The 2013 [Fill in the Blank] Film Awards

I stumbled across part of the broadcast of the Critics’ Choice Awards last night, and for a few minutes I was confused because I knew that the Golden Globes were scheduled for this weekend. Eventually I realized that this was a completely different awards ceremony, and it suddenly struck me how many annual movie awards and awards presentations there are. No wonder the stars have so much trouble coming up with appropriate outfits – in a good year, they could be attending nearly a dozen red carpet events within ten weeks! Just look at this award schedule:

Satellite Awards (International Press Academy) – December 16National Society of Film Critics Awards – January 5Critics’ Choice Awards – January 10Golden Globes (Hollywood Foreign Press Association) – January 13Producers’ Guild Awards – January 26Screen Actors’ Guild (SAG) Awards – January 27Directors’ Guild Awards – February 2BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards – February 10Writers’ Guild Awards – February 17Independent Spirit Awards – February 23Academy Awards (Oscars) – February 24

And this list doesn’t even include some of the more limited awards and ceremonies, like the African American Film Critics Association (December 16), the Annie (Animated Feature) Awards (February 2), the Boston Society of Film Critics (December 9), the Florida Film Critics Circle (December 18), the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (December 9), and the Women Film Critics Circle (December 22).

As an example of what actresses (and to a lesser extent, actors) have to go through during the awards season, let’s look at last year’s Best Actress Oscar winner, Meryl Streep, and Best Supporting Actress, Octavia Spencer. These two provide contrasting examples of an experienced, established Hollywood legend and a new, rising star. Because it sets the bar, let’s begin with their Oscar night dresses:

Both gowns are elegant, glamorous, flattering, and age-appropriate, with tastefully understated hair and makeup and minimal accessories. They both did it right on the Big Day.

 

Now, let’s go through several examples of their other big red carpet appearances.

BAFTA:

Streep has - appropriately enough - a touch of the Iron Lady with her classically upswept hair, regal train, and sexy/demure corset-and-jacket combo, while Spencer goes a bit overly casual in a crisp white shirt and feathery long skirt. They both look lovely, yet somewhat out of character and even a bit out of place.

 

 

Golden Globes:

Streep took a big fashion misstep at the Globes with a cowboy-styled gown with pockets (!?! yes, POCKETS) while Spencer hit a home run with a flattering ruched lavender gown with just the right touch of bling.

Screen Actors Guild:

Streep opted for a quirky yet stylish and flattering draped and belted grey number while Spencer hit it out of the park once again in a sparkly, demure Grecian gown.

And a few of the smaller, less formal awards:

 

The New York Film Critics Circle - Apparently Streep was late because she looks like she had just gotten off the bus and hadn't even had a chance to take off her coat or put down her bag.

the Writers Guild Awards - Spencer dazzles again with a lace underlay covered by champagne draping.

 

 Women in Film - It's not clear whether Streep was receiving an award or taking meeting minutes.

 

The NAACP Image Awards - Spencer finally broke out of her subtle neutral/pastel colors with this vibrant turquoise satin gown.

After realizing the pressure they must be under to come up with that many fancy, flattering, and appropriate outfits within a very short time, I am somewhat inclined to cut them a bit of slack in my fashion critiques.

But don’t worry, I expect I’ll be over it by this weekend’s Golden Globe broadcast (and, of course, the succeeding fashion blog)!

Technology Is a Mom's Best Friend

This may not seem directly related to motherhood, but last night I watched the Academy Awards. If I didn’t have a small child, I might have been watching at a friend’s house, or we might have invited some friends to watch at our house. But rather than pay a babysitter (and also because my husband doesn’t actually care about awards shows), I sat in the basement at my computer with the TV on and discussed the show with friends across the world.

Yes, literally across the world. I posted comments on Facebook, where I exchanged remarks with friends down the street, across the country, over the border to the north, and across the Atlantic Ocean. I posted comments on a message board I frequent that has members not only all over North America, but in England, Australia, Switzerland, and other countries all over the world. Due to the magic of technology, they were all able to watch the show at the same time as I was watching it. It was like being part of an Oscar party made up of some of the funniest people on earth. (I’m thinking of nominating a few of them as hosts for next year’s awards show.)

We began the festivities even before the actual awards show, of course, with a critique of the red carpet: the gowns, the interviews, the interviewers…which actresses were aging gracefully (Annette Bening and Helen Mirren), who should fire her hairdresser (Scarlett Johannsen), which celebrities have the cutest moms (Anne Hathaway and Russell Brand, of all people), whose beard looked like a defunct beaver (Christian Bale), which young celebrities dressed most age-appropriately (Hailee Steinfeld – cute as a button!!), who was most in danger of a wardrobe malfunction (Mila Kunis and Jennifer Hudson), how disappointed we were that Helena Bonham Carter looked vaguely normal (and wore matching shoes), and what on earth Cate Blanchett must have done to piss off her stylist so badly.

And then we got into the comments on the show itself. The first question, of course, was what kind of drugs James Franco was on that made him so unable to look at the correct camera. And the second was, did Anne Hathaway really just make her first costume (and hairstyle) change only ten minutes into the ceremony and also how much does that dress WEIGH??? Over the course of the evening, we found ourselves explaining to each other who Banksy was (the joke still wasn’t funny after we understood), sharing the information that Trevor Reznor was in the rock group Nine Inch Nails, expressing astonishment that Christian Bale totally blanked on HIS OWN WIFE’S NAME, agreeing that not many of us could ever bring ourselves to watch the movie “127 Days”, and cheering on Colin Firth for giving the most humble and charming acceptance speech of the evening.

By the time the show was over, I felt like I had spent the evening with good friends who enjoyed sharing opinions and making each other laugh. And in fact, I had, even though many of those friends I have never even met. Such is the amazing power of technology.

As a stay-at-home mom, that technology keeps me connected to the world in a way I never could have been twenty or thirty years ago. I have a cell phone, Facebook, e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging, and message boards to put me in contact with other human beings. My mom had…the phone. And if the friend she was calling was out shopping or in the backyard, she was out of luck. There was no voicemail, no answering machines. She just waited and called back later. If I call a friend and she’s out shopping or in the backyard, she has her cell phone with her anyway. And if she doesn’t answer for some bizarre reason, I can leave her a voice mail or send her a quick text. I can always connect to someone, somehow.

There are certainly times when technology can be annoying, when people constantly yapping on their cell phones or teenagers clicking away texting in the middle of a restaurant drives me absolutely bonkers. But for the most part, I appreciate how it keeps me in the loop. After all, without technology, how would I be writing this for you right now?