Oscar Wrap-Up

As I wake up from my Oscar haze, I realize there is so much to do:  photos to share, articles to read, and videos to upload.  This will be a week of Oscar wrap-ups, thoughts, and more behind the scenes scoop.  Next week, we get back to our regularly scheduled program. I hope I remember what that is!

First up, my article on Starpulse, "Secrets From The Red Carpet" is up.  You can also see more of my exclusive personal photos from the day.  I will also have another article coming in the next few days from the Makeup and Hair Symposium featuring all three nominated movies in this category.  It was one of my favorite events of the week, so stay tuned.

Here is my final personal Oscar video where I take you from the hair to makeup to the show:



I will leave you with a few photos from yesterday:

Interviewing Best Supporting Actor nominee, John Hawkes.

Javier, Javier, look at me!

What is that behind me?

Wally Pfister, the winner of Best Cinematography for Inception.

All photos are property of Mingle Media TV.

Live Blogging The Oscars

I finally made it inside and I will be live blogging from inside the interview room. I am typing slow because my hands are thawing out from outside. Feel free to hit me up with questions and comments as the night goes on.  Here we go!

5:44 PM:  Art Direction is the first award with Tom Hanks.  Alice in Wonderland wins!

5:45 PM:  Trying really hard to update photos and videos from the red carpet while watching a show. I need to pee and I want a snack.  The press food back here smells good.

5:46 PM:  Well, you get a 2 for 1 with Tom Hanks. He's also doing Best Cinematography.  Wally!  Inception won.  I interviewed him on the red carpet so thrilled!

5:49 PM:  First winners coming into the room now.  This is when they turn down the volume and I have to wear headsets to hear the show.  Lots of multi-tasking.

5:52 PM:  Most of the room is focused on Kirk Douglas.  It's the first time everyone piped down.  Supporting category.  Do we get our first upset here?

5:54 PM:  And the Oscar goes to?  Melissa Leo.  No upset.  She swept the awards season.
And by the way, Kirk Douglas is amazing.  It takes a lot of courage to get up there live in front of an international audience.  He was so funny, but the ladies must have been dying to hear the winner!

5:58 PM:  You may be speechless, but you have 45 seconds.  F-BOMB!!!  Damn. I hope this is the sign of a fun night.

6:00 PM:  I hope we hear an F-BOMB in the pressroom from her.  Justin Timberlake got the loudest cheers on the red carpet.

6:03 PM:  I feel young and hip.  I just explained to the media around me who Banksy was.  And here's my Banksy photo!!

6:07 PM  No suprise, Toy Story 3 won.  Well-deserved!  I did interview the How to Train Your Dragon nominees and I really liked them, so I was secretly rooting for the underdog too.

6:11 PM  I am listening to the Oscars via headset in one ear and leaving the other ear open to hear the backstage interviews.  The two reporters across from me are snarky and it's kind of fun to listen to.

6:13 PM  Oooo, this is a good catetory. Adapted Screenplay.  This is Aaron Sorkin's.  Let's see if I am right.

6:15 PM Okay, I was right.  Now let's take a moment to pause and see how close I got to Javier Bardem on the red carpet:

6:17 PM  Melissa Leo is here and very apologetic about her F-BOMB.  And so happy to see that David Seidler of The King's Speech won for Best Original Screenplay.  I can't wait to show you my interview with him.

6:21 PM:  Melissa made no apologies for her Variety "For Your Consideration" ad.  Good girl!

6:25 PM:  Here comes the singing.  It's hard for the winners to see us in the press room. They keep looking for the reporter barking a question.

6:26 PM:  By the way, Taylor Hackford is a lucky man.  Helen Mirren is a total babe.

6:28 PM:  Denmark wins for Best Foreign Language Film.  Nice!  I interviewed her on the red carpet as well.  I didn't do too badly.

6:32 PM:  Looking like a predictable night so far.  Christian Bale for Best Supporting Actor.  I was rooting for Geoffrey Rush.

6:34 PM:  But here's your Christian Bale photo from earlier today:

 6:41 PM:  David Seidler is in here.  I have a complete crush on him.  His writing was beautiful in The King's Speech.

6:42:  Is it me or did Nicole Kidman's dress look similar to Anne Hathaway's opening monologue dress? Rachel Zoe will not be pleased.

6:44 PM  Never in my lifetime did I ever think I would utter, "Trent Reznor, Oscar winner".  Way to go, Nine Inch Nails.  I loved The Social Network's soundtrack. 

6:46 PM:  Red Carpet Gossip alert:  Scarlett Johansson was the least gracious on the red carpet.  Yep, I said it.  

6:47 PM:  Sorkin is here.  My favorite first five minutes in a film-The Social Network. He's so smart. 

6:54 PM:  Aaron is still yapping away.  Just a reminder, all photos posted tonight belong to me.  Please ask for permission to repost.  I am happy to grant permission in exchange for a link.  Now back to your regularly scheduled program.  

6:56 PM:  Rick Baker wins ANOTHER Oscar for makeup for The Wolfman. His work is undeniably groundbreaking in the makeup category beginning with An American Werewolf in London.  I can't wait to share my article about yesterday's Makeup Symposium.  He offered a lot of interesting insight on CGI versus traditional makeup techniques.  He is spot on in his opinions on this.  

7:04 PM:  I, for one, missed the performances last year at the Oscars, so it is nice to see so many artists hit the stage and sing their songs.  

7:05 PM:  Christian Bale is here and he started by asking the media a question about his speech.  He was worried he forgot to thank Mark Walhberg and Melissa Leo.

7:07 PM:  The musical theatre geek in me was so excited to interview Alan Menken on the red carpet tonight where he talked about his performance with Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi.

7:11 PM:  Ted Casablanca from E! just asked the question of the night:  "Since you have been know for a few meltdowns, what do you think of Charlie Sheen?"  Christian Bale:  "I don't know a thing, I've been in China". Nice way out of that sticky spot.  Big laughs and of course, Charlie Sheen found a way to sneak into the Oscars.  

7:16 PM:  I need to take a quick break.  Caffeine and a bathroom and a snack are in my future.  

7:22 PM:  I'm back with food, beverage, and the realization that I interviewed the winners of Inside Job on the red carpet.  Yes!

7:26 PM:  If you have been following the Nikki Finke drama, Billy Crystal was the worst kept surprise in the industry.

7:28 PM:  I feel bad for the winner of Sound Mixing for Inception. Everyone keeps laughing, but they are listening to Billy Crystal, not him.

7:30 PM  Rick Baker is here.  He doesn't have an agent, rarely chases jobs, and he chased after The Wolfman job.  I think he made the right decision.

7:37 PM:  Red Carpet Gossip Alert: Jennifer Hudson had a Personal Dress Train handler on the red carpet:

7:45 PM  Has Gwyneth sung at every awards show this year? Time to retire. Ouch.  She looked amazing tonight though. Her body was flawless in a dress that does not allow flaws.  

7:54 PM  Love her music or not, Celine is one of Hollywood's nicest celebrities.  That is a fact.  And the lady can sing.  I'm sorry for the lousy photo, Celine.  My fault.

7:57 PM:  Even though Christopher Nolan is not nominated for Best Director, the press likes his movie quite a bit.  Winners in ANY category from the movie get the most questions.  The omission is noted on all sides of the media.

8:01 PM:  Halle is a little bit of crazy, but she always looks good. 

8:04 PM  Loud cheers in the pressroom for Best Director winner, Tom Hooper, for The King's Speech.  The favoritism amongst the press is always one that intrigues me.

8:05 PM:  We have been informed that the rest of the winners are being held in the theatre until the end of the night. This show is moving quicker than previous years.

8:10 PM:  Sorry, I got distracted. Some good overheard snark:  "It's a night to remember" is heard on onscreen. A press member repeats it in the most sarcastic way possible.  Then another press member replies, "Yeah, you want a young crowd, entice them with Kirk Douglas".  It's hard to dodge the snark in here.

8:12 PM:  Do we think there will be an upset in this category after such a predictable night?

8:16 PM:  Nobody wants Natalie to win. Hmmm.....but she does.  Predictable night. Oh, the press is still not happy with her after this.  So, Annette, I am giving you this, my chocolate Oscar:

8:22 PM  A few gifts to someone who has been supporting me all Awards Season long.  To Michelle:  here is your Zachary Levi photo:

8:25 PM:  Colin Firth.  The most predictable predict of the entire season. He was good, but go see him in A Single Man.  He's even better.

8:26 PM:  When I grow up, I want Mr. Valentino to walk me down the red carpet like Anne Hathaway. Her red carpet dress was divine.  Now, that's a star!

8:34 PM:  I am going to predict that it is The King's Speech for the trifecta....Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay.

8:35 PM:  And that announcement made the press happy. Good job, Academy!

8:36 PM:  I wish I could take pictures in here.  The reporters across from me are awesome.  They remind me of Statler and Waldorf. I hope you get this reference.

8:36 PM:  PS 22, save this show!  Now do you guys miss Ricky Gervais as host?  PS 22 was the hit of the red carpet, by the way!

8:46 PM:  Winner should be coming in soon.  Will add a few updates here until I leave to eat my STEAK.

8:49 PM:  Randy Newman, Oscar #2 for him. I love his song for Toy Story 3.

8:56 PM:  Lots of waiting.  Press is eating.  I picked up my Oscar program and returned my headsets.  Exciting, no?  I can't stop thinking about meat, potatoes, mac and cheese, a glass of wine, dessert.  Remember all of you who said I looked thin?  You won't say that tomorrow. Ha!

9:01 PM:  While you are waiting, here is a photo of Armie Hammer to stare at. Yum.

9:07 PM:  Still nothing. I am going to post the article and link on the Nikki Finke controversy up at the 7:26 PM mark.

9:10 PM:  Natalie is here!  Journalist asked if she was going to name her baby "Oscar".  This is the loveliest outfit on her yet-Rodarte.

9:12 PM  Okay, it's getting interesting in here.  Someone just asked whether her baby was moving when she won.  Nope, he moved during the song portion of the night.  Then another journalist asked about the John Galliano and the Anti-Semitic remarks that have him currently suspended from Dior.  They also didn't understand why she wasn't wearing Dior when she is the face of Dior.  Oops, moderator moved on quickly from that one.

9:19 PM:  Colin is here and handsome.  Even though he just won an Oscar, everyone wanted to know if he was invited to the royal wedding. Really?  Do Kate and Prince William really figure into tonight's events?

9:23 PM:  Okay, kids, time for me to wrap up here and go change to outfit #2!  It's party time. I will bring you more video and photos tomorrow.  Thanks for joining me in such an incredible ride.  My dreams came true tonight! xo

2011 Oscars, Day 6

I'm Banksy!

This is it!  The night before the Oscars.  It feels like the Olympics, Christmas, and the Super Bowl all rolled into one for me.  I leave you with lots of videos and photos from the last two days including this awesome video of what the red carpet looks like the day before the show....a total mess!  It's cleaned and shined pretty for Sunday, so it is hilarious to see the transformation.  It's also going to be a cold day in LA. We had SNOW for the first time since 1911.  I never thought I would see that in my lifetime.  Well, reporting LIVE from the red carpet in 14 hours, it's KB!

Just a reminder you can find all of my red carpet updates and backstage interview room LIVE blog information here.

Thank you to Zennie Abraham from SFGate for the nice article and video interview on the red carpet today with my pal, Marla Schulman.  

Finally, my video tour of the red carpet today:

My spot on the red carpet.

Congratulations to MTVu's Correspondent winners:  Luz Pena and Phillip Robibero from Hofstra University!

GBK Gifting Suite with Fred Willard, Regina King, and Constantine Maroulis talking about their Oscar Night rituals:  

 This one is for AI fans, Constantine Maroulis.

I love Fred Willard.  That is all.

2011 Oscars, Day 5

Hanging on the red carpet with members of the US Military at Cinema City Film Festival

Yesterday was a tough one.  I think my Oscars Week madness officially took its toll, I was dragging my tail all day.  After a good night's sleep though, I am rarin' to go!  I want to kick off today with answering the big question of my week:  "Where can we see you on Oscar Sunday?"  Great question!  Now hear are all of the answers:

     1. Before, During, and After the Oscars:  I will be giving live updates via Twitter from getting ready to the last party of the night.  You do not have to sign up for Twitter to follow my updates, my page is public.  Just click on this link.
  
    2. During the Oscars: Once the show begins, I will be backstage in the interview room as the winners come through to talk about their big win.  I will continue to post pictures and videos from the red carpet and I will be live blogging throughout the night right here at Red Carpet Closet!

I hope you will all join me.  Feel free to ask questions either via Twitter or in the comments section below.  I will do my best to answer them throughout the event.

 Interviewing Cheryl Cecchetto about the Governor's Ball design.

Wolfgang Puck cooks and he talks....a lot!  

As for yesterday's coverage, I filmed my daily video on my couch at the end of the day which really was the perfect way to end a rainy day in LA.  There's lots of fun news in it and a preview of some of the jewelry I tried on for my dress, so be sure to check it out:




I am also catching you up on a few photos and videos from the past week from the Cinema City International Film Festival to my fun day eating with Wolfgang Puck and the rest of the creative team for the Governor's Ball.  Let me take you Behind the Red Carpet:

At Cinema City International Film Festival where I ask:  Who is your favorite Oscar pick this year?



And at the Food and Beverage Preview with Wolfgang Puck:

 I liked that Silver Screen Punch a little too much.

Tom Sizemore is back and healthy.  I hope we see him acting versus acting out on Celebrity Rehab. He was a very fun interview.  Stay healthy, Tom!

All photos courtesy of Mingle Media TV.

2011 Oscars, Day 4

Ah, what a day!  It started out with the Food and Beverage preview with Wolfgang Puck and ended with a run up and down the red carpet.  Yes, they are still setting it up, but it looks more and more like it does at the big event on Sunday.  The most hysterical part of the day was watching Lara Spencer of The Insider and Nancy O'Dell of ET doing a full dress rehearsal in 55 degree weather.  Yep, they had hair, makeup, and gowns at 9:45 AM.  I wish I had grabbed a photo, but I was racing to the preview at the other end of the red carpet.  Needless to say, they looked gorgeous, but miserably cold.

 The amazing Kobe Beef Slider.....heaven in one bite!

The Food and Beverage Preview was a delicious potpourri of Kobe Beef Sliders, Salmon and Cavier atop an Oscar-shaped flatbread, and Black Truffle Pizza.  My mouth was watering at the mere sight of Wolfgang's food.  To read a full rundown of the event, head over to my article at Starpulse for more details. (When you read the section about Katie Lee, remember, this girl was married to Billy Joel a few years ago.  She is SO young and Billy Joel? Well, he's not.) The one thing I made sure to take a picture of was the sketches of the Governor's Ball staff's wardrobe.  It is incredibly detailed and it captures the entire Copacabana feel for the evening.  Afterwards, my romp through the red carpet was fun. I hope to have some more news to deliver tomorrow, but I will say this has been an incredible ride so far.  The only real stressful item of the week has been the credentials.  It is important for me to wear them at all times for security purposes, but we are not allowed to photograph them in any way. For the on-camera hosts, this presents a lot of challenges throughout the day.  You need to have it on, but not in view of the camera.  It always has to be the forefront thing on my brain before each shot and photograph.

Finally, come join me on my quick video on the red carpet.  You get a real inside look at how it feels to be in the middle of the chaos, construction and all.  I want to thank you all for your support and well wishes so far.  It means a lot to me since this is my Olympics and Super Bowl all wrapped into one.  I was also happy to make some time for my New Media friends tonight and reconnect since it has been ages since I have seen them all in one room.  Enjoy the video and I will see you tomorrow...only 2 more days!

Ironic sign given the fact that we are headed to the Food and Beverage Preview.

The sketches for the band members' wardrobe.

The men's costumes:  they are going for a Tito Puente feel.

How classic is this? The orchestra tuxes.

Did you miss yesterday's updates?  Click right here.

2011 Oscars, Day 3

My day began with my press walk-through over at Hollywood and Highland, so I will know where I am going on Sunday.  While I am trying not to be overwhelmed by the process, it's hard not to sucked into thoughts like, "Oh my God, this is one of my top 5 dreams come true!".  I cannot feel anything but grateful to the people who have helped get me to this week.  I will have to do a whole thank you post next week because, it's a long list.

The exciting thing about my Hollywood & Highland visit, the complex that holds the Kodak Theatre, is that the red carpet is officially down.  It's covered in plastic to protect it from the elements including the pending rain, but it's there.  To understand how the red carpet is laid out, it starts at the intersection of Hollywood and Highland and runs down the middle of the street. Yes, Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth will be jaywalking all over the place on Oscar night.  Photos from the red carpet are not allowed until Thursday, so I have a few shots from the pedestrian point of view from today.

After that, I hopped on over to Paramount Studios for the red carpet for Cinema City International Film Festival where I rubbed Tom Sizemore's head.  Yep, he's back, drug-free, and sporting a mohawk.  I was asking everyone all night about their picks for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress.  If they voted, Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, and The King's Speech would win.  However, I have been hearing rumblings all over town that many Academy members are voting for Annette Bening.  Annette has made herself very available to the press, it is her fourth nomination, and conveniently, she is a member of the Board of Governors at the Academy.  If you don't think politics plays a hand in voting, think again.  I am predicting an upset in either Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress category.  Let's see if the rumors turn out to be true.

Here's my video of the day:  I take you to the red carpet set-up and I have a minor problem sprouting.  Ah, reality always keeps you grounded.



Make sure to catch up on Tuesday's uh...interesting Beauty Suite and then see the video:





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2011 Oscars, Day 2

Oscar diet?  What Oscar diet?

Today, was a busy day filled with a beauty suite, Oscar wardrobe pickup, and a final stop to my esthetician so my skin looks good on Sunday.  It takes a village to put me together for an event like this.  I cannot tell you how many people I have to thank next Monday from my chiropractor to my stylist to my makeup artist.  It's not an easy task.

The day started at the L'Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills at the Style Hollywood Academy Awards Ultimate Beauty Suite.  This event promised the unveiling of an exclusive handbag created in honor of the Oscar nominated film, Black Swan, and the world's most expensive baby cake by Hansen's Cakes and dedicated to Natalie Portman's new baby.  The bag is set to go down the red carpet with an unnamed celeb on Sunday, not Natalie Portman, and then auctioned off to charity with proceeds going to a ballet foundation and a schizophrenia center.  Remember, Natalie's character suffered from multi-personalities, see all of the connections here?  All of this was presented by the designer, Timmy Woods, two ballet school heads, Kristy Swanson, and jeweler, Amyn.  It was a bit chaotic and a little unfocused when it came to the presentation.

The bag was unveiled, not before Kristy and the two ballet heads almost knocked it off of the table, but it was gorgeous.  All of Timmy's designs are handmade using sustainable woods and delicate beadwork all while being assembled in the United States.  You may recognize her Eiffel Tower purse from Sex and the City, the movie.  Immediately after they presented the purse, they revealed the cake.  Now the cake was a beautifully decorated Hansen's Cake, but that was not what made it so expensive.  It was the topper:  a diamond encrusted baby safety pin and charm created for Natalie's upcoming bundle of joy.  This is where it got a bit awkward.  The beautiful jewelry was tiny, so it was hard to photograph.  The jeweler took it off of the cake, frosting and all, so the photographers could get a closer look.  Because the piece was silver, it was even harder to see in his hand.  Kristy Swanson swooped in and saved the day by holding it against a black background, the wrap she was wearing.  She was a total champ because that poor jeweler was flop sweating through the entire press conference.  Everyone then toasted to Natalie's unborn baby and her Oscar nomination in absentia.  Hooray!  Kids, you just can't manufacture moments like this.

Interviewing the super cool, Kristy Swanson.

I'll post the video of our Day 1, Behind the Red Carpet for Mingle Media TV here once it is ready, but I wanted to give you the backstory on the morning.  It will give you even more insight once you see me interview Kristy Swanson who is funny, pretty, and definitely someone with a great sense of humor.

Did you miss all of yesterday's Oscar fun?  Click here.

All photos courtesy of Mingle Media TV.