Remember that ridiculous sequin peek-a-boo Marchesa that Lea Michele wore to the Golden Globes? She looked like an overdressed fool, and she preened like up-and-comer clawing her way up so frantically that all she does is lose ground. While she was ever-so-slightly more demure at last night’s SAGs, Lea still overdid it and brought the LOLs. She wore this Versace in shades of gray with a nearly waist high leg slit that she kept pointing her foot out of for effect. The chest featured a structural bra in which one of her boobs was highlighted with a swirl pattern and the other led up to a single shoulder strap. It made her look lopsided, but it might have worked on a more likable actress. On Lea “pose hard” Michele, everything just reeks of entitlement and desperation. She can ruin the best dress.

Dianna Agron never gets her fashion quite right, but her attitude is a breath of fresh air compared to Lea’s. Dianna was in fuschia ruffled Carolina Herrera which featured a deep v-neck draped neckline and a subtle ribbon belt. I thought it was a lovely dress but a little understated for a big awards ceremony. Still, she gets points for not going as big, or as fug as some of her costars. I loved her delicate braided hair, perfect peach makeup and gorgeous diamond accessories.

Amber Riley was so hot in red at the Globes, but she really had a fashion misstep here in a black and pink lace Badgley Mischka dress featuring a giant bow across the front. What was she thinking? Does she have only bad fashion enablers around her? She paired it with a headband and those ankle strap heels which are so popular lately. The overall look was just fug.

Jayma Mays stunned in sequin cap sleeve formfitting Reem Acra. It was an amazing dress and the only distracting detail was a v-shaped lace cutout in back. She sometimes dresses too girly and precious but she really killed it last night.

Jenna Ushkowitz left a lot to be desired in this bizarre rainbow confetti print Rebecca Minkoff with cut outs around the stomach and back and a sheer skirt. Again, who is telling these actresses that they look good? Is this look supposed to be “whimsical”?

Also failing to work a sheer skirt is Heather Morris, who paired this Masai Payan with silver platform heels. I think with those cat eyes, giant bauble earrings and off-the shoulder dress, Heather takes the prize for most overdressed. There was some seriously stiff competition among this group.

And I can’t forget Jane Lynch, in a lovely cobalt blue v-neck David Meister with Lorraine Schwartz jewelry. I really liked that dress on her, which was conservative but striking. Did you see the bizarre juggle-off that Giuliana had with Jane? Giuliana was trying way too hard with the props last night. I loved how Jane said hello to her “mom, my aunt marge, my brother and sister who are watching today from the south side of Chicago.” That was cute.

Update: I forgot Naya Rivera! She had on a pale blue and white swirled Naeem Khan sequin gown with a v-neck. I just thought the dress was too “cookie cutter.” I know I should like it, but maybe the colors are underwhelming. I would like to see her in something brighter and a little more daring.

The Help won big at last night’s SAG Awards, with Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer taking home statues for leading and supporting actress. The film also won for motion picture cast, beating out The Artist and Bridesmaids among others. Viola gave some inspirational speeches as we’ve come to expect from her. I think she’s got the Oscar on lock down. She got me all choked up yet again when she talked about being inspired as a little girl to become an actress. Here’s part of her acceptance speech for lead actress and I’m including a photo of her posing with Cecily Tyson:

“I was eight years old when I decided to be an actress. I am am so privileged to be gazing on the beautiful face of the woman who inspired me that beautiful day, and that’s Cecily Tyson. When I woke up and realized how difficult it was to be an actor and how rejection was so high – another beautiful face graced the screen when I was in college, and that’s Meryl who always inspires me… What is there but a dream? You can’t trade in a dream for another dream.” She also gave a shout out to the kids in Central Falls, Rhode Island “to dream big, and dream fierce.”

When The Help won for lead cast, Viola again stepped up and brought the room to tears. She said, in part, “It’s been such a joy to just be a part of this cast… I just want to say that the stain of racism and sexism is not just for people of color or women. It’s all of our burden, all of us. I don’t care how orfinary you may feel, we all of us can inspire change.” It was a nice way to end the night.

I loved Viola’s white sleeveless Marchesa dress with the asymmetric gold sequin pattern along the bodice. I thought it was flattering and atypically pretty for Marchesa. Kaiser told me that it looked like Viola was wearing a boob sling, though, and I definitely noticed how bouncy she was. The dress didn’t look as lovely in motion as it did in photos. I thought her gold cuff bracelet was amazing. She told a cute story to Giuliana Rancic on the red carpet about how her daughter, adopted 3 months ago, tried on her jewelry while she was getting ready and kept saying “Nice, momma.”

Octavia Spencer went with a draped gray Tadashi Shoji with a sequin bodice that was similar to a lot of the other dresses she wore this season. She looked very elegant and I’ve enjoyed seeing her style this season. She also gave a rousing acceptance speech that paid homage to the women who came before her, and thanked civil rights activist Medgar Evers as an “unsung hero” of the film. She dedicated her SAG “to the downtrodden, the underserved, underpriviledged, overtaxed whether emotionally, physically or financially.”

Octavia is getting some press for some comments she made backstage about how she needs to lose weight. This makes me sad, because it should really be about her acting ability, not her size. She was asked a question and she answered it in a self deprecating way. She also joked that “If more women ate, they would be a lot happier. Let me tell you, I am a lot grumpier when I don’t eat.” I can definitely relate.

This was Octavia’s date, her friend Josh Hopkins from “Cougar Town,” aka the guy that Courteney Cox probably cheated with. He really gushed about her to Giuliana, and said “To see a friends’ dreams come true, there’s nothing that can make you happier.” That’s sweet!

We’ve already covered the big winners from The Help, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. Both were well dressed and stunning, as we’ve seen from them consistently this awards season. So here we have the two women from The Help whose fashion has been hit or miss lately, and they were both big misses.

Emma Stone looked confusingly dated in a black Alexander McQueen that’s more 50s prom than awards-worthy. Maybe that’s what she was going for. Her dress featured some strange poofy lace crap around the neckline and a slight drop waist. It did make her look incredibly tiny on the red carpet and she’s very thin, but I bet anything would look small compared to the junk that’s going on near the top. At least her makeup isn’t as clownish as it usually is. Look at those ridiculous shoes with the feather accents. They’re Alexander McQueen too, as is her clutch with the kind of brass knuckle handle. I think Emma’s date was her mom. They looked really cute together and you can see their similar features. Emma is so hot and young and this look is just wrong.

Ditto for Jessica Chastain, whom I’ve just started to get to know and really like. She seems like such a decent, genuine person who is grateful for her success. But she just can’t get it right. Here she is in a Calvin Klein dress that’s a great color for her, but is bizarrely cut. The strange balconette bustline makes her top half look smallish. The lack of a waist on this dress just makes her look heavier on the bottom when that’s not the case at all. She’s so gorgeous. I just think those straight-cut dresses don’t do anyone justice. I think I’ve tried on about two in my life and vowed to never give them another chance. I’ll say something nice: I just love her subtle jewelry and her hair. Those soft waves are really perfectly done, but I would like to see a little darker makeup.

Jessica lost Best Supporting actress to her costar, Octavia Spencer. She didn’t seem to mind. Did you notice how she was crying when Viola Davis won for Best Actress? I really like her and am glad we’ll be seeing more of her. She just needs a better team.

Finally! Here are new photos of Jennifer Aniston at last night’s Directors Guild Awards in LA. Aniston was there as one of the nominated directors/producers of Five, the Lifetime movie she did with a group of women – incidentally, she lost in her category. Anyway, Aniston wore this Dolce & Gabbana minidress which… looks like the same kind of LBD she always wears. I’m guessing this is a new piece, but I’m also guessing she has at least two dozen versions of this dress already in her closet. So, it’s a little big boring.

Shall we talk about the fact that she has no baby bump that I can see? There’s nothing noticeable in her mid-section, so that whole “she’s six months pregnant!” claim really was BS. That being said, Aniston does look like she’s gained a little weight. Maybe it’s because she quit smoking, or maybe she’s just stopped obsessively working out since she got with Justin, I don’t know. But look at her legs – and you can even see the slight weight gain in her face and in her arms. She’s just not as “toned” as she usually is. Which is fine, I’m glad that she looks more relaxed and she seems less obsessed with keeping her body ridiculously fit. She looks happy about it too.

She seems to have walked the red carpet solo, but Justin Theroux was there to support his girl – go here to see photos of Aniston and Theroux inside the DGA event. They look genuinely happy together, and I suspect all of the tabloid stories about their constant fighting are BS as well (but I’ve always thought that). When will they walk a red carpet for the first together? At the premiere of Wanderlust? Or at the Oscars?

By the way, am I the only one who thinks there’s something off/weird/different about Aniston’s face? I can’t put my finger on it though – what’s different?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Well, the 2012 Oscar nominations just came out this morning, and it’s going to be interesting show this year. Although many people think that George Clooney is the frontrunner for Best Actor, but I think his position is soft, and I think the Best Actor category is far from decided. Sad news, though: NO FASSBENDER. Ugh. That sucks. Anyway, the only “sure thing” amongst the big acting awards is probably Christopher Plummer for Best Supporting Actor for the independent film Beginners. Plummer’s got this. Anyway, here are the nominations (I’m only including the big ones, not the technical ones):

Best Supporting Actress:
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Janet McTeer “Albert Nobbs”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”

Best Actress:
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best Supporting Actor:
Kenneth Branagh
Nick Nolte
Jonah Hill
Christopher Plummer
Max Von Sydow

Best Actor:
George Clooney
Jean Dujardin
Gary Oldman
Brad Pitt
Demian Bichir

Original screenplay:
The Artist, Bridesmaids, Midnight in Paris, Margin Call, A Separation

Adapted screenplay:
The Descendants, Hugo, Ides of March, Moneyball, Tinker

Director:
Hazanavicius, Payne, Scorsese, Allen, Mallick

Best picture:
War Horse, Artist, Moneyball, Descendants, Tree of Life, Midnight in Paris, The Help, Hugo, Extremely Loud

Some surprises: no Tilda Swinton for We Need to Talk about Kevin. No Fassbender. The inclusion of Rooney Mara is surprising too – I didn’t think she would have had a chance at a nomination. It’s also interesting that Gary Oldman ended up picking up a nomination, considering he’s been shut out of most other awards. It’s also great to see Melissa McCarthy up for Best Supporting, and Bridesmaids up for Best Screenplay. But I’m disappointed that 50/50 didn’t get a screenplay nomination – that was the most well-written film of the year, in my opinion.

Oh, and Angelina Jolie didn’t get a Best Foreign Film nomination for In the Land of Blood and Honey. It was a long shot anyway.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Blake Lively attended a screening of Haywire in NYC last night. Thank God Michael Fassbender wasn’t there, because I don’t even know what kind of hissy fit I would have if Fassy and Blake Lively were in the same contained place. I would just need to rip her hair out. It’s bad enough that she was in the same contained location as Ewan McGregor!!! What must Ewan think of Blake? He probably likes her. Dudes always like Blake. Anyway, we don’t have access to the red carpet photos – you can see them here. We only some photos of Blake leaving the screening, which I’ve included at the end of the post. I just really wanted to use the old “Chanel Ho” photo for the header.

As you can imagine, Blake did the appearance because she’s just signed on to Steven Soderbergh’s new film – how best to support your new director than by going to see his latest film? We discussed her Soderbergh film last week – she got the lead! And she’ll have to “act” too. Because Blake is a real actress! We’ll see about that, Lively. We’ll see.

I just had to mention this, though – Lainey at LaineyGossip says that Blake’s team has already been reaching out to Academy Awards producers for a possible presenting gig for Blake. Which… would be interesting. I’m surprised Blake didn’t angle herself at the Oscars last year, when The Town was up for a few awards? Maybe she tried to angle and failed – whatever happened, if Blake managed to get a presenter slot, it would be her first time at the Oscars. I have mixed feelings about Blake, totally, but I enjoy talking about her and speculating about her, so I would totally welcome this. I actively WANT to see Blake on the Oscars red carpet. I was to see what kind of assy, titsy crap she wears. Would she wear Marchesa?!?! Or Chanel? And if she presents, I want to see her paired with someone awful, like Bradley Cooper, and see her try to angle it into her advantage. I want to see Blake run into (possible nominee) Leonardo DiCaprio. See – Blake is good for ratings! They should just put a camera on her and I would watch the whole live feed.

Photos courtesy of PR Photos, Fame and WENN.

Bridesmaids was up for a couple of awards last night: Motion Picture, Comedy, which went to The Artist (did you see the dog from The Artist on the red carpet? adorable!) and Best Actress in a Motion Picture for Kristen Wiig, which went to Michelle Williams. We’ve heard that there might be some kind of sequel in the works without Kristen Wiig, who has been working on another project. Melissa McCarthy told Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet last night that she wouldn’t want to do another Bridesmaids without Kristen, though. (We don’t have photos of Wiig’s fug look, you can see them here.) Melissa may have just been paying it lip service but I think she was genuine and that if there is something in the works it’s in the very early stages and they’re still hoping to get Wiig on board.

Last night McCarthy wore this emerald Badgley Mischka which is doing something strange to her boobs. From some angles it looks like they’re sitting on a shelf. The dress looked a lot prettier on screen, though, and I’m so glad she opted for something with a jeweled neckline instead of going for sequins as she’s done so often this season.

Zooey Deschanel killed it in this gorgeous custom made Prada. I loved this dress so much and thought it was so striking. Zooey’s makeup was way overdone and her hair looked so fake and like it was hanging in her eyes. I wish she would have gone for simpler styling. Look at how cute she is posing with her sister Emily! I think Emily’s dress is a little fussy and I’m not liking the black shoes paired with the cobalt blue dress. She just had a baby less than four months ago. Zooey was up for best actress in a comedy TV series for “New Girl,” which went to Laura Dern.

Also up for best actress in a comedy was Tina Fey for “30 Rock.” Fey was characteristically cute and I love that she opted for a bright jewel tone instead of going for black as usual. She was in a tight Oscar de la Renta gown with a flared feather hemline. The dress wasn’t amazing, but Tina looked great.

Tina’s BFF Amy Poehler, nominated in the same category, looked a little washed out. She was wearing one of the more popular gown colors last night, a pale champagne shadPoehler was in Naeem Khan and I find the dress so pretty apart from the color. The subtle beading with clean lines is just so striking. I love Poehler’s cute hair and makeup too. That’s how you curl shorter hair.

Like Amy Poehler, Julie Bowen also suffered from too-light dress syndrome. She had on chiffon Reem Acra gown with a flowing gown and sequin cap sleeves. The sleeves were a little bizarre for me, and I thought her hair was matronly with those stiff curls. She looked lovely despite those minor issues. Her makeup is gorgeous.

Maya Rudolph looked a little underdone, in my opinion, in a v-neck sleeveless matte black gown with a full skirt. Still, I love the pattern on that dress, which is almost snake-like. Her stacked bracelets seem too informal and she could have dressed it up with some jewels. I would love to wear a million dollars worth of diamonds just for one night.

Photo credit: Juan Rico/Fame and WENN.com

One of the things I noticed last night while watching the Globes was just how pulled and frozen everyone looked. It was hard not to see that just about every woman’s face was messed with, some noticeably more than others. So here we have Julianna Margulies, who has natural looking lines but still she looks very Botoxy to me. She’s been that way for a while though. I’m not a fan of her shiny tight purple Naeem Khan gown. I don’t like the very plain, formfitting style of the dress. Coupled with her tightly pulled back hair, it’s too sleek a look. Those green statement earrings are hot, and I do like the open back of the dress.

Jessica Alba wore a lighter shade of purple in studded sequin Gucci. She looks so fresh and glossy in photos, although her spray tan was very obvious looking on camera. I love the style of the dress, especially the bustline, the fitted waist and the slight delicate tail, but something about the pattern is off to me. While the dress was a little strange, overall this look was a win for Jessica.

Laura Linney made me a little sad last night. I love her and I wanted to see her well styled, but her makeup was just so bad. Someone rimmed the membranes of her eyes with dark black liner, making her look squinty, and then slapped some purple eyeshadow on her like a teenager trying out some sparkly Wet and Wild before the Junior prom. It’s so wrong. Her J. Mendel dress was theoretically amazing. I like the modern style and find the slight fold over the asymmetric neckline so clever. Coupled with her styling though, the dress just didn’t pop for her. Those star earrings are from Fragments and they’re cute, but they’re not bold enough for the red carpet. Laura was up for best Actress in a TV Comedy Series, which went to Laura Dern.

The cast of The Help were well represented at last night’s Globes but their fashion was a mixed bag. First off we have Viola Davis, who has not had one misstep this season that I’ve seen. She’s been impeccably dressed and styled every step of the way. Viola was in Pucci, and I just loved the very simple yet high fashion style of the dress, which a very high leg slit and and fabric draped over a single shoulder. Her makeup was spot on, and her bold Fred Leighton jewels complimented the look perfectly. It was really nice to see her on the red carpet last night. Viola was up for best actress, which went to Meryl Streep.

Emma Stone was in what she described as “purple and fuschia Lanvin, and there’s an eagle.” I love the almost superhero style of that belt, which adds a pop of whimsy to a seriously sexy gown. Her dress was amazing, but I can’t say the same for her styling. Yet again, Emma’s makeup is way too heavy handed and looks clownish. She’s so pretty, she just needs a new makeup artist. Her hair looked very polished in that style without being overdone.

I can’t say the same for Jessica Chastain’s hair, which was teased into this ridiculous poof that went with the dated style of her dress. Chastain was in formfitting Givenchy, which wasn’t flattering to her top half. I hate to say this, but Bedhead and I were noticing that her boobs looked a little lopsided in that dress. Her makeup is well done, but that dress didn’t do her any favors. Chastain was very sweet to Giuliana Rancic on the red carpet, and she told her she was a fan of her reality show. She seemed genuinely thrilled to be there and it was nice to see.

Octavia Spencer shone in lilac draped Tadashi Shoji with sequin detail on the bodice. I thought her dress was beautiful and I love her simple but bold teardrop earrings and giant ring. Her hair and makeup are also very well done. Spencer won best supporting actress for The Help after taking home the Critics Choice award last week. She might be a shoe-in for the Oscar.

Photo credit: Juan Rico/Fame Pictures

Co-Stars Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer were both winners at last night’s Critics Choice Awards awards for their roles as domestic staff in The Help. Viola won Best Actress for her portrayal of Aibileen Clark. She gave an impressive speech that was both heartfelt and inspiring. I found myself getting all choked up while listening to her, and there’s talk that her incredible speech last night could bolster her prospects for an Oscar. A video is below and here’s some of what she said. It’s hard to do it justice in print:

Viola Davis strengthened her Oscar prospects with a best actress win at Thursday’s Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, but she also tugged at heartstrings by delivering a powerful acceptance speech.

“I am absolutely so humbled,” said Davis, who won the award for playing Aibileen Clark, a maid living in 1960s Mississippi.

“I wanted to be somebody. I wanted to dream big and make a mark somehow, and that’s something absolutely that Aibileen was not afforded,” she continued. “I considered it my honor to pay homage to these women at this time period who were not allowed to dream.”

During the speech, cameras cut to Davis’ co-star Octavia Spencer, herself a winner in the best supporting actress category, who appeared to have tears in her eyes.

“The Help” finished the night with three awards in all – acting honors for Davis, Spencer and a best acting ensemble award for the entire cast.

[From CBSNews]

A few women that the camera cut away to looked like they were crying during Davis’ speech, it wasn’t just Spencer. Davis said she used to ride the bus for 5 hours to take acting classes when she was 14 and I found that detail so moving. It showed the level of dedication she’s had for her craft since she was young. Octavia Spencer’s speech was a little more typical for an awards show, and she was similarly surprised and overwhelmed at the honor.

In terms of fashion, Viola Davis was just about the only actress in red, she was wearing a deep v-neck Raoul gown that made her cleavage look insane. I loved her look and styling. Viola’s fashion has been spot on this season. Kaiser pointed out to me that Viola’s hair hasn’t always been that great, and that she’s been wearing some wigs that leave something to be desired. Her short hair and impeccable makeup went perfectly with the modern silhouette of her dress.

Octavia also brought it in a gorgeous draped black Tadashi Shoji dress with an understated jeweled belt. Her hair and makeup look great in photos, although I thought her makeup needed more of a pop when I saw her on screen. Her earrings and especially that giant ring she wore which mirrored the design of her belt were just perfect.

Viola Davis’ acceptance speech:

Octavia Spencer’s acceptance speech:

photo credit: Fame and WENN