None of these wins came as surprises, nor did Octavia Spencer and Christopher Plummer cleaning up in the Supporting categories, which is probably the real reason I fell asleep. This Academy Awards, I was the least invested I’ve  ever been. though I was hoping that Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig would be triumphant in the Best Supporting Actress and Original Screenplay categories, respectively.  But the awards season track record was already against them.  Like Woody Allen needed another Oscar.

In the end, Hugo and The Artist both won five trophies but the most  important moment was clearly Meryl Streep ending her near 30 year losing streak by picking up a much-deserved third Oscar. Greatest living actress, indeed.

Anyway, take a gander at all the winners and let us know who you thought shoulda won, and who you thought shoulda just stayed home.

Best Picture
The Artist

Actor in a Leading Role
Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Actress in a Leading Role
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Actor in a Supporting Role
Christopher Plummer, The Beginners

Actress in a Supporting Role
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Directing
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants

Animated Feature Film
Rango

Cinematography
Hugo

Art Direction
Hugo

Costume Design
The Artist

Documentary Feature
Undefeated

Documentary Short
Saving Face

Film Editing
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Foreign Language Film
A Separation

Makeup
The Iron Lady

Music (Original Score)
The Artist

Music (Original Song)
“Man or Muppet,” The Muppets

Short Film (Animated)
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

Short Film (Live Action)
The Shore

Sound Editing
Hugo

Sound Mixing
Hugo

Visual Effects
Hugo

So what is a great Oscar gown? It’s a dress that is memorable, history-making, scene-stealing or just plain fucking perfect. With that, I just don’t get the fuss over Gwyneth Paltrow’s pink prom dress and refuse to even acknowledge that gown or the fact that she has an Oscar.

Audrey Hepburn (1954) Auds became a star and a fashion icon that night when she wore Givenchy, beginning a lifetime collaboration between the star and designer. Along with America's heart, she took home the Best Actress trophy for her debut performance in Roman Holiday.

Grace Kelly (1956) This was no doubt the look Gwyneth was going for when she strolled the red carpet in that wrinkled princess confection in 1999, but make no bones about it, this is how it's done kids. Kelly beat out some major competition the year before -- including Judy Garland and Dorothy Dandridge -- to nab her Best Actress Oscar for The Country Girl, but she really stole the show in this Helen Rose stunner.

Elizabeth Taylor (1961) In the pantheon of great movie stars, few shone brighter or longer than Liz Taylor, thus a list of the greatest Oscar gowns could barely be considered legitimate without Liz throwing her white diamonds into the mix -- I hear they've always brought her luck. Taylor won her first of two Oscars for BUtterfield 8 and wore this gorgeous Christian Dior number to claim her statuette. It's generally accepted  -- even by Liz herself -- that Taylor won the award through a vote of sympathy after losing her husband Mike Todd in a plane crash -- only to seek comfort with Debbie Reynolds' then-husband Eddie Fisher --  and suffering a life-threatening illness during filming - at one point she was actually pronounced dead. Six years later she took home a well-deserved trophy for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Barbra Streisand (1969) Eschewing tradition and helping to usher in a new generation of movie star, Babs wore a see-through sequined sailor pantsuit by Arnold Scaasi. It was a big gamble but La Streisand came out the winner and made history by tying for Best Actress with Katharine Hepburn when they won for Funny Girl and Lion in Winter, respectively. Kate chose not to attend because, honestly, it was her third (of four) Oscars and she couldn't have been bothered.

Cher (1984) Cher might have proved that she was a serious actress with her Oscar-nominated turn as Meryl Streep's lesbian lover in Silkwood, but she's still fucking Cher. The icon wore Bob Mackie (natch) to the 1984 ceremony but lost only to win three years later for Moonstruck. And that gown was no less show-stopping, but didn't have this amazing headdress.

Nicole Kidman (1997) Nikki Kids was a greenhorn on the red carpet before this Dior gown and became one of its reigning queens thereafter. Though she gave an incredible performance the previous year in To Die For, she was denied a nomination only to finally win once dumping that lilliputian husband of hers for her brilliant portrayal of Virginia Woolf in the saddest movie ever made, otherwise known as The Hours.

Sharon Stone (1998) I usually spell "batshit crazy" S-H-A-R-O-N-S-T-O-N-E, but Stone looked the picture of elegance in a Vera Wang skirt paired with a Gap button down. The marriage of high and low was made in heaven that night, though I still couldn't tell you why she was at the ceremony that year. But like most things with Sharon Stone, I don't question it.

Céline Dion (1999) Was it a stroke of genius that caused Céline Dion to turn her Christian Dior blazer back-to-front or just an actual stroke? Either way, Celine was memorable the year after her heart went on and on to win Best Original Song (though the award itself went to the songwriters, I. Dunno and No-one Cares).

Björk (2001) The dress that launched a thousand jokes, Björk's Marjan Pejoski swan dress was perhaps the last epic thing to stroll down the Oscar red carpet. Nommed for Best Original Song that year, Björk may have left empty-handed but no one will ever forget that she was there.

Halle Berry (2002) Halle Berry not only became the first African American to win a Best Actress Academy Award that night, but she also launched Elie Saab into the sartorial stratosphere. This was Berry's and Saab's shining moment and everything since then has been an enormous letdown. On both their parts.

Photo: The Sun

Best Film
The Artist

Leading Actor
Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Leading Actress
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady

Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer - Beginners

Best Supporting Actress
Octavia Spencer - The Help

Outstanding British Film
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director or Producer
Tyrannosaur - Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)

Best Film Not In The English Language
The Skin I Live In

Best Documentary
Senna

Best Animated Film
Rango 

Best Director
The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius

Best Original Screenplay
The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius

Best Adapted Screenplay
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan

Best Original Music
The Artist - Ludovic Bource

Best Cinematography
The Artist

Best Editing
Senna

Best Production Design
Hugo

Best Costume Design
The Artist

Best Makeup & Hair
The Iron Lady

Best Sound
Hugo

Best Special Visual Effects
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Best Short Animation
A Morning Stroll

Best Short Film
Pitch Black Heist

The Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award (Voted For By The Public)
Adam Deacon

Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema
John Hurt

Academy Fellowship
Martin Scorsese

Photo: The Sun

Commentary: "She looks like she's slithering out of her own skin...and for good reason."

Lose the jacket and you've got yourself a stunner. And I'm talking to you Jessica Chastain

Commentary: "I didn't realize the circus was in town. Tell me, how many clowns can she fit under that tent?"

Perhaps a little too heavy on the beading, but the stars will be out once the cameras start flashing.

Commentary: "Gone with the picnic table. Even Scarlett O'Hara couldn't pull this one off."

Simple and chic but the sheer skirt keeps this from waltzing into comatose couture.

Commentary: "She's going commando! Literally, she skydived onto the red carpet, then wrapped the parachute around her and marched into the show."

It was hard finding anything suitable for the Oscars on Gaultuier's runway, but this scoop-back ditty hit all the right notes.

Commentary: "Looks like she came to her senses a little too late and was only half successful in taking her dress off in the limo ride here."

Pretty much everyone and their mother wants Rooney Mara in Givenchy and this is the closest thing to perfection she'll get.

Commentary: "Tilda you look amazing! Anyone else might receive a public stoning."

When in doubt, always go the ethereal route.

Commentary: "Did a hurricane sweep through every retirement community in Boca Raton and land directly on her?"

Black is always a popular choice on any red carpet so a stunning pale yellow like this will surely have heads turning,

Commentary: "Little ho on the prairie."

All this look needs is a high chignon, a Judith Leiber clutch, and a pair of statement earrings OR a statement necklace...not both.

Commentary: "The dress is wearing her. And it wants off."

It don't get no more chic than this. Give me a two-tone and I'll give you a star.

Commentary: When did the ghost of J.Lo's career show up?"

Miss Havisham knocked a few back and now she's ready to party.

- Rooney Mara, Givenchy’s spring 2012 Haute Couture collection and the Oscars are a match made in heaven. At least that’s the general consensus. [Fashionista, NYT, The Cut]

- Speaking of award-worthy dressing, Leesa Evans, costume designer for Bridesmaids, took inspiration for the characters’ wardrobes from everyone from Forever 21 to Alexander McQueen. [NYT]

- Demi Moore was hospitalized Monday night, allegedly following an epileptic seizure. Moore is — also allegedly — seeking treatment for anorexia and substance abuse. [Huff Po]

- The most expensive T-shirt in the world may be made out of 16 diamonds and cost $400,000, but it still looks like something the Ed Hardy factory threw up in or around New Jersey. [Styleite]

- Jean Paul Gaultier sent models with Amy Winehouse-esque beehives down his spring 2012 haute couture runway. [Style.com]

I always love when a comedic performance gets some recognition and while the film was excluded from the list of NINE Best Picture nominees, Kristen Wiig scored a nod for her brilliant screenplay with Annie Mumolo. Meanwhile, if that trash Diablo Cody can win for Juno, Wiig might want to ready her acceptance speech.

Hugo leads the pack with 11 nominations, including Best Director for Martin Scorsese – his seventh career Best Director nom and ninth overall — and Best Picture. It will compete against The Artist – a close second with 10 nominations — and out of seemingly nowhere, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, which has garnered mixed reviews and has been pretty much absent during awards season. But, c’mon, it’s a 9/11 movie, who’s really surprised?

Other Best Picture contenders include Steven Spielberg’s critically-mixed War Horse, Terrence Malick‘s The Tree of Life — which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes a while back –, The Help, Moneyball, The Descendants and Woody Allen‘s Midnight in Paris.

Allen, it should be noted, snatched his 22nd and 23rd Oscar nods. Take notes, kids.

Also racking up an ungodly amount of Oscar gold this year is (unsurprisingly) Meryl Streep, who scored her 17th Academy Award nomination for her role in The Iron Lady. She will face off against Michelle Williams, Viola Davis, frequent nemesis Glenn Close and surprise nominee Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Tilda Swinton was once again robbed of a nomination — this time for We Need to Talk About Kevin.

The Best Actor category has BFFs George Clooney and Brad Pitt going head-to-head, while relative unknown Demián Bichir snuck in for the little-seen indie film, A Better Life. The Artist‘s Jean Dujardin, fresh off his Golden Globe win, is also nominated and after decades of generally shutting shit down, Gary Oldman scored his first Oscar nomination for the British film, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Check out the full list of nominees below:

BEST PICTURE
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

LEAD ACTOR
Demián Bichir – A Better Life
George Clooney – The Descendants
Jean Dujardin – The Artist
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt – Moneyball

LEAD 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 DIRECTOR
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Alexander Payne – The Descendants
Martin Scorsese – Hugo
Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill – Moneyball
Nick Nolte – Warrior
Christopher Plummer –  Beginners
Max von Sydow – Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bérénice Bejo – The Artist
Jessica Chastain – The Help
Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer – The Help

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
The Descendants – Alexander Payne & Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Hugo – John Logan
The Ides of March - George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
Moneyball – Steven Zaillian & Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy –  Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids – Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
Margin Call – J.C. Chandor
Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen
A Separation – Asghar Farhadi

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Bullhead, Belgium
Footnote, Israel
In Darkness, Poland
Monsieur Lazhar, Canada
A Separation, Iran

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic

ART DIRECTION
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse

COSTUME DESIGN
Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.

FILM EDITING
The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball

MAKEUP
Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Iron Lady

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
The Adventures of Tintin
The Artist
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
“Man or Muppet” from The Muppets
“Real in Rio” from Rio

SOUND EDITING
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

SOUND MIXING
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

VISUAL EFFECTS
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Link Love: LA Times – The Envelope

Dujardin and Bejo in The Artist

Best Film

The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Help
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Leading Actor

Brad Pitt - Moneyball
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
George Clooney - The Descendants
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Michael Fassbender - Shame

Leading Actress

Bérénice Bejo - The Artist
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn
Tilda Swinton - We Need To Talk About Kevin
Viola Davis - The Help

Best Supporting Actor

Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Jim Broadbent - The Iron Lady
Jonah Hill - Moneyball
Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Ides Of March

Best Supporting Actress

Carey Mulligan - Drive
Jessica Chastain - The Help
Judi Dench - My Week With Marilyn
Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
Octavia Spencer - The Help

Outstanding British Film

My Week with Marilyn
Senna
Shame
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
We Need to Talk About Kevin

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer 

Attack The Block - Joe Cornish (Director/Writer)
Black Pond - Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer)
Coriolanus - Ralph Fiennes (Director)
Submarine - Richard Ayoade (Director/Writer)
Tyrannosaur - Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)

Best Film Not In The English Language

Incendies
Pina
Potiche
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

Best Documentary 

George Harrison: Living In The Material World
Project Nim
Senna

Best Animated Film

The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn
Arthur Christmas
Rango 

Best Director

The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius
Drive - Nicolas Winding Refn
Hugo - Martin Scorsese
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Tomas Alfredson
We Need To Talk About Kevin - Lynne Ramsay

Best Original Screenplay

The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids - Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
The Guard - John Michael McDonagh
The Iron Lady - Abi Morgan
Midnight In Paris - Woody Allen

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Descendants - Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
The Help - Tate Taylor
The Ides Of March - George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
Moneyball - Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan

Best Original Music

The Artist - Ludovic Bource
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Hugo - Howard Shore
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Alberto Iglesias
War Horse - John Williams

Best Cinematography

The Artist
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Best Editing

The Artist
Drive
Hugo
Senna
Tinker Tailor Solider Spy

Best Production Design

The Artist
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Best Costume Design

The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
My Week With Marilyn
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Makeup & Hair

The Artist
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
The Iron Lady
My Week With Marilyn

Best Sound

The Artist
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Best Special Visual Effects

The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
War Horse

Best Short Animation 

Abuelas
Bobby Yeah
A Morning Stroll

Best Short Film 

Chalk
Mwansa The Great
Only Sound Remains
Pitch Black Heist
Two And Two

The Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award (Voted For By The Public)

Adam Deacon
Chris Hemsworth
Chris O’Dowd
Eddie Redmayne
Tom Hiddleston

Dujardin and Bejo in The Artist

Since being introduced by Dustin Hoffman on the set of Kramer vs. Kramer — for which both Hoffman and Streep won their first Oscars – Lacombe and Streep have been good friends. And it is because of this relationship that Meryl feels so comfortable and at ease with Brigitte behind the lens.

“Out of all the actors I know she is the most reluctant to be photographed,” Lacombe tells NOWNESS. “I think because it’s me and she trusts me, she sees the photography now as an extension of our friendship…She’s the only actress I know who really has no genuine interest or pleasure in looking at herself. She’s interested in the work she’s doing, and after that she just wants to live her life, unobserved.”

Check out NOWNESS for more images and the rest of the interview with Brigitte Lacombe.

Meryl giving face in 1990

Meryl with Spike Jonze on the set of Adaptation, 2001

Meryl kee-keeing with Amy Adams on the set of Doubt, 2008

Meryl on the set of 1984's Falling in Love

Dustin vs. Meryl in Kramer vs. Kramer, 1979

Chillaxin' on the set of Mamma Mia, 2008

Pulled this way and that for a photoshoot by her overbearing manager, a gossipy makeup artist, a lascivious photographer and a fabulously turbaned stylist, Margaux finally loses her composure and throws both caution and a Dior handbag  to the wind. Best line, courtesy of that queen cosmetician:

“You know what this reminds me of, Demy? Remember? The Academy Awards! Oh my gosh, Margaux, you won’t believe this. I went in to put the eyeliner on Ms. You-Know-Who. Her glass eye pops out onto the makeup table. I’m totally serious. Rolls around in the dust, she picks it up, wets it in her mouth, pops it back in. Goes on to win the award. Doesn’t even hold a candle to You-Know-Who at the Emmys.”

See — schtick. Check out the film for a little ladylike afternoon delight.

Streep is pretty much a shoe-in for her 17th Academy Award nomination — and that’s no hyperbole — for The Iron Lady, a biopic on English prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.

In the film, Meryl plays Margaret from age 49 to 85, an experience that certainly took its toll both physically — ”We were on a tiny budget, we had very long days and there was no rest. Standing for 12 hours at a time was very painful and all I wanted was a great masseur” — and emotionally –  ”With something like It’s Complicated, I really left it at the set. But this I carried with me more, because it was more personal,” Streep said referring to her 2009 romantic comedy starring noted frequent flier, Alec Baldwin.

Meanwhile, in her Vogue story, Streep puts aside her Lady pains to loll in a few jokes about age. Now 62, Meryl claims that she’s the “oldest person” to land the mag’s cover and reminisces about being offered three roles as witches after turning 40. Taking it to mean that women her age were “grotesque on some level,” she then turned to her husband and said, “It’s over.” That Streep’s done some of her best work in those resulting 22 years proved that not only was it not over, but really just beginning. [Telegraph]

Oh, and check out the trailer for The Iron Lady, out in in wide release January 5th:

“It is an idea that I had many years ago,” Giammetti told WWD, “after going through a great museum site and being able to navigate through these rooms full of paintings…I asked myself if it would be possible to recreate a vast computer-generated museum. We started designing and nothing really appealed to me. I wanted to have the light of Rome without looking old. I wanted to show not only the dresses but the history behind them, from the drawing to the women who wore them.”

The resulting museum — comprised of 107,500 virtual square feet of exhibition space – will include some 300 dresses, as well as accompanying anecdotes, photos, sketches, ad campaigns and editorials, with over 5,000 images and 95 fashion show videos.

“I see it as part of my legacy,”  said Valentino. Noting the importance of the past, Garavani wanted “to review the fashion that has shaped our lives,” referring to it as “Future Memory.”  Among the memories mined from the vast Valentino archives are the 1961 haute couture dress Elizabeth Taylor wore to the Roman premiere of Spartacus; Jacqueline Kennedy‘s 1968 couture wedding dress for her marriage to Aristotle Onassis; and the 1992 haute couture gown Julia Roberts wore to collect her Oscar in 2001.

Garavani and Giammetti will be in New York to announce the launch of the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum — rather appropriately — via a press conference live-streamed on YouTube. Until then, there’s this awesome preview video. [WWD]

On New York:

“I love London and Paris; they’re very sophisticated, but not like New York. If you can’t find it in New York, it doesn’t exist.”

On New York in the 50s:

“It was fabulous then, everyone looked beautiful.”

On New York today:

“Now when I walk down Fifth Avenue in the summertime I just want to throw up. It seems that the fatter and uglier people are, the fewer clothes they wear. The shorts and flip-flops and tight jeans on butts that go from here to Poughkeepsie. I always say they should put people in jail for wearing clothes like that. Especially stretch jeans over size 10 — they should be outlawed. Ten years ago people were starting to look like slobs in New York, now it’s an epidemic.”

On London style:

“I haven’t been in London for some years but the last time I was there they looked fuddy-duddy and school-marmish, yes, but not slobby. And then there are the wonderful eccentrics like the kids on Carnaby Street or the punks or whatever the heck they are.”

On meeting Duke Ellington:

“The Duke couldn’t have been nicer and said he’d introduce me to all the greats in Chicago. My mother was very dubious, so I told her, ‘He’s the most elegant gentleman.’ She said, ‘I don’t give a damn how elegant he is, you’re not going to Chicago.’ But I did.”

On dieting:

“I used to smoke like a fiend. I smoked four packs a day. I never do anything half-arsed, shall we say, but I stopped because I felt I was getting to be an addict. I’ve got very good willpower.”

On being asked to be Lindsay’s style guru:

“I can’t tell people how to have style. No amount of money can buy you style. It’s just instinctive.”

On her 2005 exhibit at The Met:

‘It didn’t start out as a fashion show, but he [Harold Koda, curator of the Costume Institute] decided that to show accessories out of context didn’t make much sense so he asked if I could spare maybe five outfits… I said yes, so they went through all my closets, all the drawers, all the boxes, all the armoires, under the bed, everywhere and they go woowoowoooo [she flaps her arms up and down]. Finally they ended up with 82 outfits. It was insanity but the show was such a big smash.”

On her signature glasses:

“When I needed to wear glasses, I decided I’d wear glasses. All the better to see you with.’”

On kids these days:

“Most of the young people today look dreadful.”

On stars these days:

“And celebrities look even worse. They don’t know what to do with themselves. At the Golden Globes and Oscars they all look alike – it seems like they’re all wearing the same nightgown and this year nobody had any jewellery at all. Only Helen Mirren was wearing a beautiful necklace, but even she got it wrong because the necklace just ruined the dress. I think the designer must have wanted to kill himself when he saw her.”

On throwing shade:

“It’s a free country — if you want to look like a freak, that’s your problem.”

*Kate Middleton‘s Alexander McQueen was a late addition and Rubenstein had to cut one of the dresses to keep the list to 100. So it was sayonara Nancy Reagan and her white one-shoulder inauguration ball gown. Michelle Obama‘s Jason Wu, however, remained in tact. [WWD, sub req'd]

Reese Witherspoon in Olivier Theyskens for Nina Ricci, 2007 Golden Globes: “Witherspoon’s slimmer figure, now snugly zipped into a strapless, canary-yellow silk brocade Nina Ricci cocktail dress, screamed, ‘Screw you, buddy!’”

Chanel RTW spring 2011: “Models rarely smile these days, but you can sense when they enjoy what they’re wearing. Kass could barely contain her delight.”

Rita Hayworth in Jean Louis, 1946,“Gilda”: “Strapless dresses owe their enduring popularity to Rita Hayworth.”

Julia Roberts in Marilyn Vance-Straker, 1990, “Pretty Woman”: “No matter how many times you have seen the film, the moment you can clearly recall is when you fell hopelessly in love with Julia Roberts — and that moment is marked by a dress.”

Michelle Obama in Jason Wu, 2009 Inaugural Ball: “Wu and the three women on his team set to work, spending more than three hundred hours making the gown.”

Halle Berry in Elie Saab, 2002 Academy Awards: “Because the gown was so right on her, it is the only one we ever imagine her in, regardless of how many premieres she graces.”

Princess Diana in David and Elizabeth Emanuel, 1981: “Let’s be honest. The gown is hideous…but it became one of the most copied Big Day gowns in history.”

Charlize Theron in Vera Wang, 2000 Academy Awards: “’We came real close,’ said Wang about the how-low-as-you-can-go open back.”

Marilyn Monroe in William Travilla, 1955, “The Seven Year Itch:” “Why the continued frenzy for an almost 60-year-old summer halter? Because of how it looked on the woman who wore it.”

Nicole Kidman in John Galliano for Dior, 1997 Academy Awards: “This wasn’t merely a sensational creation. This was haute couture-claiming turf.”

Kate Middleton in Alexander McQueen, 2011: “The legendarily loose-lipped House of Windsor became so close-mouthed it was as if there’d been a run on duct tape.”

Jennifer Lopez in Donatella Versace, 2000 Grammys: “No single outfit has ever caused more commotion on any red carpet anywhere.”

Madonna in Dolce & Gabbana, 2009, premiere for “Nine”: “The Sicilian dress is the essence of Dolce & Gabbana, the brand’s sartorial touchstone.”

Tilda Swinton in Alber Elbaz for Lanvin at the 2008 Academy Awards: “Amplifying Swinton’s translucent alabaster complexion, vibrant titian hair and knowing exoticism is a fashion sense that revels in her own singularity.”

Prada RTW spring 2004: “This Prada dress was striking for its level of ease.”

Start spreading the news as Terry gives Liza a leg up.

VOGUE Fashion Night 2011 dans le monde (version… by VOGUEPARIS

Hailee Steinfeld

- Three of young Hollywood’s best, brightest and fiercest get LOVE‘d by Mert and Marcus: Hailee Steinfeld, Elle Fanning and Chloe Moretz grace the mag’s Issue No. 6. [Models.com]

Between May 1, 2010 and May 1, 2011, these were the lauded ladies who laughed all the way to the bank. [Forbes]

1. Angie Joles, $30 million. Drink it in, Jolie, and then eat a sandwich, you’re scaring the kids.

at The 22nd Annual American Cinematheque Award at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 12, 2007 in Beverly Hills, California.

As part of the festivities in the run-up to this yearâ??s Oscar telecast, Laura Ziskin, 79th Annual Academy Awards® producer, has announced â??A Celebration of Oscar Fashionâ? â?? a live event presenting a unique retrospective of Oscar fashion. Pictured here in one of the dresses displayed: Julia Roberts in Vintage Valentino at the 73rd Academy Awards® on March 25, 2001.

1. Princess Diana – Diana Spencer

Title: Princess of Wales
Prince Charming: Friend, confidante and designer of choice, Gianni Versace, particularly since Prince Charles proved more frog than prince.

2. Princess Grace – Grace Kelly

Title: Princess of Monaco
Prince Charming: Longtime BFF, Josephine Baker, whom she met in 1951 after standing up for Baker against The Stork Club’s racist practices

3. Princess Jasmine – from Disney‘s Aladdin

Title: Princess of Agrabah
Prince Charming: Street urchin turned Prince Ali, Fabulous He Ali Ababwa

4. Princess Ann – Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday (1953)

Title: N/A
Prince Charming: Co-star Gregory Peck and Hubert de Givenchy whom she wore to accept her Best Actress Oscar for her performance

5. Princess Charlotte – Charlotte Casiraghi

Title: Princess of Monaco (she’s Princess Grace’s granddaughter)
Prince Charming: Gucci’s Frida Giannini who exclusively designs Princess Charlotte’s equestrian wardrobe.

6. Princess Sirivannavari – Sirivannavari Nariratana

Title: Princess of Thailand
Prince Charming: Fashion. She’s designs her own fashion line and is a regular at Jean Paul Gaultier‘s shows.

7. Miss Chi Chi Rodriguez – John Leguizamo in To Wong Foo

Title: Drag Princess, “P to the R to the In to the Cess”
Prince Charming: Julie Newmar, who crowns the princess a queen while wearing a Mugler catsuit.

8. Princess Leila – Leila Pahlavi

Title: Princess of Iran
Prince Charming: Barbiturates. A former Valentino model, Leila had her share of demons including anorexia, depression and drug abuse, which ultimately claimed her life.

9. Mia Thermopolis – Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries

Title: Princess of Genovia
Prince Charming: Julie Andrews, whose spoonful of sugar helped make the royal medicine go down as Mia’s grandmother, Queen Clarisse.

10. Princess Catherine – Kate Middleton

Title: The Duchess of Cambridge, Her Royal Highness Princess William of Wales
Prince Charming: Sarah Burton, whose Alexander McQueen wedding gown propelled Kate from lady to Lady.

Winslet explains:

“They want to keep it looking like me and not have it look like me pretending to be a model wearing these clothes. I’m obviously not a model. I’m not the size of a model. I don’t have the face of a model or the shape of a model.”

This is the film queen’s first stint as the face of a fashion house having shilled for American Express and Lancôme in the past. However when the reporter told Kate that the St. John woman was known more for hot flashes than hot pants, she seemed “surprised”:

“To me, it’s fresher than that. It seems fresher than that because of the fabrics. They’re extremely delicate, extremely wearable and very flattering.”

Then she backhanded the reporter and stormed off the set only to realize it was Jersey at which point she began to hysterically cry. Little did she know someone was filming her with their camera phone and her performance is already being considered a huge Oscar frontrunner.[WWD]

- André Leon Talley ranks Beyoncé in Emilio Pucci as his best dressed from the Met Gala last night, though he modestly put himself at the lowly position at #12 when in reality he was the only lady to really turn it out on that carpet. [Vogue]

- Livia Firth, wife of this year’s Best Actor Oscar winner Colin Firth, had a meeting in the ladies room at the Met Ball with Stella McCartney, Lauren Hutton, Yoko Ono, Salma Hayek, Rihanna and Hilary Alexander and was gracious enough to tweet pics of it. [Refinery29]

- Mert & Marcus by Mert & Marcus. [Fashion Gone Rogue]

- John Galliano fired his lawyer, Stephane Zerbib over “apparent irregularities in respect of his firms administration of Galliano’s financial affairs over a number of years.” Sounds like someone had their hand in the couture cookie jar. [Vogue UK]

- Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, also known to commoners as Kate Middleton, wore White Gardenia Petals by Illuminum on her special day, thus ensuring that White Gardenia Petals by Illumnum will sell-out in a matter of minutes. [Grazia]

- Lauren Conrad is launching her own beauty site, The Beauty Department, which purports to help “anyone who’s ever had a beauty question or gotten into a fight with a hair brush and lost.” On my behalf, I will say that I didn’t lose the fight since the hairbrush ended up handle first in my vanity mirror. [Fashionista

- Gianfranco Ferré's new owner, Paris Group, has given the label's creative directors, Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi the proverbial boot, citing sluggish sales. A retailer admitted they bought " a minimal amount of the collection for the sake of carrying the brand" but noted that "[t]here was almost no daywear and eveningwear was fairy tale, like something for the Oscars. It may work for a small, niche brand, but not for such a global brand.” Ferré is expected to skip a season until Paris Group  finds it bearings, though those bearings could also be found in the John Galliano label, which the Group may consider purchasing from LVMH. [WWD]

Carey Mulligan

Starring roles: A Miu Miu, Vionnet and Prada devotee, Carey’s also not afraid to make a bold choice…such as ignoring Anna Wintour‘s advice. Others have died for less, but her gambits more often pay off than not. With one Oscar nomination down — for An Education (2009) – Mulligan’s sure to get another for next year’s The Great Gatsby, playing the ultimate ingénue, Daisy Buchanan.

Elle Fanning

Starring roles: Elle proved such a fave with the Mulleavy sisters, they cast her in a short film for Rodarte. After stealing scenes in the independent Somewhere (2010), Elle’s going for the blockbuster gusto with J.J. Abrams‘s Super 8, out this summer.

Hailee Steinfeld

Starring roles: Along with Fanning, Steinfeld is proving that it’s never too early to be a fashionista by going on a winning streak during awards season…if only on the red carpet. Hailee nabbed an Oscar nom for showing her Grit, but for her next project, she’s going for a softer touch: she’s attached to a retelling of Sleeping Beauty.

Mia Wasikowska

Starring roles: Honestly, I’ve been more inspired by Mia’s stunning editorials as of late than her red carpet style. She first had me with W alongside her Jane Eyre co-star, Michael Fassbender then she channeled another Mia (Farrow) for Blackbook. She’s super talented and naturally beautiful plus with a slew of upcoming roles, she’ll have plenty of time to brush up on her style notes.

Blake Lively

Starring roles: When Karl Lagerfeld handpicks you to be the Chanel Purse Ambassador, you’re officially an icon. Best known for her penchant for Gossip, Blake surprised everyone with a dramatic turn in The Town (2010) and will soon be feeling up Ryan Reynold‘s muscled, latex-clad torso in this summer’s Green Lantern. Some ingenues get all the luck.

Keira Knightley

Starring roles: Another of Karl’s favorites, Keira’s been a red carpet highlight for years — I’m still screaming at her in Vera Wang at the 2006 Oscars.*  Though she was keeping a low profile for a while, Knightley came roaring back in this Chanel Couture stunner at the London premiere of Never Let Me Go. Add to that coup her recent Chanel Coco Mademoiselle short film and the upcoming romantic drama Last Night this May.

Leighton Meester

Starring roles: Though she’s the picture of Upper East Side preppy refinement as Blair Waldorf, Leighton’s personal style falls more in the delightfully quirky category. Along with Carey, Leighton is among the most fun and daring of these youthful beauties. Between gigs on Gossip Girl, Meester will next be seen seducing Dr. House himself in The Oranges out later this year.

Mila Kunis

Starring roles: Black Swan propelled Mila Kunis into a completely different stratosphere, one with awards and critical praise. Mila rose gamely to the challenge of red carpet dressing, peaking with this Alexander McQueen number from the SAG Awards. Next she’ll trade in her toe shoes to shack up with Justin Timberlake before hopping a broom for Oz: The Great and Powerful.

Michelle Williams

Starring roles: Michelle had her best style moment at this year’s Oscars when she took my breath away in this simple Chanel column… although her 2006 canary yellow Vera Wang* still holds a special place in my heart. Once upon a Creek, Michelle Williams was Katie Holmes‘ rival, so it makes poetic sense that while Katie is Jackie O, Michelle will play Marilyn Monroe in next year’s My Week With Marilyn.

Anne Hathaway

Starring roles: Honestly, Hathaway’s days as an ingénue are practically through, but having put in her Princess days, she’s succesfully transitioning to a leading lady. She managed to hold up the weight of the entire Academy Awards telecast this year on her bold, tuxedoed shoulders, so her next challenge Anne will be to claw up the screen as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises.

*Sidebar: Meanwhile, I forgot how much werq Vera was doing at the Academy Awards that year.

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 12: Actress Elle Fanning attends the New York Screening of "Somewhere" at Tribeca Grand Hotel on December 12, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

- Target is apparently offering a Mossimo knock-off of Proenza Schouler‘s PS1 bag and Jack and Lazaro are none too happy about it. Target on the other hand will neither confirm nor deny the allegations but they did say something about being rubber and Proenza being glue. [NYT]

- Noted actress, Tea Leoni…it is 1998, right? Anyway, Tea Leoni will be starring in a new HBO pilot set in the fabulous, fast-paced world of fashion titled Spring/Fall. The show is being written by one of Six Feet Under‘s scribes and produced by the kids who brought you The September Issue, so Tea Leoni might actually have a career again. The 90s really are back! [Deadline]

- The second gal to accuse Dov Charney of…well, being Dov Charney took to the airwaves to speak to Today. My guess, for a company already on the verge of bankruptcy, this isn’t going to help. Just sayin’. [NY Mag]

- Katie Holmes got down with the Real Housewives of New York at a premiere party for her new fashion short film with John Frieda…hey, remember that time Holmes’ Dawson Creek co-star, Michelle Williams, got nominated for an Oscar? Twice? [Daily Front Row]

- View co-host and EGOT-er, Whoopi Goldberg admitted that she was stoned as a Marley on 420 when she accepted her Best Supporting Actress Oscar at the 1991 ceremony: ”So I smoked this wonderful joint that was the last of my home grown. When he [presenter Denzel Washington] said my name and I popped up, I thought, ‘Oh fuck… okay, up the stairs… around to the podium… there’s millions of people, pick up the statue, get the statue.’” Oooh, Whoopi’s got that home grown ish? Can a bitch come over and hold your Oscar in a very similar state of mind? [DListed]

“I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video of John Galliano’s comments that surfaced today. In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way. I hope at the very least, these terrible comments remind us to reflect and act upon combating these still-existing prejudices that are the opposite of all that is beautiful.”

I’ll take a V for Vendetta and an F for fallout.

Link Love: NYT

Everyone stood up for Billy Crystal when he showed up on stage at the Oscars last night, as if there was a certain sense of relief: daddy’s home. Hosting the Oscars is basically a thankless job (see: Jon Stewart, Conan O’Brien, Alec Baldwin/Steve Martin etc., etc.). It’s like walking a tightrope above a sea of sharks in couture gowns and Tom Ford tuxedos. Crystal was the go-to person for years and will probably be asked back next year.

Which isn’t to say that Anne Hathaway and James Franco didn’t do a decent job. The opening was hilarious and provided us with this little token of awesomeness, otherwise known as James Franco in a leotard:

They’re actors so they were best in a pre-taped skit, but then things took a quick dive, salvaged only by Anne Hathaway’s plucky charm and seven wardrobe changes (the best being the blue Armani Privé and the final Tom Ford, though in truth I would’ve preferred a few more looks; that first Givenchy Haute Couture seemed to last for. ever.)

Franco was high or just being James Franco, either way he was apparently too busy tweeting to commit fully to his hosting duties.  Though, honestly, it’s James Franco and I could care less what he does as long as he’s just around, perhaps lurking in a corner somewhere. And preferably in drag:

Photo: Huffington Post

It wasn’t Cher, but girl will throw a wig on at the drop of a hat.

The acceptance speeches were long-winded and boring, with the award for Most Pompous Grandstander going to Aaron Sorkin, natch. Luckily we had Best Supporting Actress Melissa Leo throwing the F-word around like it was going out of style. Combined with 900-year-old Kirk Douglas stealing the show and hobbling away with it, there was nothing really to hold interest past the first 45 minutes of the show.

The King’s Speech took home four awards, the four biggest awards at that: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and most deservedly, Best Actor for Colin Firth, who delivered an eloquent and clever speech like only the British can. I was pulling for dark horse, Black Swan, though The Social Network had blown its wad at the earlier awards shows.

Natalie Portman won Best Actress over multiple snubbee, Annette Bening and delivered another adorable speech. Christian Bale took home Best Supporting Actor and from the looks of him probably went back to living in a cardboard box. Though, forest beard or not, I’d still hit it.

Gwyneth Paltrow made an appearance on an Oscar stage for the first time in who gives a…performing “Coming Home” from Country Strong and Cee Lo‘s presence was certainly missed.

All in all, the show was a big snooze, but I’m seriously going to miss all the hooplah of awards season. There’s nothing to look forward to now until the Emmys in September! Oh, and I guess the VMAs if you’re into that kind of trash. Twas a good season though, full of great movies and a poorly produced Oscars telecast, but now we can all refer to that guy from Nine Inch Nails as “Academy Award winner Trent Reznor.”

- Aguilera’s alcoholism knows no boozy bounds. [Celebitchy]

- Kirsten Dunst steps in to fill Julianne Moore‘s nonexistent shoes at Bulgari. Dunst won’t have to suckle any cubs, however, as the lion is now fully grown. Cue the opening to “Circle of Life.” [Huff Po]

- OMG, even James Franco‘s design illustration for his Gucci tux at the Oscars is dreamy. And, let’s be real, probably stoned too. [Style.com]

- Rachel Zoe thought her water could “totally break” at the opening for the new Tom Ford store on Rodeo Drive last night. That baby’s first words would have been, “I. Die.” [NY Mag]

- Lady Gaga‘s perfume will contain samples of her blood and will smell like an “expensive hooker.” [Huff Po]

- Salvatore Ferragamo was a friend of Dorothy. The designer created Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers for The Wizard of Oz, and is one of many designers to have collaborated in film. From Coco Chanel to Rodarte, explore a brief history of fashion in film. [Style.com]

- Just when you thought the White House couldn’t get more fierce, there’s a new bitch in town. Jeremy Bernard is the brand new, openly gay White House Social Secretary. I can’t wait for him and Mo to get mani-peds together while dishing over Barack‘s approval rating. In the bedroom. Go head girl! [Gawker]

- Ladies at the Oscars this year are not fucking around with their heels The rule is go sky high or go home. [NY Mag]

Photo: Celebitchy/WENN

It’s a completely different thing, however, to deny us our favorite gender-bending, mindfucking, A-list boycrush heartthrob James Franco performing the song. And in Cher drag no less. This is the OSCARS, for Chaz Bono’s sake. The only people watching are the gays, the elderly and the Jews, and I think I can safely say that we are all very disappointed in you, Academy.

Franco tweeted on Monday: ”they pulled this from the oscar show. damn it,” including an audio clip of him “belting” out “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me Yet.” The alleged plan was to have Jimmy Francs cover the song then Cher to come out and show him how an Oscar-winning legend does it. But considering the Diane Warren-penned, Golden Globe-winning tune has been left out of the nominations, that is merely a pipe dream.

Producers apparently thought it “inappropriate” to devote so much time and attention to a song and movie that were not even nominated. Blah blah blah.

Well Cher, never known for her subtlety, took to her Twitter in a series of rants to give the world a piece of her mind:

“Ok this IS ME BEING A BABY ! MY HEART IS BROKEN ! I WAS UPSET AFTER WINNING THE GOLDEN GLOBE … Not to b nominated by the Academy, but the Music Voting process is different Than the acting directing etc etc … Process ALL ACTORS GET A CHANCE TO VOTE 4 ALL the actors , same with directors etc ! With Orig Song … There is Blue Ribbon Panel of a few people who decide ! Unlike ALL Actors Getting To Decide Who The ACTOR Nominees will b ! … James Franco was going to dress up in the “Welcome to Burlesque outfit & sing U Haven’t Seen the Last of me … I was OVER THE MOON ! cause even if I did get Snubbed by the music part of the Academy … How Cool was it to sing your song … To have YOUR SONG sung by James Fkn Franco in Your Outfit ! Well I guess his singing ( unlike his Acting Sucks ) … But he COULD HAVE LIP SYNCED ! oh well I’m all sour grapes ! It was GREAT THAT HE thought the Song was good enough to try ! … Gotta count our blessings where we find them ! Disappointment passes! But I’ll keep this Song alive.”

Later, these tweets were removed, along with Franco’s, leaving only speculation and hearsay. But it’s 2011 and whenever something happens, someone’s going to see it. Which leads me to believe that there is a vast Academy Awards conspiracy against…well, I haven’t figured out who or what it is against, but once I do….the whole crazy shitshow will come crumbling down like so many Saltine crackers.

Link Love: ET Online, E! Online

So what is a great Oscar gown? It’s a dress that is memorable, history-making, scene-stealing or just plain fucking perfect. With that, I just don’t get the fuss over Gwyneth‘s pink prom dress and refuse to even acknowledge that gown or the fact that she has an Oscar.

Audrey Hepburn (1954) Auds became a star and a fashion icon that night when she wore Givenchy, beginning a lifetime collaboration between the star and designer. Along with America’s heart, she took home the Best Actress trophy for her debut performance in Roman Holiday.

Elizabeth Taylor (1961) In the pantheon of great movie stars, few shine brighter or longer than Liz Taylor, thus a list of the greatest Oscar gowns could barely be considered legitimate without Liz throwing her white diamonds into the mix — I hear they’ve always brought her luck. Taylor won her first of two Oscars for BUtterfield 8 and wore this gorgeous Christian Dior number to claim her statuette. It’s generally accepted  – even by Liz herself — that Taylor won the award through a vote of sympathy after losing her husband Mike Todd in a plane crash – only to seek comfort with Debbie Reynolds’ then-husband Eddie Fisher —  and suffering a life-threatening illness during filming – at one point she was actually pronounced dead. Six years later she took home a well-deserved trophy for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Cher (1984) Cher might have proved that she was a serious actress with her Oscar-nominated turn as Meryl Streep‘s lesbian lover in Silkwood, but she’s still fucking Cher. The icon wore Bob Mackie (natch) to the 1984 ceremony but lost only to win three years later for Moonstruck. And that gown was no less show-stopping, but didn’t have this amazing headdress.

Halle Berry (2002) Halle Berry not only became the first African American to win a Best Actress Academy Award that night, but she also launched Elie Saab into the sartorial stratosphere. This was Berry’s and Saab’s shining moment and everything since then has been an enormous letdown. On both their parts.

Barbra Streisand (1969) Eschewing tradition and helping to usher in a new generation of movie star, Babs wore a see-through sequined sailor pantsuit by Arnold Scaasi. It was a big gamble but La Streisand came out the winner and made history by tying for Best Actress with Katharine Hepburn when they won for Funny Girl and Lion in Winter, respectively. Kate chose not to attend because, honestly, it was her third (of four) Oscars and she couldn’t have been bothered.

Celine Dion (1999) Was it a stroke of genius that caused Celine Dion to turn her Christian Dior blazer back-to-front or did she simply forget to take her medication that day? Either way, Celine was memorable the year after her heart went on and on to win Best Original Song (though the award itself went to the songwriters, I. Dunno and No-one Cares).

Nicole Kidman (1997) Nikki Kids was a greenhorn on the red carpet before this Dior gown and became one of its reigning queens after. Though she gave an incredible performance the previous year in To Die For, she won in 2003 for her brilliant portrayal of Virginia Woolf in the saddest movie ever made, otherwise known as The Hours. Nominated this year for her third Oscar for Rabbit Hole, she’s got some big shoes to fill: her own.

Anjelica Huston (1976) Former Halston model Anjelica Huston looked flawless and managed to do what few people can claim: take attention away from Jack Nicholson, who won his first of three Oscars that year for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Huston would claim her own statuette, for Best Supporting Actress, a decade later for Prizzi’s Honor, also starring Nicholson.

Sharon Stone (1999) I usually spell “batshit crazy” S-H-A-R-O-N-S-T-O-N-E, but Stone looked the picture of elegance in a Vera Wang skirt paired with a Gap button down. The marriage of high and low was made in heaven that night, though I still couldn’t tell you why she was at the ceremony that year. But like most things with Sharon Stone, I don’t question it.

Björk (2001) The dress that launched a thousand jokes, Björk’s Marjan Pejoski swan dress was perhaps the last epic thing to stroll down the Oscar red carpet. Nommed for Best Original Song that year, Björk may have left empty-handed but no one will ever forget that she was there.

Who will leave tongues hanging or heads scratching at this year’s Academy Awards. Of the 10 Best Lead and Supporting Actress nominees, I’m most looking forward to Kidman, teen breakthrough Hailee Steinfeld (as well as peer Elle Fanning who will get her own nomination one day), the almost always flawless Michelle Williams and kooky Helena Bonham Carter.

Unfortunately, Natalie Portman is preggers so naturally I have no interest in what she’s wearing and just hope her water doesn’t break while accepting her award.

Photos: Vogue UK, Time

Halle Berry The 74th Annual Academy Awards - Arrivals Kodak Theater Hollywood, California USA March 24, 2002 Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage.com To license this image (405400), contact WireImage: U.S. +1-212-686-8900 / U.K. +44-207-868-8940 / Australia +61-2-8262-9222 / Germany +49-40-320-05521 / Japan: +81-3-5464-7020 +1 212-686-8901 (fax) info@wireimage.com (e-mail) www.wireimage.com (web site)

Celine Dion (Photo by Jim Smeal/WireImage)

Joining the other kids are, from left to right: Oscar nominee, Jennifer Lawrence looking like a wintry bone in her thigh-high-slit gown; Anthony Mackie has a nice seat between Lawrence and the scantily-clad Olivia Wilde in what looks like one of J. Lo‘s cast-offs from 10 years ago; other Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg cozies up to the bar to act as Mila’s arm rest while my future ex-husband Joseph Gordon-Levitt channels the ghosts of the Rat Pack; Eisenberg’s Social Network co-star and newly minted Spider-Man (luckily not the one in that Broadway disaster) Andrew Garfield straddles the bar next to his other Facebook friend, Rashida Jones, who, gorgeous in a leopard-print gown, is feeding, of all things, a baby leopard; rounding out the stellar line-up are hunky Tron-vict, Garrett Hedlund and dragon-tattooed girl, Noomi Rapace.

Norman Jean Roy captured the 15 actors over a two-day shoot in New York and Los Angeles. Video of the scene behind the shoot follows.

Photo: Vanity Fair

I’m not gonna lie, I’m actually looking forward to James and Anne. Hosting the Oscars is a thankless job; after all, you’re dealing with the biggest egos in the world in one room and kids and families watching at home around the world.

This ain’t gonna be Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes, kids.

On the bright side, both James and Anne were pretty good in their relative SNL hosting duties…and let’s face it, they’re both attractive enough to the point that whatever they say won’t really matter.

Look at ‘em, they’re just so cute when they try!

Funny Girl is an example of great period costuming. The period in question is the early 20th century, before hemlines skyrocketed to above the knee and when Vaudeville was king.

Based on the 1964 musical, the film tells the story of famed Ziegfeld girl Fanny Brice (Babs) and her love affair with dashing gambler/scoundrel Nicky Arnstein (Omar Sharif). A plain girl with a big talent (sound familiar?), Fanny is determined to become a star and to net Nicky as her own.

Note the "teenager's" manicured claws.

Once she becomes a star in the Ziegfeld Follies, costumer Irene Sharaff* ups the glamor, taking Fanny from sailor collars to beaded evening gowns, just in time to extol the virtues of people who need other people.

People who need beading are the luckiest people...in the world.

The film is full of wonderful ensembles, including this blue silk, empire-waisted gown in which Fanny plans to seduce Nick…

Only to inevitably be seduced…

But the best and most iconic look from the entire film — and perhaps of Barbra’s illustrious career — is the orange, ankle-length wool gown with matching Nehru jacket, accessorized with a fur muff and hat, which is incidentally my default traveling outfit.

I defy any meteorologist to rain on this sartorial parade:

Everything about this costume says “Get outta my effin’ way and throw me on a G-D tugboat cuz I’m a star!”; the layered skirt, the belt and the oversized muff, which is a postscript that says, “If you don’t like it, I’ve got a French manicure that would look great smeared across your insolent cheek.”

Funny Girl not only introduced the world to Barbra Streisand — movie star, but also Barbra Streisand — style icon. Case in point, Jennifer Aniston‘s editorial homage in Harper’s Bazaar.

And at the 1969 Academy Awards, Babs revived the sailor collar to collect her prize for a job well done.

* Fun fact: Irene Sharaff not only dressed Babs for Funny Girl and later in Hello Dolly!, but also Judy Garland in the 1954 version of A Star is Born (which Babs famously remade in 1976) and the 1945 production, Ziegfeld Follies, which also starred Fanny Brice.

Moore has — unexpectedly — been at work, promoting not one but two movies at the Festival. The first, Margin Call, is an all-star thriller “that revolves around the key people at a investment bank over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the financial crisis.” I guess it’s a comedy/thriller.

The other film, Another Happy Day, centers around “high-strung”  Lynn (Ellen Barkin) and a wedding at her parents’ estate which hurls her “into the center of touchy family dynamics.” That film also stars — wait this can’t be right — Kate Bosworth. I guess the Recession is over.

And in other improbable news, Demi was joined at Sundance by husband Ashton Kutcher whose new film, No Strings Attached is the number one movie in America.

Did you hear that, Natalie Portman? People actually saw that movie you thought would go straight to DVD just a month away from the Academy Awards!

Let’s hope this doesn’t Norbit your chances at that Oscar. You should’ve taken a note out of Nicole Kidman‘s book — she’s in Just Go With It, and yet doesn’t appear in a single promo poster or trailer.

It’s called being a professional.

Link Love: Daily Mail

The King’s Speech stuttered its way to 12 nominations, while True Grit lassoed in 10. The Fighter came out swinging and took 8 nods, though not one for its leading man, Mark Wahlberg. The Social Network friened 8  nominations as well, but the hype from Black Swan might have stepped on the film’s toes, garnering only 5 nominations — which, by the way, does not include one for Best Costume Design…the Mulleavy sisters are maniacally cackling in their atelier right now.

Black Swan‘s supporting actresses, Mila Kunis and Barbara Hershey were also shut out. Instead, Amy Adams (The Fighter), Golden Globe winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech), Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom) and 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) will compete for that honor.

In a surprising twist, Mark Ruffalo earned a (well-deserved) nomination for The Kids Are All Right, which was nominated for three other awards including Best Actress Annette Bening (her fourth nomination and thankfully Hilary Swank is nowhere to be seen), Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

Ruffalo will compete against Golden Globe winner Christian Bale (The Fighter), Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech), John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone) and Jeremy Renner (The Town).

Host James Franco might have to pull double duty should he win Best Actor (he won’t, Colin Firth‘s all but claimed it and already has his name engraved on the statue). Nominated for 127 Hours, Daniel Desario will face (and arm) off against Firth (The King’s Speech), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), last year’s winner Jeff Bridges (True Grit) and surprise nominee, Javier Bardem (Biutiful), who apparently usurped Ryan Gosling for Blue Valentine.

The Best Actress category, however, held no surprises. Along with Annette Bening, Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine), Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole) and Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) will have me on the edge of my seat in anticipation.

I’m so excited! Besides Fashion Week, there’s no other time of the year I love more than Oscar season! It’s the Super Bowl for the gays…besides the new Glee episode directly after the Super Bowl.

Link Love: Oscars

The power of clothes to transform one’s sense of self, i.e. the makeover effect, has been explored for ages. Shaw’s Pygmalion, every cycle of America’s Next Top Model, Nicole Richie…and one of the best examples is director Irving Rapper‘s Now, Voyager.

For the love of god, does anyone have a set of tweezers?

Garnering one of her 11 Oscar nominations, Davis plays perennial spinster Charlotte Vale. Charlotte is dowdy, has an unruly brow, drinks clandestinely to cope with life (no judgement there, sister) and has never met an unflattering floral house dress she didn’t like. Constantly under the thumb of her overbearing mother (the wonderful Gladys Cooper), Charlotte has no hope or confidence.

No, these aren't shoulder pads. Why? Jealous?

That is until she meets psychiatrist Dr. Jaquith (Claude Raines) who rescues Charlotte from her despair and instills in her a heretofore unknown sense of self-worth.

Feeling better, and with a new wardrobe in tow — courtesy of legendary costume designer Orry-Kelly – Charlotte embarks on a cruise where she meets handsome Jerry Durrance (Paul Henreid). The two fall in love thus completing Charlotte’s transformation, but there’s only one problem: the bastard’s married.

This isn't the only thing I'm good at sucking on if you catch my drift...

She and Jerry decide to take the improbable moral high road and ignore their love for one another, continuing on with their lives as if nothing has happened.

That's right, the bitch is back and she 's wearing sable.

Charlotte returns home, swathed in fur and defiance, and immediately begins speaking her mind, causing her mother great unrest. During one of their many spats, Charlotte’s mother unexpectedly dies from a heart attack, spurring Charlotte to run back to the aegis of Dr. Jaquith’s care.

Did I just wander into a middle school production of 'The Hours' and are you mini-Virginia Woolf?

There she happens to meet Jerry’s introverted daughter, Tina. Seeing herself in the shy, homely girl, Charlotte takes Tina under her wing and helps her to come out of her shy but still rather homely shell. Now inseparable, Charlotte, with Dr. Jaquith’s permission, takes Tina home with her for a visit.

"Don't let's ask for the moon; we have the stars."

Charlotte throws a party upon her return and who should make a surprise guest appearance but the still-married Jerry Durrance? He is exceptionally pleased by Tina’s transformation, aided by the now fully-realized Charlotte. Though still in love with one other, she and Jerry realize that theirs is a love that can never be and decide to end the affair for Tina’s well-being, as well as their own.

In movies, a makeover signals a character’s development; a change in their attitude and outlook. But isn’t the same true in real life? Cutting your hair after a particularly hard break-up or traumatic experience is perhaps the most clichéd act you could think of…but it can also be tremendously liberating.

Buying a new wardrobe can be exciting but also empowering because it not only changes the way you see yourself, but the way the world sees you.

Charlotte Vale’s life was one of quiet desperation, but seeing herself not as a unibrowed ugly duckling but as a beautiful, stylish woman, helps her to see the world in a new way.

Too bad she had to muck it up by falling in love with a married man. Way to go, Hollywood.

No, these aren't shoulder pads. Why? Jealous?

That's right, the bitch is back and she 's got a fur.

Did I just wander into a middle school production of 'The Hours' and are you mini-Virginia Woolf?

What's in this? Chronic? Hashish? Cuz I am FUCKED up.

The Critics’ Choice Awards are a minor affair since no one cares what critics have to say anyway. But it is one of the early forecasters for the Big Show, the Academy Awards. And if the list of nominees is any indication, shove the geezers out of the way because the kids are taking over the Oscars.

It’s already been announced that Anne Hathaway and James Franco will be hosting the ceremony in February. Franco is expected to be nominated for Best Actor for Danny Boyle‘s 127 Hours, which has received Critics’ Choice nominations, in addition for Franco’s performance, for Best Picture, Best  Adapted Screenplay and Best Director.

Franco faces stiff competition from Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine) and Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) in the Best Actor category, while Goslin’s co-star and current paramour, Michelle Williams will face off against Natalie Portman (Black Swan) and awards show veterans Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole) and my personal favorite, Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right) for Best Actress.

In addition to Best Actress, Black Swan‘s 11 other nominations include  Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress Mila Kunis (a long way from That 70s Show), Best Original Screenplay and Best Director for Daron Aronofsky.

With so many of Hollywood’s hot, young talent being showered with awards this season, the Oscars and other trophy ceremonies will certainly draw in a younger demographic and probably a substantial audience. And I will continue to question what I’m doing wrong in my life.

Full list of nominees:

LINK LOVE: The Hollywood Reporter

I’m expecting a handful of musical numbers shouldered by the plucky Hathaway while Franco, high from repeated backstage bong hits, instigates an impromptu threesome with Sir Helen Mirren and Dame Ian McKellan in the middle of his acceptance speech for 127 Days.

LINK LOVE: Deadline

Academy Award-winning actors and directors can tan for free at City Sun. Must bring Academy Award statuette. Golden Globe, you’re not as important, but bringing your statuette will get you 20% off all services and products. So, anyone have a statue we can barrow?

If you were checking out SJP’s bejeweled wrist last night and you noticed something a bit astray, don’t worry you weren’t alone. When dozens of people realized that the uppermost bracelet on the actress’ wrist wasn’t moving they concluded that the star had sprung for Peter Phillips’ temporary tattoos. Not sure the tattoo was necessary, but leave it up to Sarah Jessica to model something different. I guess she thought she needed a little something extra to complete that Chanel dress of hers!

LINK LOVE: Style

If you were watching the Academy Awards last night like most people, then you probably have a few questions that you would like answered. For example, what the hell was Kathy Ireland on and what the fuck was wrong with George Clooney. Gawker has your mysteries solved.

The always engaging Navo gives us his picks for best films of about photographers. He also gives us a little picture into why he became a photographer. Read it, memorize it, bring it up in conversation. The Navo will be happy.

DAMN, I NEED TO HIT THE GYM AGAIN

Why did I become a photographer? Do I really love taking pictures or I just like the idea of being a “photographer”? Do I have the right reasons for my passion and obsession for this hobby, for this job? Can a person fake his talent, his eye, his happiness, his vision? Can I just act like a photographer for decades, for the rest of my life and get away with it? Can I just be easily a photographer the moment I invest in a digital camera? I think the most important question is - CAN I FOOL MYSELF AND THE WORLD? I was 18 when I took my first pictures in art school, that was right after I gave up painting and writing and focused on my photography and after a couple of years worked as a graphic designer in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, later Hong Kong, my designing job supported my love for travelling and documenting them, the skylines, the people, the parties, the beaches, the friends, then one day got tapped in Dubai to shoot a DSquared2 advertorial and the rest is history as they say, that was roughly 6 years ago, and the first 3 years was a slow pace into the transition to photography and giving up graphic design altogether, once you learn to love something you need more time to care for them, being a camera person keeps me busy and occupies most of my days for the past years, I take portraits of beautiful people, “Damn, I need to hit the gym again” is the no# 1 reaction to my work, especially with men, I don’t know if thats a good sign, but for some reason I think I should get a commission to all the countless gym memberships I sold, I take pictures of men like I take pictures of buildings, they have to look magnificent, naked, architectural and mysterious.

THE ARTIST & THE POLITICIAN

It’s been a work in progress and a never-ending learning and developing my style that I could call my own, I love the struggle, makes life more interesting and journal-worthy. But like any other industries, you don’t only have to worry about your trade and your own business, the industry of beautiful people is also filled with the nasties, politics is deeply entrenched in the very structure of the fashion industry machine. There’s more politics in the fashion house than the white house, and half the wit and education, thats the irony. Thousands of very talented individuals, countless photographers gave up the battle, lensmen who loves photography to their bones, but hates the politics, artists who can’t stomach it, or just basically not built for it. Everytime you look at a billboard in Time Square,  you can’t help but wonder, what this people behind this beautiful pictures have to give up, have to sell, have to kill to get this job? Yes, gone are the days when photography is only about taking good pictures, knowing the camera, going to an art school or just get a Photography for Dummies book, it’s not only about lenses and tripods and reflectors, it’s not only about models and lighting and creativity anymore. You have to be a hustler, a mobster, a bully, a pimp, a thief or a prostitute to be on the top of the foodchain, and unfortunately there’s no university in the world you can learn Fashion Industry Politics or even a Fashion Politics for Dummies book.

MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, THE SEQUEL

L. B. ‘Jeff’ Jefferies, Billy Kwan, Harlen Maguire, Anna Cameron,  Jeff Kohlver, Laura Mars, Dick Avery, Seymour ‘SY’ Parrish, Lucy Berliner, Alexandre Rodrigues, Russell Price , Charles Castle, Robert Kincaid and Richard Boyle are some of the most unforgettable characters that I’ve ever seen in the silver screen and there’s one thread that binds them all together. The hunky thespians (some of my favorite actors today)—Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes 2009), Patrick Wilson (Watchmen 2009), and Bradley Cooper (Hangover 2009),  cinematic legends—Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino 2008),  James Stewart (The Man Who Knew Too Much 1956), Fred Astaire (The Sky’s the Limit 1943) and Robin Williams (Mrs. Doubtfire 1993), and Hollywood megastars—Nicole Kidman (The Portrait of a Lady 1996), Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman 1990), and Faye Dunaway (Bonnie and Clyde 1967) have something in common. They will always be my personal favorite actors, because they played once in their remarkable careers a role with bravado, grace and intelligence—the role of a photographer.

If your life is a movie, will it be a Romance? A Thriller, a Mystery or Crime saga?  Perhaps Drama, a War or Adventure Epic? A Horror or a Comedy? A Musical or an Action Sci-fi? Some people who thinks they know me (the Frenemies**) will say my life is a downright HORROR movie, a gay psychopath monster photographer who makes everyone’s lives miserable, sounds like “The Midnight Meat Train, The Sequel” to me, some people say I’m also DRAMATIC, so i guess, there’s a possible bromance lurking between the bloodbath, my life has been casualy summarized into a D-list cult flick in the 70’s.

OSCARS LOVES SHUTTER BUGS

Obviously film and photography are close relatives both use film or digital cameras to capture the world as they see it and tell their different stories. The Academy Awards (Oscars) obviously loves photographers, most films featured on the list are either nominated or have won a major award, most of them for their roles as photographers, many iconic and important films all over the world revolves around that guy (or girl) holding a 35mm, whether they’re risking their lives to reveal a monster of war or a revolution, psychopatic photographers tracking or stalking the protagonist or a photographer tracking a psychopath,  fashion photographers having illicit and scandalous sexual affairs, shutter bugs falling in love with their muse or just becoming obsessed with their subjects, or a combination of all that, these are the characters that have helped millions of moviegoers around the globe (including me) a glimpse into the life of the imaginary, the gritty, the tender, the romantic, the obscene, the savage, the genius and the human—the photographer.

**a future article you’ll find here in Dangerously Naive.

1.

Rear Window (1954)
Through his rear window and the eye of his powerful camera he watched a great city tell on itself, expose its cheating ways…and Murder!

The legend Alfred Hitchcock exerted full potential of suspense in this masterpiece.  Could easily be my favorite movie of all time. James Stewart as L. B. ‘Jeff’ Jefferies, a wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder. Grace Kelly co-stars as Jeff’s girlfriend Lisa Carol Fremont. Nominated for 4 Oscars (Best Cinematography, Color – Robert Burks,  Best Director – Alfred Hitchcock,  Best Sound, Recording – Loren L. Ryder, Paramount,  Best Writing, Screenplay – John Michael Hayes and other 4 wins and 5 nominations.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: John Michael Hayes (screenplay) Cornell Woolrich (short story “It Had to Be Murder”)
Release Date: 14 January 1955 (Japan)
Genre: Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

2.

The Year of Living Dangerously (1983)
A Love Caught In The Fire Of Revolution.

A young Australian journalist (on his first job as a foreign correspondent), Guy Hamilton (played by Mel Gibson) tries to navigate the political turmoil of Indonesia during the rule of President Sukarno with the help of a half- Chinese dwarf photographer Billy Kwan as Guy’s local photographer contact, a role for which Linda Hunt won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver) as Guy’s love interest, a British Embassy officer. Combining political intrigue, steamy romance, and engaging characters, Peter Weir’s well-crafted, highly enjoyable adventure is one of the few successful efforts to make a Casablanca-like movie for modern audiences. The film was shot in both Australia and the Philippines. An Oscar win and other 7 wins & 15 nominations. Also on the list of my all time favorite classics.

Director: Peter Weir
Writers: C.J. Koch (novel) C.J. Koch (screenplay)
Release Date: 21 January 1983 (USA)
Genre: Drama | Romance | War

3.

Road to Perdition (2002)
Pray for Michael Sullivan.

Jude Law as Harlen Maguire a psychopathic assassin who likes to photograph his victims, Harlen tracks hitman Michael Sullivan Sr. (Tom Hanks) and son in Illinois during the Great Depression. Paul Newman (in his final theatrical screen appearance) as John Rooney, an Irish American organized crime boss of Sullivan Sr., and Daniel Craig as Connor Rooney, the crime boss’s son. A story that had minimal dialogue and conveyed emotion in the imagery. Somber, stately, and beautifully mounted, Sam Mendes’ Road to Perdition is a well-crafted mob movie that explores the ties between fathers and sons.  Winning several awards, 17 wins & 51 nominations, including the Academy Award for Best Cinematography win, and nominations for Best Actor in a Supporting Role- Paul Newman. One of the best film produced this decade in my list.

Director: Sam Mendes
Writers (WGA): Max Allan Collins (graphic novel) and Richard Piers Rayner (graphic novel)
Release Date: 12 July 2002 (USA)
Genre: Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

4.

Closer (2004)
If you believe in love at first sight, you never stop looking.

Julia Roberts as Anna Cameron, a quietly independent divorce and successful art/portrait photographer, Jude Law as Dan, a thoughtful but unsuccessful novelist and journalist, who authors a book about Jane (Natalie Portman), a gorgeous young runaway from New York’s seedy sex industry, and Clive Owen as Larry, a dermatologist with the lust and manners of a soccer hooligan. The plot revolves around the infatuation of the couples for one another, an elaborate character study of two London couples as they engage in an ultimate game of partner swapping. The film was recognized with several awards and nominations, including Oscar nominations (and Golden Globe wins) for both Portman and Owen for their performances in supporting roles, and other 8 wins & 20 nominations.

Director: Mike Nichols
Writers (WGA): Patrick Marber (play) Patrick Marber (screenplay)
Release Date: 3 December 2004 (USA)
Genre: Drama | Romance more

5.

Hard Candy (2005)
Strangers shouldn’t talk to little girls.

After three weeks chatting with the 32-year old fashion/portrait photographer Jeff Kohlver (Patrick Wilson - Watchmen 2009) ‘Lensmaster319? in Internet, the mature 14-year old Hayley Stark (Ellen Page – Juno 2007) finally meets. Suspecting that he is a pedophile, she goes to his home in an attempt to expose him. The first feature film for director David Slade, who previously had worked mostly in music videos. Disturbing, controversial, but entirely engrossing, a well written with strong lead performances. A movie that stays with the viewer long after leaving the theater, garnering 5 wins & 6 nominations in different award giving body.

Director: David Slade
Writer (WGA): Brian Nelson (written by)
Release Date: 14 April 2006 (USA) more
Genre: Drama | Thriller more

________

One Hour Photo (2002)
The things that we fear the most have already happened to us...

Robin Williams as Seymour ‘SY’ Parrish, a creepy photo developer and photographer. He has a vast knowledge of modern photography and develops photos at a one-hour photo lab in a local department store and becomes obsessed with one of his customers, a young suburban family, the dad, Will Yorkin (Michael Vartan), the mom Nina Yorkin (Connie Nielsen) and their kid. Williams won a Saturn Award for Best Actor (2003) for his work in the film, other 5 wins and 14 nominations.

Director: Mark Romanek
Writer (WGA): Mark Romanek
Release Date: 13 September 2002 (USA)
Genre: Drama | Thriller

6.

Cidade de Deus/ City of God (2002)
If you run you’re dead…if you stay, you’re dead again. Period.

Based on a true story, a shocking and disturbing, but always compelling story of two boys growing up in a violent neighborhood slums of Rio de Janeiro take different paths: one becomes a photographer (Alexandre Rodrigues as Buscapé – Rocket), the other a drug dealer (Leandro Firmino as Zé Pequeno – Li’l Zé). The story is told through eyes of Buscapé, a poor young fisherman’s son who dreams of becoming a photographer one day. The film received four Academy Award nominations in 2004: Best Cinematography (César Charlone), Best Directing (Meirelles), Best Editing (Daniel Rezende) and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) (Mantovani). Before that, in 2003 it had been chosen to be Brazil’s runner for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but it was not nominated to be one of the five finalists.

Directors: Fernando Meirelles  Kátia Lund (co-director)
Writers: Paulo Lins (novel) Bráulio Mantovani (screenplay)
Release Date: 2002 (Russia)
Genre: Action | Crime | Drama

________

The Midnight Meat Train (2008)
The most terrifying ride you’ll ever take.

Bradley Cooper as Leon, a documentary/art photographer who attempts to track down a serial killer named Mahogany (Vinnie Jones) dubbed the “Subway Butcher” and discovers more than he bargained for under the city streets of New York. A creative and energetic adaptation of a Clive Barker 1984 short story of the same name (which can be found in Volume One of Barker’s collection Books of Blood), with enough scares and thrills to be a potential cult classic. 4 wins in different categories.

Director: Ryûhei Kitamura
Writers (WGA): Jeff Buhler (screenplay)
Clive Barker (short story “The Midnight Meat Train”)
Release Date: 7 August 2008 (Russia)
Genre: Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

7.

Funny Face (1957)

Fred Astaire as Dick Avery, a fashion photographer in search for an intellectual backdrop for an air-headed model, expropriates a Greenwich Village bookstore. When the photo session is over the store is left in a shamble, sales girl Jo Stockton (Audrey Hepburn) comes to the rescue. They offer Jo a modeling contract, which she reluctantly accepts only because it includes a trip to Paris. Eventually, her snobbish attitude toward the job softens, and Jo begins to enjoy the work and the company of her handsome photographer. Richard Avedon designed the opening title sequence and consulted on the film, and Bill Avery was the still photographer. Nominated for 4 Oscars and other win & 5 nominations.

Director: Stanley Donen
Writer: Leonard Gershe (written by)
Release Date: 13 February 1957 (USA)
Genre: Romance | Comedy | Musical

________

The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

Clint Eastwood as Robert Kincaid, a photographer in the farmlands of Iowa on assignment for National Geographic magazine and wanders into the life of a bored, middle-aged Italian housewife Francesca Johnson (Meryl Streep), for four days in the 1960s. They fall in love, but she’s married with children. A film adaptation of Robert James Waller’s wildly popular, bestselling novel. Eastwood and Streep, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1996 for her performance in the film, other 6 wins & 6 nominations.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Writers (WGA): Richard LaGravenese (screenplay) Robert James Waller (novel)
Release Date: 2 June 1995 (USA)
Genre: Drama | Romance

8.

Under Fire (1983)
This wasn’t their war but it was their story…and they wouldn’t let it go!

Nick Nolte as Russell Price , a star photographer, one of the journalists in a romantic triangle are involved in political intrigue during the last days of the corrupt Somozoa regime in Nicaragua before it falls to a popular revolution in 1979. Ed Harris as Oates and Gene Hackman as Alex Grazier. Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Writers: Clayton Frohman (screenplay) Clayton Frohman (story)
Release Date: 21 October 1983 (USA)
Genre: Drama | War

________

Salvador (1986)

James Woods as Richard Boyle , an American photojournalist down on his luck in the US, drives to El Salvador to chronicle the events of the 1980 Salvadoran civil war. While trying to get footage, he becomes entangled with both leftist guerrillas and the right-wing military.  The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Woods) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Stone and Boyle), and other 3 wins & 6 nominations

Director: Oliver Stone
Writers: Oliver Stone (written by) and Rick Boyle (writer)
Release Date: 23 April 1986 (USA)
Genre: Biography | Drama | Thriller | War

9.

Photographing Fairies (1997)

Toby Stephens as Charles Castle, a photographer numbed with grief after the sudden death of his young wife, devotes himself to his work as a photographer in World War I. Charles is given some photographs purporting to be of fairies. His search for the truth leads him to Burkinwell, a seemingly peaceful village seething with secrets where he becomes drawn into a web of passion, romance and violence. Ben Kingsley as Reverend Templeton. 5 wins and 3 nominations.

Director: Nick Willing
Writers: Chris Harrald (written by) Steve Szilagyi (book)
Release Date: 19 September 1997 (UK)
Genre: Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

________

High Art (1998)
A story of ambition, sacrifice, seduction and other career moves.

Ally Sheedy as Lucy Berliner, a very talented drug-addicted lesbian photographer that contributes with high-art photography magazine Frame meets a young female intern for the magazine, Sydney ‘Syd’ (Radha Mitchell) both of whom seek to exploit each other for their respective careers, while slowly falling in love with each other. Berliner’s photography (Sheedy) was based on Nan Goldin’s work. The photographs themselves were made by Jojo Whilden. 7 wins and 14 nominations.

Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Writer: Lisa Cholodenko (writer)
Release Date: 12 June 1998 (USA)
Genre: Drama | Romance

10.

Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)

Faye Dunaway as Laura Mars, a very successful high-end fashion and advertising photographer and Tommy Lee Jones as Detective John Neville notes striking similarities between her art photos and those of real crime scenes. The screenplay, adapted from a spec script titled Eyes, written by John Carpenter, was Carpenter’s first major studio film. Producer Jon Peters, who was dating Barbra Streisand at the time, bought the screenplay as a starring vehicle for the actress, but Streisand eventually decided not to take the role because of “the kinky nature of the story”, as Peters later explained. The role went to Dunaway, who had just won an Oscar for her performance in Network. It was shot entirely in New York and New Jersey. The famous sequence where the Laura Mars character photographs a group of models against a backdrop of two burning cars was filmed over four days at New York’s Columbus Circle. Gallery Exhibition Images of Laura Mars are shot by Helmut Newton. Despite its lukewarm critical reception, the film was a box office hit, earning $20M off of a $7M budget, 1 win and 1 nomination.

Director: Irvin Kershner
Writers: John Carpenter (screenplay) and David Zelag Goodman (screenplay)
Release Date: 2 August 1978 (USA)
Genre: Horror | Mystery | Thriller

________

Blow – Up  (1966)

David Hemmings as Thomas, a successful mod photographer in London whose world is bounded by fashion, pop music, marijuana, and easy sex, feels his life is boring and despairing. But in the course of a single day he frolics with young models, then meets the mysterious Jane (Vanessa Redgrave), he accidentally captures on film the commission of a murder. The film was nominated for 2 Oscars and other 7 wins and 4 nominations.

Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Writers: Michelangelo Antonioni (story) Julio Cortázar (short story)
Release Date: 18 December 1966 (USA)
Genre: Drama | Mystery | Thriller

________

Other film’s that centers around the life of a lensman:

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)
Nicole Kidman as Diane Arbus
Robert Downey Jr. as Lionel Sweeney

Mad Dog and Glory  (2000)

Gentlemen’s Relish (2001) (TV)

No Small Affair (1984)

Stardom (2000)

Head in the Clouds (2004)

Femme Fatale (2002)

The Notorious Bettie Page (2005)

Fairy Tale: A True Story (1997)

The Photographer  (2000)

Harrison’s Flowers (2002)

The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996)

Catch & Release (2007)

Pecker  (1998)

 ”[Mia] says: ‘Yes, I did, Mum, I did. I need to talk to you about the dress — it was gray.’ She was absolutely mortified I wore a gray dress.”

-Kate Winslet, on her daughter’s reaction to her YSL Oscars dress.