Oscar Nominations Dress Challenge 2015

It's that time of year again! I need help finding a dress for Oscar Nominations morning on January 15, 2014.  It's early again this year and we are going to have to do this over the Christmas break. Remember though, the winner gets a $25 gift certificate to the store of their choice. For those of you that are new to this challenge, YOU get to chose the dress that I wear for a one of Hollywood's biggest events. 

Here are some guidelines:

1.  It is not a red carpet event: I am looking for a dress that is simple, classic and understated.  Think of a DVF wrap dress or a Jackie O. sheath.  I am short (5' 3"), so I want to show off my legs versus lots of cleavage (which I don't have anyway) to give the illusion of height.  I love shoes, so I want to pick something hot and sassy from my shoe wardrobe.  One note:  Even though I want a dress to show off my legs, please no so-short-I-can-see-your-hoo-ha dresses.  The Oscar Nominations are a very conservative event, so I'd like to keep it that way.

2.  I will be working at 5AM PT that day: I want a dress that is easy, comfortable and not fussy.  I hate pulling and tugging at my dress while I am working. Also, I LOVE pockets!

3.  I like color: It looks great on camera and adds brightness to my face.  Please avoid red or crazy patterns because they have a tendency to moray on camera. I've done blue, two purples, and a hot pink, so maybe a green or yellow this year?

4.  The budget is important.  Let's keep the dress under $250 and it has to be available online in sizes 0 or 2. 

Here are the winners from 2011-2014 to give you an idea of what has won in the past:

For more information on the winning dresses from 2011-2013, click here, here, here and here.

2011:  Dress by Banana Republic

2012:  Dress by Aqua

2013: Dress by ModCloth

2014: Dress by Eliza J.

Are you up for the challenge? 

The Rules:

1. Find me a dress by Monday, January 5 at 11:59 p.m. PST. It must be available online. So post the link in the comments below with your contact info.

2.  The dress must be available in the U.S., but international contestants are welcome to join us for this contest. 

3.  Two finalists will be announced on Thursday, January 8 and the winner will be announced on Thursday, January 15.

4.  Winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to the store of their choice.


If you have any questions, post in the comments below.  Ready, get set, shop!

VIDEO: 2014 Oscar Nominations: Snubs and Surprises

What a day! I got up a 1:30 a.m., hit the Academy at 3 a.m., enjoyed the surprises of the Oscar nominations and then wrote articles, edited a video and did seven radio hits about what happened today. A long, but gratifying day!

Take a look at the video for Starpulse where I got insider opinions on the nominations from film critic Leonard Maltin and Deadline.com's Pete Hammond. They both brought interesting perspective on what this year's nominations had to offer.

 With camerawoman Courtney Walden

Of course, the other big reveal was the dress! Congratulations to Lisa Kay for picking out a really cute Eliza J. dress. Major bonus goes to the fact that the dress had unexpected pockets. Total score! It was the perfect place to hide my iPhone. Even Leonard complimented me on the outfit. I call that a win! Lisa gets a $25 gift card to the store of her choice.

You might recognize this face if you watch SYTYCD on AfterBuzz TV. Chloé West was our production assistant for the day. 

Oscar Nominations Dress Challenge: The Finalists!

I'm so sorry…I am a day late announcing the finalists. It's been a busy week with my trip to Vegas and I've been reeling from the news about my friend in New York.

However, it's time to announce the finalists. I couldn't decide on two, so I have three finalists to show you. There were so many great choices and Laura even created a Pinterest board for me! There were a few other dresses that I loved, but some were no longer available or sold out in my size. I wound up picking two dresses from the same designer and one dress from a online store that I absolutely love.

Which dress will I pick? Find out next Thursday on Oscar Nominations morning!
What dress should I wear? Let me know what dress you love the best in the comments below.

Submitted by Kristin Hope:
This Eliza J dress is so feminine. The color will look great on camera and it is a great silhouette for my petite frame.

Submitted by Lisa Kay:
I love this Eliza J dress because of the print. It has a splash of color and it is fitted at the waist.

Submitted by Donette:
I had no plans to pick a dress in black, but this ModCloth dress is adorable. Other buyers even posted photos of themselves in the dress and I think this is a great contender. Last year's winner also came from ModCloth.

Oscar Nominations Dress Challenge 2014

Red Carpet Closet because it is so much fun! I need help finding a dress for Oscar Nominations morning on January 16, 2014.  It's early again this year and we are going to have to do this over the Christmas break. Remember though, the winner gets a $25 gift certificate to the store of their choice. For those of you that are new to this challenge, YOU get to chose the dress that I wear for a one of Hollywood's biggest events. 

Can you believe it's that time of year again?  This is one of my favorite events that I run over here on

Here are some guidelines:

1.  It is not a red carpet event.  So, I am looking for a dress that is simple, classic and understated.  Think of a DVF wrap dress or a Jackie O. sheath.  I am short (5'3"), so I want to show off my legs versus lots of cleavage (which I don't have anyway) to give the illusion of height.  I love shoes, so I want to pick something hot and sassy from my shoe wardrobe.  One note:  Even though I want a dress to show off my legs, please no so-short-I-can-see-your-hoo-ha dresses.  The Oscar Nominations are a very conservative event, so I'd like to keep it that way.

2.  I will be working at 5AM PT that day.  I want a dress that is easy, comfortable, and not fussy.  I hate pulling and tugging at my dress while I am working.

3.  I like color.  It looks great on camera and adds brightness to my face.  Please avoid red or crazy patterns because they have a tendency to moray on camera. I've done blue and two purples, so maybe a green, pink or yellow this year?

4.  The budget is important.  Let's keep the dress under $250 and it has to be available online in sizes  2 or 4.

Here are the winners from 2011-2013 to give you an idea of what has won in the past:

For more information on the winning dresses from 2011-2013, click here, here and here.

2011:  Dress by Banana Republic

2012:  Dress by Aqua

2013: Dress by ModCloth

Are you up for the challenge?

The Rules:

1. Find me a dress by Monday, January 6 at 11:59 p.m. PST. It must be available online. So post the link in the comments below with your contact info.

2.  The dress must be available in the U.S., but international contestants are welcome to join us for this contest.

3.  Two finalists will be announced on Thursday, January 9 and the winner will be announced on Thursday, January 16.

4.  Winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to the store of their choice.


If you have any questions, post in the comments below.  Ready, get set, shop!

TRAILER: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Awards season has already kicked into high gear and I am completely immersed in screeners and nominees. I will be back working for Starpulse for Oscars season starting with nominations on Jan. 16, 2014. I will be posting about my annual Oscar Nomination Dress Challenge next week, so stay tuned for details.

In the meantime, here's a film that I cannot wait to see: The Grand Budapest Hotel. The film is directed by one of my favorite filmmakers, Wes Anderson. I couldn't get enough of Moonrise Kingdom in 2012, so I expect the same in 2014 when this film is released. With whimsy and wacky characters, this is a sure bet for those of you with a quirky sense of humor.

Fox Searchlight Pictures sent me a fun interactive holiday card that I thought I would share with you. Check it out and be sure to watch the trailer below with Ralph Fiennes, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman. The movies opens March 7, 2014.

The Winning Dress for Oscar Nominations Day

I know there has been a BIG debate this year over which dress I was was going to wear.  The blue one or the green one?  The interesting thing is that everyone was drawn to one or the other and there was no in-between.  Those that were in favor of the green dress loved the cut and color.  Those that were in favor of the blue dress thought that blue was a better color for me.  Several were concerned that the blue dress would be too baggy.  That's the beauty of online shopping, you don't know what it's going to look like until you try it on.

So please, congratulate Ali and Julia for picking the winning dress from Bloomingdale's.  Yes, the blue dress won.  It fit like a glove and it was a fun dress to accessorize.  The green dress from Banana Republic was huge on me.  I loved the color, but I needed a week with a tailor to remake the dress.  That is the one caveat with Banana Republic:  if they don't offer it in a petite size, a regular size 2 or 4 is often cut more like a size 6 or 8.

In case anyone wants to know, Julia is 12 years old.  I think we have a budding fashionista on our hands.

The details on the dress:

Dress:  Aqua by Bloomingdale's.  (With coupons and Ebates, this dress was under $75.)
Shoes:  BCBG Girl
Ring:  Forever 21 (Also seen in this post.)
Bracelet:  Gifted from a Gift Bag long ago.
Necklace: Jessica Matrasko 
Belt:  Roni B (I wore this belt backwards..buckle in the back.)
Hair: Lisa Cavalone

Do More Of What Makes You Happy

Yesterday at the start of my day, I was having a discussion about career/life goals with a close friend. My friend starting teasing me about a point I made and I told my friend that my feelings were hurt.  As the conversation rolled along, it turned into a heated argument.  Now, anyone that knows me could vouch that I just don't fight.  What you see is what you get.  I'm pretty easy to read when I am happy, sad, annoyed, and my calm version of mad.  This friend is probably the one person whom I have epic fights with.  It doesn't happen often, but maybe once every five years.  They know how to push my buttons and boy, did that ever happen. I was so mad, I started crying. (Also not a frequent occurrence.)  We made up after about 30 minutes because there is no point to being mad all day at a great friend, but it made me think.  While my friend's delivery stunk, I know what they were trying to say:  "Do more of what makes you happy.".

Of course, it took a Facebook quote to give me my Oprah "Aha!" moment to realize it.  Someone had posted that quote (Thanks, Alli!), but I knew that this quote was the point of the fight.  I need this mantra to take me through 2012.  Last year's theme was "year of dreams" and I sure did achieve that.  While I have started 2012 on the right foot, I still was aimlessly wandering through trying to figure out what I wanted to achieve this year. Here is what has been nagging at me and let's see how well I do by the end of the year:

1.  Travel:  I love to travel.  I want to explore the world and meet new friends, eat good food, and still go back to Paris all at once.  My current work travel schedule, even though I cut back, is grueling.  So, I need to find a balance of less work travel, more personal travel, and do things a bit differently.

2.  Home:  This falls right into place with the travel.  I love living in LA, I love how I have decorated my home, and I sure have some great friends that I would like to see more.  Even better, I have a chubby kitty who loves it when I'm home.  I want to sleep in my bed more.

3.  Entertainment Reporting:  Nothing gives me greater pleasure than my job whether it is covering an event with the Disney Channel kids or hitting the hottest red carpet in town.  I get asked this question a lot: "What is your ultimate career goal?"  ME:  "I'm doing it.  I'm in the job I set out to do.  Yes, I would like to do more of it and I know who I would like to work for (And no, kids, it's not ET or E!, believe it or not.).  This job makes me happy.  I'm going to stick with it." (By the way, I will be doing something that gives me great happiness tomorrow, the Oscar Nominations, so please stop by or follow me on Twitter for all of the up-to-the minute scoop.)

Now these goals may sound simplified and they are.  I have more detailed ideas in my head and on my dream board, however, I just wanted to share with you what we all should be doing in 2012 on a daily basis. Let's all be accountable and get out there and "do more of what makes us happy".  I'm going to do it, are you?

For more inspiration on this, read or visit The Happiness Project.  I think my personal copy needs a few more dog-eared pages in 2012.

Dress Challenge 2012: The Finalists

Okay, the day has come to let you know who the two finalists are.  I have ordered both choices and they will hopefully be waiting for me when I return home.  I have no idea which one will be the winner, so you will have to wait until Tuesday, January 24th!

The two dress choices are:

I talked about these dresses in two different posts here and here.  The green one is from Banana Republic and I love the color because it is an unexpected one for me.  I haven't worn a soft green shade to an event in ages.  As for the Bloomingdale's blue dress, I love the possibilities for accessory choices....a belt, a necklace, a hot pair of shoes.   So, congratulations go out to Eli and Ali/Julia, you are the finalists in the 2012 Oscar Nominations Dress Challenge!  Let me know what you think of the dress choices.  Which one do you think I will pick?

The Dress: IAWTV Awards

Well, that's a first.  I'm not sure I got a clean full-length shot of me standing on the red....er, blue carpet. So, I cobbled together what I could for my post on my dress details.  So, here we go:

Stylist:  Roni B.

Makeup:  Aurora Nerone 

Hair: Candace Campbell

Colorist:  Lisa Cavalone

Dress:  Minuet, $47 (Yep, a red carpet look under $50, but don't forget to use your fashion tape to prevent wardrobe malfunctions.)

Shoes:  Guess, Winter 2007 collection

Bracelet:  Aldo Accessories, Winter 2007 collection.

Ring:  Roni B

Earrings:  Roni B

I think my dress color has become my signature color.  I wore a similar shade to the opening night of Godspell here and to a deeper shade to the Oscar Nominations in 2011 here.  I think it's time to retire the color....just for a little while.  I love it because it pops on the red carpet, but I am on the verge of overdosing on this look.  Nevertheless, I was very comfortable in my outfit at the IAWTV Awards and I wouldn't have done my outfit any differently.  

A big thanks to Aurora and Candace who put together my red carpet hair and makeup.  We haven't worked together before, but they did a great job making me look like a much better version of myself.  It was a wonderful collaborative process and I think they got the look I wanted down perfectly. So, if anyone needs any Vegas referrals, I have two great artists for you.  So, thank you to Team KB for putting me all together.  You know I couldn't do it without you.....

Photos Courtesy of Mingle Media TV.

Dress Challenge 2012: Dress Choices, Part 2

We are hitting the final dress challenge day!  There's still time to enter as long as you get your choice in by midnight ET.  I will let you know what the two finalists are this weekend and the winner will be announced on Oscar Nominations Day, January 24th.  The entries I have received so far are great, so here's a look at a few more that have come in the last few days.  Let's take a look:

This one of three dress that Ali and Julia picked and I love the dress for the rich blue hue which always looks amazing on camera.  I do have a DVF dress with a similar design, but it is a very flattering cut on me.  This is another selection by Lauren by Ralph Lauren.  It seems like Ralph Lauren and Banana Republic are the clear frontrunners for everyone's shopping list this year.

This was also a dress picked by Ali and Julia and I like it because it has an unexpected twist.  It's hard to see in the photo, but it is a polka-dotted print.  The color is strong for an on-camera look, but it is a bit simple in design.  The simple design didn't deter me though because I think this could be accessorized with a belt and a great pair of earrings.  This dress is by Bloomingdale's.

Here is a final dress to look at that was selected by Sarah and I think this is a sweet and classic silhouette.  Believe it or not, it is a bridesmaid's dress by Alfred Sung in a soft firecracker color.  I know this dress would be appropriate for the event, but I have to find out if it is available online since my time frame to order is so short.  

Okay, that's a was a quick peek into some of the dresses picked so far.  If you missed Round 1, click here.  Remember, there is still time to enter.  You have until Midnight ET tonight.  All of the rules and comment form to enter is here.  Good luck and come back this weekend to find out the two finalists!

Hello, Detroit!

Yeah, I didn't sleep much this weekend and my 6AM flight this morning solidified the full-on nap I took the entire leg from LAX to Denver.  Unfortunately, our flight had mechanical difficulties and then we had jetway issues once we landed in Denver.  I had already started to plot how I was going to get to Detroit which involved two more flights, when I discovered there were several United Global Services passengers on my flight with the same itinerary.  If you watched the movie, Up In The Air, then you know exactly what I am talking about--that elusive card that gives you multiple flight benefits and carries enough clout to hold a plane.  So after running through the Denver airport huffing and puffing due to the altitude, I found out that they held the plane for us....okay, really just for them. I lucked out that they had the same itinerary.  Now you know that those secret airplane perks are all true and I just benefitted from them even with my little old Premier Elite card.

I am hitting the first press day tomorrow of NAIAS and I am sure I will tweet all of the updates happening from the show floor.  However, my first priority when I landed was eating at Slows, my favorite Detroit restaurant.  I stuffed my face with St. Louis ribs, Mac and Cheese, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and a Brisket Enchilada. I know I am supposed to fit into a tiny dress on Thursday for the IAWTV Awards, but a girl has got to eat.

Have a great week, everyone, and don't forget to enter my 2012 Dress Challenge for Oscar Nominations.  The last day to enter is Wednesday, January 11th and the winner gets a $25 gift certificate!

Baby Bump Watch 2012

I have been known to be waaaaaaaay off base when it comes to Hollywood news on this site like my story about Susan Lucci--wrong! and my guess on how far along Natalie Portman was at the Oscars--also wrong!  Every once in awhile, I get it right like the baby bump on Tori Spelling.  YES, she was pregnant in 2011.  So, I saw a photo yesterday and I thought, "Baby Bump Watch 2012?"  I only say this because Reese Witherspoon is petite and always in shape.  This photo makes it look like she is in the beginning stages of a  Baby Bump.  She does have a hot new husband and she has publicly spoken about wanting to have more kids.  So, let's speculate:  Baby Bump or Just the Photo? Let me know in the comments below. (Or we can wait for the tabloids.....or just wait 9 months.)

Credit: bauergriffinonline.com via USMagazine.com


Don't forget to enter my Dress Challenge 2012. Help me find a dress for the Oscar Nominations and win a $25 gift certificate!

Oscar Nominations Dress Challenge: 2012

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope you are all off to a great start to 2012.  I'm two for two on workout days and my house is the most organized it has ever been thanks to my holiday vacation clean out.  This week kicks off a whirlwind two months for me.  My work will take me to 4 cities all while trying to cover awards season.  It makes my head spin, but I am so excited about this year's slate of films and I cannot wait to cover all of the action.

Like last year, I will be covering the 84th Annual Academy Awards nominations live from the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre on January 24th.  I am so excited to be returning for all of the excitement and waking up at 2AM for hair and makeup.  YES!  Since I had so much fun with last year's dress challenge, I am officially announcing this year's Oscar Nominations Dress Challenge.  The rules are similar to last year, but here they are:

1.  It is not a red carpet event.  So, I am looking for a dress that is simple, classic and understated.  Think of a DVF wrap dress or a Jackie O. sheath.  I am short (5'3"), so I want to show off my legs versus lots of cleavage (which I don't have anyway) to give the illusion of height.  I love shoes, so I want to pick something hot and sassy from my shoe wardrobe.  One note from last year, even though I want a dress to show off my legs, please no so-short-I-can-see-your-hoo-ha dresses.  The Oscar Nominations are a very conservative event, so I'd like to keep it that way.

2.  I will be working at 5AM PT that day.  I want a dress that is easy, comfortable, and not fussy.  I hate pulling and tugging at my dress because I feel self-conscious.

3.  I like color.  It looks great on camera and adds brightness to my face since my hair is currently light blonde.  Please avoid red or crazy patterns because they have a tendency to moray on camera.

4.  The budget is important.  Let's keep the dress under $200 and it has to be available online in sizes 2      or 4.

Last year's winner was a dress by Banana Republic in deep violet.  It was perfect, comfortable, showed a little leg, and it had pockets (total bonus!).  I think we should avoid the same color for this year, but you guys have a pretty good guideline this year for what I am looking for.

The Challenge:  Can you help me find a dress?  I know so many of you are fashionistas out there with amazing style and taste.  Add the links in the comments section below or on Facebook or Twitter and I will post some of the best ones to vote on. (Make sure to post the exact link to the exact dress you are picking for me.) After last year's enthusiastic responses, I cannot wait to see what you guys pick for me this year.  Don't forget, the winner gets a $25 gift certificate to the store of their choice.  U.S. residents only, entries must be in by Wednesday, January 11th at Midnight ET.  The two finalists will be announced on Monday, January 16th and the winner will be revealed on Tuesday, January 24th.  On your mark...get set...SHOP!