3rd Annual Oscar Report

The 81st Oscars graced televisions across the world last night with the usual star-studded red carpet, elaborate stage, surprises (though, there weren't many this year) and disappointments.

I watch the Oscars EVERY year without fail from beginning to end. I think I started watching this show in utero. To some people, this event may seem irrelevant, a waste of time and money (especially now during this recession) but I think it's important that we have events like the Oscars and The Grammy's. What would we be without art in our lives? What would we talk about over dinner or at the water cooler if not for movies both good and bad?
Artists (actors, painters, writers, singers etc.) are an important part of our society and human culture. Speaking of artists, can I just start by saying (without judgement from anyone) that I screamed and jumped up and down last night when they called Sean Penn's name for Best Actor? Milk was one of my fave contenders this year and I knew the Academy would not be able to ignore another strong performance by Penn. Sure, Mickey Roarke was fantastic in The Wrestler. Sure, everyone loves a good come-back story but sorry Mickey; none of the other nominees had ANYTHING on Penn this year.

Actually, last night I got my way many times! ;)
Kate, oh Kate! She finally won her first Oscar. Though I wasn't crazy about The Reader (LOVED the book) she played a really tough part and made it look easy. She's a great actress and truly deserves her Oscar. I loved her speach last night because it just seemed so real and unrehearsed--and she was just so grateful. And just look at her; isn't she a gorgeous woman? Her fashion choices rarely disappoint as she always looks elegant and very, very classy.

So, it was the year of the little Indian movie called Slumdog Millionaire. For us smart people the saw the film, we knew it would make a clean sweep in just about every category it was nominated for. What a great movie. It has all the elements of a classic; heartache, humour, adventure and charm. It's no surprise that among the many categories it won, Best Picture was one of them. And just look at some of the cast members; how cute are they?

Well, I hate to admit it but I fell prey to the undeniable charms of Brangelina last night. You can't help but look at these two in awe. They are both stunning creatures but together they make a ridiculously fabulous couple.

Angelina Jolie has really grown up; she no longer feels the need to look like Elvira. Remember what she looked like when she won for Girl Interupted? You don't? Let me remind you:Boy, what a long way she has come. She looks like she appreciates her beauty now.
And Brad, well what else can be said about him? He's a big hunk of loin-quivering masculinity.

Did anyone see my Cate? Cate Blanchett that is. Where was she? The Red Carpet was not the same without her; a fashion icon. Perhaps she knew that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button would lose in almost every category? Those of us that sat through the three-hour movie knew this, too.

Now, I can't mention Brangelina without mentioning Jennifer Aniston. It's like these three are always going to be linked together; poor Jenn. Not only does she have to resort to dating Jon Mayer, she showed up to the Oscars last night looking like ass. What was she thinking? Or perhaps she's given up? Who wants to compete with Angelina Jolie anyway; it's a losing battle.

She looked like she just stepped off the beach. No wonder she didn't walk the Red Carpet. Hideous! Even Mario Lopez walked the Red Carpet! What the F*** was he doing there?

What would the Oscars be without a good host? Well, it would be the 2005 Oscars hosted by Chris Rock.

This year the Academy chose Hugh Jackman to do the hosting and I think he did a great job. It must be a difficult job. There's so much pressure. Anyway, I didn't know Hugh was so uber talented. He can sing and dance and even act; a triple threat, indeed. His opening number was engaging and funny; reminded me of the good old days when Billy Crystal was host. I miss Billy! Hope he comes back soon.

Couples:
I love it when celeb couples show up looking fabulous! (Like Brangelina above) This is part of their job; they need to look good for us poor souls that can only watch this event on TV. How dare they show up looking like crap? Hello! Russell Crowe! Are you listening???

Here are some of my faves from last night:

Diane & Josh: can't get enough of these two. They always look elegant. I heard they like to argue and fight and throw things at eachother; you would never know it in this photo! I have a bit if a crush on Josh these days ever since No Country For Old Men. I think he's underrated.

Seal & Heidi: these two make me sick. They're just too gorgeous and happy!! SJP & The Ingrate: I like watching these two walk the Red Carpet because they are like the odd couple. She's charming and enthusiastic (she was wearing a Dior gown last night that made my jaw literally drop) while he looks as though we should all be kissing his ass because he's soooo talented and he's on Broadway and he's more interested in the 'craft'. Please! You were Ferris Bueller for Christ's sake! Get over yourself.



Pheobe and The Kline: Remember Pheobe Cates? That raven-haired, beautiful 80's star? She had so much potential but opted for Mommyhood over Hollywood. She's still so lovely. I love it that these two are still together. Red certainly was a popular colour last night.

Last but not least; Sean & Robyn: this couple has always been mysterious and intriguing to me. Robyn is still so gorgeous, isn't she? She'll always be my Kelly from Santa Barbara! ;) And Penn, well, I just love him and everything that he does. He just oozes sex appeal, intelligence and talent. I'm so glad they 'kissed and made up' after their little split last year.

All in all, it was a good night. Nothing really surprising happened; the Academy had it easy this year. The writing was on the wall: Slumdog Millionaire deserved EVERY award it was nominated for, Sean Penn is a revelation, Kate Winslet proved again that going ugly for a part pays off, Heath Ledger deserved that posthumous Oscar and Penelope Cruz proved she CAN act--in her own language, though. ;)

Note to God: If I'm allowed to come back in another life, would you please use this mold? Thanks! xo

How Did I Survive These People?

When I was six months old, I fell off the freezer. The story goes; my Mom placed me in my little chair, sitting atop the freezer while she was doing the dishes. Apparently, I got a tad overzealous with the rocking action my chair endulged me with and flipped out, hitting the floor, directly on my knees. When I heard this story (just the other day) I was pleased to know that I could blame my bad knees on my parents! Horrah! Like a lot of other ailments and shortcomings in my life, I blame my family. It's wonderful.
God only knows how many other stories of neglect my parents have stashed away. Just waiting and anticipating the right moment (like Thanksgiving dinner) to share their horrific tales of parenthood.
Here are a few more 'events' from childhood that force me to ponder; am I a cat?:

• When I was five or six years old, I almost drowned. I did it again at the age of about eight and then again at the age of sixteen (can't blame them for that incident) while vacationing in Mexico.
• At the age of seven, I came down with Mononucleosis and ended up in hospital for about two weeks. At the same time, I had to have my tonsils out and then hemorrhaged shortly after the doctor sent me home. Let's just say, for Christmas that year, I wasn't wishing for new toys.
• When I was four years old, my Dad left me in his truck for a split second while the engine was running; I grabbed the gear stick and threw it into reverse. All I remember is my Dad and his friend chasing the truck, trying their best to stop it before it crashed into the car behind me. They were successful and VERY lucky. Or am I the lucky one?

My parents had me when they were very young and very stupid and probably very high. Like most other occurences in the 70's, I wasn't planned. I like to think that they did their best but when you know NOTHING about babies, how do you know what your 'best' is?

Each and every time I go to visit my parents I say the same thing: how did I survive you people?

How the hell did Buddha do it?

Have you ever had one of those days that make you feel like you let yourself down? I had that kind of day yesterday; a really unpleasant day. Just when I thought I was handling the obscurity and the nonsense at work, I snapped. I snapped for the smallest reason (I can say this now, thanks to retrospect). I threw a colleague a very passive-agressive remark and immediately hated myself. There are just some things you can't take back so true to form, I've spent most of today dwelling on it. I'm left wondering when I will stop letting people get to me. Here I was, thinking how enlightened I had become this past year and then 'BOOM'! I'm right back where I started from. To make matters worse, I recently turned a year older--what's my problem?

I guess you could say the path to enlightenment is a long, precarious road. There are no speed limits but there are plenty of u-turns, dead-ends and traffic lights on our way to Nirvana. However, before we can even think about knocking on Nirvana's door, we have to be at peace with ourselves and the world around us. We have to be truly happy.

According to Buddha, there are four Nobel Truths; the secrets, if you will, to true peace and happiness.
I've put these in laymans terms....

1. Life means suffering

There is suffering in the world because human nature is far from perfect. During our lifetime, we will endure both physical and psychological pain--it can't be avoided.
Basically, we will go through sad times and happy times; both of these will pass even though we want the happy times to last forever. Nothing is permanent in life.

2. The origin of suffering is attachment
Beware of transient things! The attachment we have to objects has become increasingly alarming over the last decade; we're looking to 'things' for comfort and happiness. I guess you could also call this materialism.
However, ideas and ALL objects of our perception are transient.
True suffering really is linked to desire for things, striving for fame, pursuing wealth at all costs. We simply want too much, thus we suffer even more when we don't get what we want.
Take the desire out of life and you'll never be disappointed again? Just a thought....

3. The cessation of suffering is attainable
This one is a bit tricky to explain. You can stop (temporarily or permanently) suffering through 'nirodha'. What does 'nirodha' mean? It's the process of unravelling our issues with desire and attachment to objects. This truth expresses the idea that suffering can be ended by attaining dispassion.

4. The path to the cessation of suffering
The path to end suffering is basically a very gradual path toward self-improvement.
According to Buddha, this particular path can last many lifetimes so most of us have a very long way to go. I know I do.

In short, the true meaning of happiness is going to be completely different from person to person. Not only that, the route we take to get there will also be different.
Personally, I've come to the conclusion that I will never, ever be truly happy until I become more grateful for all the blessings in my life. I tend to dwell too much on my failures and things that I don't have. That's just a waste of time and tires me out physically and emotionally.

That's it for now; I have to excuse myself because I want to eat a box of cookies. However, in an effort to beat my scale at its' own game, I'll slip in one of my Absolutely Fabulous DVD's and laugh my troubles away. Cookies: BAD! Ab Fab: GOOD!

You have to laugh through the tears.....

The City of Lights Part 2: Versailles

Seeing this place first-hand, I no longer question why the French killed their royal family!

The front gate: pure gold




Imagine walking up to this place thinking 'this is my house'

Hall of Mirrors

The Queen's Bedroom

The King's Meeting Room--the famous globe is in the pic

The Gardens

They bring out the Best and the Worst of us...

That's what the holidays do.

Each and every year since I was a child, I wondered what the holidays were all about. I wondered why we do what we do this time of year--what's it all for? Is it simply a celebration of Jesus' birth? Or is it all about that fat guy in the red suit?
I thought I would have found the answer by now (it's been almost 20 years since I've started looking!) but I'm still searching. I'm still trying to figure out why we all run around picking up gifts for people that, more than likely, do not need more 'things' in their life.

Really, when I think back to Christmas' past, I remember the one's that included good friends (and sometimes family) and good food--simple as that. Christmas' that didn't have a ton of hype surrounding them--one's that were planned last-minute. What don't I remember from Christmas' past? Things. Material Things. For instance, Christmas 1996 was one of my fondest memories--I don't recall what presents I got that year, though. (Actually, I probably didn't get much of anything that year because most of my friend back then were starving artists)

I was on the subway yesterday, minding my own business, listening to my ipod. There was an older, attractive woman sitting across from me. At one point when I looked up, she was wiping tears from her eyes. Like a trainwreck, I couldn't help but watch her. She then began to ball, tears flowing like a faucet. I felt bad for her--I wanted to comfort her but she's a complete stranger and I didn't want to make her feel worse. I wondered what she was crying about. Did she lose a loved-one recently? Is her best friend dying of Cancer? Or, because of the holiday pychosis we all suffer from, was she simply crying because her husband invited two more people to Christmas dinner?
Food for thought.

In the world we live in right now, where celebrities rule and enough is never enough, it's hard to find the true meaning of Christmas. So, no matter what your plans are for the holidays, keep in mind one thing: just when you think you have it bad, there's someone else who has it worse than you.

The City of Lights

God, I love Paris. There's no other place like it on earth. It's magical.
I spent 10 glorious days there in November--below is just a sampling of photos from my journey.
Enjoy!

(I know! It's taken me long enough to post these!)


A view from Notre Dame


Pont Alexandre Bridge--an iconic Paris image


Hotel Du Louvre

The Venus de Milo--she's exquisite

Place de la Concorde (King Louis XVIwas beheaded here!)

'She' is the piece de la resistance, n'est pas?

Notre Dame



A view of the Left Bank

The famous Arc

If she breaks up with America, who keeps the clothes?

Poor Sarah Palin. It seems like she can't do anything right. Her every move and every word is scrutinized and basically made fun of. She's every Saturday Night Live's dream, isn't she?
I'm not a fan of Sarah Palin by any means but I think the media has gone too far this time: they now have the nerve to question Sarah's 'lavish' spending on clothing since she became McCain's 'chosen one'.

Now, let's just imagine how disappointing it would be if Sarah showed up to her one and only debate (with Joe Biden, not Joe the Plummer) wearing a suit from Sears:


Don't get me wrong, we need places like Sears, Walmart & Target to shop for great deals but America should draw the line at dressing a Vice Presidential candidate in something an average Soccer Mom would wear. Let's get real here, people! We don't want Sarah to look like the average Soccer Mom she claims to be! We want her to look hot! We want her to look polished. A suit like the one about (63% polyester/37% rayon) does not do so well under all those unforgiving lights, not to mention the heat. In case you're lucky enough to have never felt polyester on your skin, let me explain to you how it feels: it feels like shit. It feels like you are sweating your ass off, even in minus 20 degree weather. For you see, polyester doesn't breath--it suffucates. AND if you wear it long enough, you'll stink. This is probably why people living through the seventies wanted to be naked and celebrate 'free love' every day. Forget sex, drugs and Rock&Roll--they couldn't take the heat of polyester.

Sarah showed up to the debate looking lovely--not sweaty. She also probably smelled a lot better since the heat of all those lights (and the pressure) must of made her sweat buckets.
Look how great she looks! (Isn't Joe cute? I have such a crush on him! Don't ask..)


So, it turns out that Sarah likes to shop at Neiman Marcus & Saks; likes it sooo much, she's racked up $150,000 worth of clothes. Really? A woman likes to shop at these places? You don't say! Anyway, it was first reported that she bought her Armani suit the night before the big debate but this suit is not Armani--it's Tahari. And it's a steal! $498!


Surely America can forgive her for this. I mean, she saved them $1,500 when she decided against the Armani.