging from the uncommonly funny, to the dead serious, to the just plain weird.  Here’s what stood out for us in our red carpet manners commentary at this year’s Golden Globes.

Tattoos, Cleavage & Bare Midriff’s, Oh My!  The arrivals on the red carpet were a spectacle as always.  The surprising colors that reigned were a formal and sometimes shiny black, various shades of striking red, a sprinkling of pure snow colored white, rich burgundy, and some subdued nudes.  More apparent this year for us, was the amount of skin or tattooed skin that we noticed.  We were concerned all night that Amy Poehler, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Hudson, Claire Danes and Katharine McPhee’s,  daring décolletage, whether it was frontal or on the side, would dip into a wardrobe malfunction nightmare.  One raucous raise of the arms and the puppies were out!  Hale Berry and Kirsten Wiig both dressed like they were going to an outdoor summer affair flaunting their bare midriffs even in the dead of winter! Lena Dunham and Kelly Osborne seemed to enjoy the extra attention their body art attracted or, in my opinion, detracted from their voluptuous bodices. My favorite look of the evening was an exceptionally exquisite and lanky Taylor Swift. Jessica Alba should also receive top honors for a flawless look from head to toe.

Slits in the Skirt or Skirting the Issue.  We don’t want to raise a red flag here and all of these ladies are quite lovely, but we’re seeing a trend where the more leg you show, the less tangible your career.  Are these gals trying to keep themselves current around the water cooler?  We haven’t heard much about Eva Longoria since the days of “Desperate”, Halle Berry was in the press over the holidays, but not for anything pleasant and Lea Michelle’s “Glee” has been slowly losing steam with each year that passes.

Award Worthy Acceptances.  Jessica Chastain executed a perfect thank you for the encouragement and support she has received in her long, but steady career. She is an incredibly talented and daring actress who willingly acknowledges those who have helped her along the way including her grandmother who always encouraged her to believe in her dreams. Daniel Day Lewis dispensed a fluent, flawless speech that is expected from this caliber of an actor.  A very gracious, Executive Producer Alex Gansa, gave a heartfelt speech admitting how hard it was to follow such a successful first season of “Homeland” and made a point of thanking the actors whose characters were “sacrificed on the altar” this season.

Unrehearsed Speech.  The most surprisingly humorous speech came from a very unlikely source, the HFPA’s, Aida Takla-O’Reilly.  This is typically the time to head for a bathroom break, but this two-year term President was going to have the last laugh and instead gave us a nice jolt in our seats with one of the funniest, unscripted speeches of the night.  She began her goodbyes with a request to scan the room of celebs which fell flat when the producers did not oblige, but then proceeded to launch into some very clever commentary that mentioned how Jeffrey Katzenberg, producer and CEO of Dreamworks Animation, “will never forget her name because he never knew it in the first place,” and then ended with a “Call Me Maybe” shout out to hunk Bradley Cooper which garnered some very hearty laughs from the audience.

Squirm in Your Seat Moment. We weren’t exactly sure why Jodie Foster had garnered this year’s Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, after all she is a young fifty years as she made it well known to the audience.  Yes, she looked beautiful, was impeccably coiffed and dressed, but I felt sad for her nonetheless.  The speech was entirely too long.  It made me uncomfortable.  I had no idea where she was going with that setup to reveal something big and then was let down just the same when she made a pitch for her single status.  Her career is definitely noteworthy and deserves accolades, but instead we were left with the heartbreaking admission that she doesn’t want to go into the future alone.  The whole thing sounded like a premature swansong.

Unfinished Business.  We appreciated the great attention paid to the all-important thank you’s this year.  It seems that everyone was careful to make sure they did not omit anyone on their team.  Ben Affleck who was obviously nervous accepting his unexpected win for "Argo," started the trend when he asked his wife, Jennifer Garner, to give kudos to his producing partners George Clooney and Grant Heslov.  I mean how can you forget to thank George?  Anne Hathaway followed suit when Les Miserables won its top notch for Best Musical and she snuck in a an extra thanks that she had forgotten previously. Lena Dunham also got into the action thanking Chad Lowe, which was a promise she made way back when if she ever got the chance.  Remember Hilary Swank who forgot to thank her husband?  Ouch, the writing was on the wall with that one! 

How to Walk in High Heels – Cheers to Lena Dunham for raking in the awards at this year’s ceremony!  I have to confess that I detested “Girls” at first, probably because I have two young daughters and was scared $#!%less at what might befall them once they leave the roost. Now I am more forgiving and can see the beauty in the craft.  I just have one word of red carpet advice.  Practice walking in high heels at home before the Emmy’s later this year.  Lena’s seat halfway back in the ballroom didn’t help matters as she proceeded to walk towards the stage in what appeared to be a mile long stretch in which she was teetering on the verge of falling. 

All in all, we give the show a thumbs up.  Love the fact that we can watch it live on the West Coast and be in bed nice and early on a Sunday night!!  See you next time at the Oscars...

What did you think of this year’s ceremony?  Did we leave anything out?  Any other red carpet commentary that we missed?  Please share with us.  We’d love to hear from you.