Oscar Fun

We always have a small Oscar party, which started about 20 years ago, with one friend. We'd dress up fancy in old bridesmaid dresses or thrift store dresses and eat finger foods and vote for the winners. After a couple of years, we ran out of fancy clothes and decided to dress from any nominated movie...even those in the Sound Editing or Animated Feature. It's been tons of fun through the years and this year was no different. This was my favorite dress, even though I am generally opposed to asymmetrical sleeves. She just looked so fabulous!

The party core group from me, my husband, Matt, and our friend, Linda, has fluctuated through the years to include our friend's husband and later, their son and then her parents and my mom and my kids. Sometimes we're all here, sometimes not and one year they were predicting Stormageddon, so we all stayed at our homes and phoned and texted and watched. Here's another favorite dress of mine. This is just fabulous.

The person who gets the most winners on their official Oscar ballot gets a little prize. Sometimes it's a trophy, a little Oscar-like statue, a Winner fridge magnet, etc. And for many years, Matt has been the winner. We took to kidding him relentlessly about how he cheated and I'd ask what he'd like for his prize this year. I think he had a total of an 8-year streak. Then he lost and then he tied one year with our daughter who was an adult by this time. This year? They were neck and neck and the girl won over her dad by just one category. And this look was sooo classy.

We ate mini hot dogs in puff pastry, nachos, mozzarella sticks, potato skins and mini bbq sandwiches. Of course there was movie candy in big boxes and popcorn. It was a fun and tasty night.

I dressed as a character from Coco, my husband was Woody Harrelson from Planet of the Apes, my daughter dressed as a literal Ladybird and my son was from the Disaster Artist. And here is a pic of our cheese plate and the cheese Oscar Matt cut out. The base is the rectangles of Co-jack cheese and then you can follow it up and see Oscar on top of the rectangles.

Here's my costume in pieces on the couch later. I drew it and Matt cut it from white cardboard. There weren't eye holes in the paper mask, so I could only wear it standing still :)

I will leave you with my least favorite dress. I love Frances and she is a huge talent, but this dress was an icky olive-y color and looked like upholstery fabric--uncomfortable and stiff. Her speech was fab, but I am vetoing this dress from any other wearings for her or anyone else.

Happy Monday!

Chark

You Like Me, You Really Like Me!

The Academy Awards is this weekend and we always have a few friends over to celebrate and watch the show. Of course we tally the winners and the night's best guesser gets a little trophy of sorts. We've had a mug decorated with an Oscar statue, a First Place blue ribbon, a little gold trophy and a magnetic picture frame with Oscar Winner printed and framed. 

We always dress as something from one of the year's nominated movies (and you can dig deep and go for something for nominated for Sound Editing if you need to) and every year it's a mad rush to figure out what to wear. I still don't know what I'll be doing, but I'm leaning toward blue face paint and blue hair spray for the little blue character, Sadness, from Inside Out...up for Animated Feature. I don't plan to be sad, but she's cute and blue.

Here are some Oscar ideas if you want to throw a party or just jazz up your family's viewing. 

A popcorn bar...interesting. I love popcorn, especially taco popcorn, where you sprinkle on some dry taco seasoning and throw in some Cheeze-Its. Tasty!

Tuxedo Mousse Cups...um, yes, please. But only if someone else makes them :)

Oscar Cupcakes...these are pretty advanced but fun.

And these seem more doable and less work, but just as fun!

Love this idea too, I think some of my friends might fight over the Mrs. Clooney tag.

Okay, that's it for today, let me know if you watch the Oscars or fill out a ballot...the best kind of voting is the low-pressure kind. If I get the Best Picture wrong, well, I don't get a plastic trophy. I'm okay with that. 

Happy Wednesday!

Chark

Oscar Night Hangover

I didn't do any drinking last night, but I still ended up with a hangover, of sorts. Our little party didn't end until 1 a.m. and I woke up at 5:30 and then got up at 6:30 to get the boy to school. Now, what is a 46-year-old woman thinking if she's doing this? Arrgh! So. Tired. 

Still, since we're in EST, this isn't that different from years past. The Oscars go late when you're not on California time. 

Here's my wrap-up (and I only really care about the dresses, the stars and the opening number...not the awards so much).

Best Dress in my humble opinion: Lupita Nyong's pearl dress. This is unique and still classy and gorgeous. Is there any dress this woman can't pull off? Stunning! Although it occurred to me later that sitting on it would be, well, uncomfortable. Or maybe it was like getting a little beaded massage like those beaded card seat covers. Either way, I'm impressed!

While none of the gowns were terrible, I wasn't in love with Emma Stone's dress. Fashion critics seem to love it, but it's just an odd color and looks a little like moss growing on her arm. She's a doll and I love her as an actress, but just didn't love this one her. They style doesn't scream "I'm in my 20s!"

 

Loved the dress Anna Kendrick wore and loved her opening number with Neil Patrick Harris. It's classy and sleeveless (that someone in their twenties can definitely pull off) and very Oscar Night worthy.

I have to admit, Rita Ora isn't exactly on my radar...just like I didn't know Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Gray actress, daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith) before last night. But I super love Rita's dress. I don't know how it stands up in the front, but the back fishtail and the color is just gorgeous!

And here's a crafty tie-in, if you're all jazzed by fashion, why not try the Runway Inspired challenge here by Friday to try to win a gift certificate? I've never entered it, but I do love the idea and the cards that people make. Maybe this is the week I enter. Here's your muse photo.

I enjoyed some of the speeches, including Patricia Arquette's reminder that woman should be paid equally for their work already, for the love of God. Ok, she didn't phrase it that way, but I did because it IS 2015 and the pay difference between men and women (for the same job) remains. How is this possibly justified?

And, while I think tucking political agendas in Oscar speeches is a tricky, I gotta agree with her and she didn't take too long to make her point. Always a plus. 

Graham Moore, who won for Best Screenplay (Imitation Game), did his thank yous and then said he had attempted suicide at 16 and that he was now standing on this stage. His message? Stay weird, stay different and one day you'll find a place to fit in and when it's your turn to stand on the stage, pass the message along. Things get better.

I thought it was so beautifully well done.  

Speaking of different, Lady Gaga blew the roof off the building with her medley of The Sound of Music tribute (it's celebrating 50 years). Her voice is beautiful and even Julie Andrews was impressed I think. And I think her hair was gray last night...beautiful, but not really blonde...she looked great in it.

So, what were some of the highlights of the night for you? Some more of mine were our Oscar Night eats. We had lots of food and although it wasn't themed, here are a couple of so-easy recipes that we had last night—for get togethers you might wanna try.

This taco dip recipe is a tasty one, although I do add mild taco sauce to the top of the cream cheese layer and before the shredded cheese.

This Meatball recipe is an oldie but a goodie. And you make it in the crockpot.

Happy Monday...zzzzzz

Chark