I had high expectations for this opening show of the awards season. I’ve wanted to see Ricky Gervais host one of these things for a long time. The Golden Globes feels like a party – a good fit for Ricky’s style of humor. Unfortunately it is also a show that normally operates without a host and that showed. There wasn’t really a place for Ricky. I wasn’t expecting a big musical number but he didn’t even really get a full monologue. That’s not to say that he didn’t get off some pretty good one-liners. His crack about being a man who loves a drink, but not as much as Mel Gibson, was a slap-your-hand-over-your-mouth classic. Kudos to Mel for reacting so well to it. The Salty Old Dog’s take on it was that Ricky took his “I don’t care” attitude a little too far and didn’t seem to particularly care how funny he was.
As for the show itself, it moved quite well and even ended on time. There were funny moments and even a couple of heartfelt ones. Here’s what stood out for me:
Fashions
Might as well start with what really matters – the gowns! For me the knock-out of the night was Jennifer Garner. It was a stunning dress that fit her body type perfectly:
I thought there were also some interesting (while still being attractive) dresses. I love the color and unique style of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s gown:
I also found Kate Hudson’s dress striking – while also being a little odd:
And, of course, my girl Jennifer Aniston was her usual, gorgeous self:
She and Gerard Butler certainly weren’t trying to stop the romance rumors on this particular night.
As for the misses, I didn’t think there were any real disasters this year. Mariah Carey has been getting some grief for her super-plunging neckline:
I don’t really see what the problem is. She’s Mariah Carey. She’s supposed to dress this way. Nick Cannon certainly looks happy about it.
Winners & Speeches
My favorite winner of the night was Sandra Bullock for “The Blind Side”. As she has admitted, she’s not the kind of actress who gets nominated for awards so it was great to see her get her moment in the sun. I also loved the speech from Jason Reitman after winning for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture with Sheldon Turner for “Up in the Air”. He seemed so genuine in his praise of George Clooney and his words to his father (who was there along with his mother) were very touching. Salty was struck by the heartfelt speech from Mo’Nique who won for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for ”Precious”. Sometimes Mo’Nique can be a bit much but this speech was sincere and moving. My favorite speech of the night, though, belonged to Robert Downey, Jr. He was just plain funny:
Other notes: How adorably uncomfortable does George Clooney look when he’s being praised? It makes me love him even more (if that’s possible). Meryl Streep was also charmingly uncomfortable with her embarrassment of riches and her impromptu speech was outstanding. The Martin Scorsese tribute was quite good – especially the speech from Mr. Scorsese himself.
It was definitely an enjoyable evening full of beautiful people. In closing, I’d just like to take a moment to focus on two of the prettiest - Leonardo DiCaprio and Simon Baker:
Oh, and I should mention that the hot guy standing there with Simon is his brother. Here’s hoping he shows up on “The Mentalist” sometime soon.
Posted on August 30th, 2009 by Princess Kitty in Movies
Sandra Bullock is taking a break from her romantic comedies with the sports themed drama, ”The Blind Side”. It’s the life story of the Baltimore Ravens 2009 first round draft pick, Michael Oher. Bullock and Tim McGraw play the wealthy couple who took Oher in when he was a teenager. It looks like an inspiring story – and an interesting departure for Bullock. The film, which also stars Kathy Bates and Quinton Aaron, is set to open on November 20th.
Posted on August 28th, 2009 by Princess Kitty in Movies
Hmmm. I’m not sure how I feel about this movie. The story has kind of been done before but the cast looks pretty amazing. “The Invention of Lying” stars Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey and Jonah Hill. Plus I spotted Stephanie March in the trailer. I don’t think I’ll be rushing to the theater to watch it (it’s set to open on September 25th) but I might make a point of checking it out when it hits cable.
Posted on August 14th, 2009 by Princess Kitty in Movies
Ok, I know this is yet another romantic comedy with Hugh Grant in the rain but I still thought the trailer looked kind of cute. It is Hugh, after all. He puts the sexy in befuddlement.
“Did You Hear About the Morgans?” is scheduled to be released on December 18th and stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Sam Elliott and Mary Steenburgen along with Grant.
Posted on August 9th, 2009 by Princess Kitty in Movies
Hey! Guess what? There’s yet another movie on the horizon that is aimed at adults – and again it stars Meryl Streep. This time she’s caught in a love triangle with Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. It looks like fun:
Posted on July 13th, 2009 by Princess Kitty in Movies
Last night the Salty Old Dog and I went to an advanced screening of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”. Given that I’ve written something about this movie almost monthly, it probably comes as no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It’s rare that a movie franchise makes it to a 6th installment and I’m not sure there’s ever been a case when movie number 6 was one of the strongest. That is the case, though, with “Half-Blood Prince”. It packs a real dramatic punch (the young woman in full “Potter” regalia sitting next to me in the theater was a mess by the end) but it also is the most humorous of the series. Romance is in the air at Hogwarts and the perils of young love provide plenty of laughs – particularly when Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) is involved.
The leads (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Grint) continue to develop as actors but “Half-Blood” is really Tom Felton’s (Draco Malfoy) chance to shine. It is by far the most he’s been asked to do and he rises to the occasion. As I’ve said many times before, the casting of the kids in this franchise was brilliant. That tradition continues here with the addition of Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Frank Dillane as the 11 and 16 year old Tom Riddle. They only have a few moments in the film but they’re memorable.
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” opens everywhere on Wednesday (July 15th). The two-part finale of Book 7 can’t come soon enough for me!
Posted on July 6th, 2009 by Princess Kitty in Movies
Hilary Swank is making another Oscar bid with her latest film, “Amelia”. The film also stars Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor and Virginia Madsen. The film is scheduled to open on October 23rd. Check out the teaser trailer below:
Posted on July 3rd, 2009 by Princess Kitty in Movies
Well, OK, that’s not Joel McHale on the poster - but he’s featured pretty prominently in the trailer for “The Informant”. If only he had Lou with him.
“The Informant” is directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Tony Hale and Melanie Lynskey along with “The Soup’s” McHale. Here’s the official blurb on the plot:
What was Mark Whitacre thinking? A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Whitacre suddenly turns whistleblower. Even as he exposes his company’s multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI, Whitacre envisions himself being hailed as a hero of the common man and handed a promotion. But before all that can happen, the FBI needs evidence, so Whitacre eagerly agrees to wear a wire and carry a hidden tape recorder in his briefcase, imagining himself as a kind of de facto secret agent. Unfortunately for the FBI, their lead witness hasn’t been quite so forthcoming about helping himself to the corporate coffers. Whitacre’s ever-changing account frustrates the agents and threatens the case against ADM as it becomes almost impossible to decipher what is real and what is the product of Whitacre’s rambling imagination. Based on the true story of the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in U.S. history.
It actually looks like a pretty entertaining film:
“The Informant” is set to be released on October 9th.
Posted on June 22nd, 2009 by Princess Kitty in Movies
I’ve never had anything particularly for or against Cameron Diaz so I was surprised by how touched I was by her speech today at the ceremony for her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She seemed genuinely thrilled and her comments about her family were very sweet. I teared up a bit listening to her talk about her mother and her late father:
