A Picture is Worth....

......a thousand words, especially when you kiss AT&T goodbye.  I am happy to be back on Verizon with my beloved iPhone.  That means the end of my cranky tweets to AT&T and I finally have a phone that works as a phone.  What a novel idea!  Have a great weekend, everyone.  I will happily be tweeting, texting, and talking on my iPhone 4.

I Would Like To Thank The Academy.....

......Okay, I never, ever thought I would utter those words in my lifetime.  I am not an actress, nor do I ever aspire to be one.  However, today, I can say, "I'd like to thank the Academy".  Why?  Well, they kindly pushed my article out on their Twitter and Facebook pages.  So, my Oscar Nominees Luncheon article on Starpulse was seen by hundreds of thousands of people.  I am so honored and flattered it was such an amazing day for me and truly a privilege to be in that room with the entertainment journalists and film artists I admire.  So, I would like to thank the Academy for all of the support and encouragement, particularly the PR and Marketing team at AMPAS.  You have been amazing to me and my crew this awards season and I look forward to covering the 83rd Annual Academy Awards in 18 days.  Like Hall and Oates said, "You make my dreams come true...."

And a big "Thank You" to all of you for your comments and feedback on Twitter, Facebook, Starpulse, and here at Red Carpet Closet.  I am a big Oscar dork and I am happy to see that I am not the only one out there who thinks Red Carpet is an Olympic sport.

Oscar Nominees Luncheon

Have you ever had the opportunity to sit three feet away from some of your favorite artists from the big screen?  Well, yesterday, I had that opportunity with my coverage of the Oscar Nominees Luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.  It was overwhelming to start off your day with a dash of Javier Bardem and end it with a touch of Natalie Portman.  It was an intimate and supportive pressroom, where the media clearly has their favorites in the Oscar race.  Read my play-by-play for Starpulse here.  I give you all of the action and scoop as it happened. Who was naughty?  Who was nice?  The answers just might surprise you.

For my New York friends, if you are looking for a place to celebrate Oscar night, consider hanging with the gals of Moxie Street Picture Shows for a night of fun, prizes, and food/drink.  It is a FREE event with no drink minimums, but be sure to RSVP soon because last year's event sold out quickly.  I will even be sharing live updates from LA to everyone in NY.  It should be an exciting night, so click here for more information.

Photo Credit (Used with Permission):  Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Oscar Round-Up

With only twenty days until the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, I am furiously gathering dresses, shoes, clutches, and hair styles together so I look somewhat assembled on the big day.  If I am worried about my ensemble, can you imagine being a nominee?  The pressure is on!  Here are some great articles, photos, and news floating around the interwebs to catch up on:

Photo:  Ruven Afanador, Los Angeles Times Magazine

1.  Mila Kunis:  She has looked divine all season long on the red carpet.  It's hard to even believe she is only 5'3" tall because that girl looks downright statuesque in each outfit she adorns.  Check out this fantastic LA Times Magazine article on her and the equally stunning photos by Ruven Afanador.  

Photo:  National Photo Group, People Magazine

2.  Oscar:  Okay, I am not a mama, but don't tell me Natalie Portman is four months along in her pregnancy.  I know a third trimester when I see one. I think we are seeing what I call "Oscar Math". Let's pretend the front runner for the Oscar is only four months along lest the voters do the real math and realize that her fiancé might have overlapped with the ladies.  Yes, it is gossip, but Natalie is not giving birth this summer, it is going to be much sooner than that.  Or, as my friend, Ali, says, "The baby will be 8 lbs. and two months premature."

Photo:  MFL/ZUMAPRESS.com for US Weekly

3. Red Carpet Dress Etiquette:  I've taken some heat for my red carpet dress opinions for The Golden Globes and The SAG Awards, but I still stand by what I said.  The Hollywood Reporter wrote a great article about "The Psychology of The Golden Globes Dress".  Also, Giuliana Rancic, host of E! News, runs down what it is like to prep for the red carpet as a TV host.  It isn't as simple as hopping in a gown and showing up to work.  A lot of thought and consideration goes into choosing a dress even for the red carpet presenters.  I hope this gives you some more insight on what I am talking about in my other articles.

Okay, so now it is your turn.  What are your thoughts on Mila Kunis, Natalie's sketchy math, and all of that darn wardrobe etiquette?  Chime in below.  I am on my way to the Nominees Luncheon today, so I will have all of the scoop from inside the pressroom tomorrow.

Sanctum 3D

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to screen the new James Cameron-produced psychological thriller, Sanctum 3D, in preparation for my interview for Mingle Media TV with the film's director, Alister Grierson.  I will be honest by saying that my film tastes usually skew more towards dramas and documentaries versus intense action movies. If I told you that I white-knuckled my way through the film would be an understatement, but the movie was a wild ride.



I headed down to The Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills to interview Alister to really focus on the technical aspects of how the film was made.  When we got there, we found out that Alice Parkinson, who plays Victoria in the film, was also going to drop in on the interview. Score!  This movie was so intense for everyone involved and now I was able to get an actor's perspective.

The most pressing question of the day started right off with asking about Jim Cameron.  It had been announced that he was THE most successful man in entertainment last year earning close to $257 million thanks to Avatar.  What was it like working with him?  Both Alister and Alice had an enormous amount of respect for Mr. Cameron especially for his pioneering technologies like the Pace-Cameron Fusion 3D camera system that helped make Sanctum possible--in 3D and underwater. (To understand how revolutionary this system is, read this article.) Alister even had the pressure of being hand-picked by the movie mogul, so the whole film became a career-defining moment for him and one that he handles with total aplomb.

The actors had the challenge of training in rock climbing and scuba diving plus their job of acting.  In fact, they also had to act as their own lighting specialist since much of the underwater light came from the battery-powered lights on their heads.  This created scenes of organic lighting, but with having to remember lines and their scuba techniques, it was a lot of multi-tasking on their part.  Alister also waited to shoot the underwater scenes the last month on set so that the actors had several months of Scuba training under their belt.  He wanted them to be as confident and safe as possible because they were constantly in dangerous situations.

The fascinating aspect of the film is that it is a true psychological drama based on a true story experienced by the film's writer, Andrew Wight.  It preys upon the audience's fear of suffocation, drowning, and claustrophobia in a visually stunning use of camera techniques, sets, and locations.  It also brings up a few questions of morality and human behavior when you find yourself in a dangerous situation. Do you help those in need or do you move forward and save yourself?  What would you do?  After seeing Sanctum 3D, your answer just might change........



All photos are property of Mingle Media TV.

Daily Savings TV

You all know I like a good deal, especially an online deal.  Well, I am excited to announce that I will be the host of Daily Savings TV  on Mingle Media TV beginning this month.  If you are familiar with Groupon or Living Social, it works the same way. It's an easy way to save on some of your favorite stores, places, and events.  Here are all the rules:

• Buy

  We’ll announce a new deal that is 50-90% off regular prices at restaurants, spas, events and other local goodies. There’s a minimum number of buyers needed to make a deal active, so if enough people buy that day’s offer before it expires, the deal is live.

• Share

  When you find an offer you like, share it with your friends using our Facebook, Twitter or email links. The more people you invite, the greater chance an offer has of becoming activated. Plus, every time you refer a friend and they purchase a deal within 30 days, you get $10 worth of Deal Bucks applied to your account for a future purchase.

• Print

  Deal vouchers are available to print within 24 hours after the deal closes. Please keep in mind, some deals run for several days, so check the time remaining for when the deal will close. When your voucher becomes available, you can print it from the “My Deals” page.

• Repeat

  Don’t miss out! Sign up to receive an email every time we post a new deal.

So, make sure to sign up for emails here for our official launch and be sure to Refer a Friend to earn $10 in Deal Bucks.  You can also check us out on Facebook or Twitter if you would like to simplify your Social Media life.  I hope to see you there!

Here's my video explaining it all:

January Wrap-Up

View from the back of Angie Harmon's Monique Lhuillier dress. Photo from Go Fug Yourself.

I don't think I ever gave much thought to Angie Harmon, but apparently, many others do.  In fact, she has her own fan club on Twitter called the Twangels.  I am not making this stuff up, kids.  They came out in full force emailing me, commenting on the blog, and Tweeting me about how I was wrong about the dress.  I figured the two final judges on fashion, Go Fug Yourself and Joan Rivers from E!'s Fashion Police, would be the final word as to whether I was completely wrong or whether my comments had a bit of validity to them.  Joan called the dress a "gay Swiffer" and the Fug Girls?  Well, they said it was "Fug, not Fab".  The bottom line, it's just an opinion and I really think Angie felt beautiful because she was beaming in all of her red carpet photos.  At the end of the day, that's all that really matters, isn't it?

Now that we have reached the end of the month.  Here are the absurd searches that drew many readers to Red Carpet Closet.  I love these because some are so wacky and I always wonder how Google's algorithm determines that they should stop here.

1.  "Sandra Bullock Botox Golden Globes":  Okay, I didn't write about Sandra's Botox at the Golden Globes, yet HUNDREDS of you were sent here to read about it.  I did write about Jennifer Lopez's Botox which left her frozen in time and unable to move.  Does Sandy do Botox?  Yep.  Does it look unnatural?  Nope.  Remember the next time you are at the dermatologist, "a little dab will do ya".  Don't over-Botox, ladies, it gives you butter face.  You can find the Golden Globes article here. 

2.  "Are Charlie Bodin and Paula Rhodes a couple?":  I can answer this one.  Yes.  And they are engaged.  It's like my blog became Tiger Beat magazine.  I love it.   See their work in A Good Knight's Quest.  Check out my interview with them here.

3.  "Dad is Carpet Cleaning":  Hmmm, you stumped me on this one.  I don't ever offer cleaning tips because it is one of my least favorite things to do.   So, I hope you enjoyed my blog while you helped your dad clean the carpet.  To balance out my least favorite thing, this is my favorite event that I covered from the month of January:  The Academy Award Nominations.

4.  "Detroit Auto Show Carpet":  So many of you want the remnants of the auto show carpets from Detroit.  Believe it or not, the display companies DO sell off the carpet because they only use it for the run of the two week show.  I am not going to give out the names of the display companies since they will be bombarded with calls.  However, a word to the wise, this is the dirtiest carpet you could ever buy.  Over 700,000 attendees walked on your carpet and dragged in germs, salt, snow, and dirt from outside.  Is that the kind of carpet you want in your home?  See highlights from my time in Detroit at NAIAS 2011.

5.  "Olga Kay Sneakers":  I guess this has become the monthly "Ask an Olga Kay Question Center".  One month, her fans were worried about her.  I checked in on Olga and she is doing great!  The next month, they wanted to know how tall she was.  I asked her, she's 5'1".  Now you want to know what type of sneakers she wears.  Sigh, I'll go ask.  Check back later for the response.  In the meantime, check out my interview with her.  

Thanks for making January such a great month here at Red Carpet Closet. I know a lot of you stopped by for red carpet/awards show coverage.  I hope you come back in February because there will be an entire week of wall to wall Oscar coverage.  Yes, I will be there LIVE on February 27th.....and I am so excited!