Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge Catherine Middleton wearing Zara in Berkshire

- 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]

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.”

Before the plethora of photos, here’s a blog interview Jon K did with W in June of 2009 that birthed my obsessive, fanatical, undying love for him.

What was your worst modeling experience?
My first fashion week in Milan, at age 18. I was like, “What am I doing here?” I was feeling so alone. It was freezing cold and I didn’t bring the right clothes. And I couldn’t communicate because my English was even worse than it is now. Instead of saying, “She is blond,” I would say, “She is yellow hair!”

[Awww!]

What’s the last book you read?
I just finished Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. It was very special. I’m in a difficult moment in my personal life now. Heart things. I don’t mean medical heart problems—I mean relationships. Love things! So the book taught me about accepting life how it comes. Sometimes you are fighting for things you can’t fight for.

[Awwwwwww!]

Didn’t you just work as an actor for the first time?
Yes. I can’t give details about the movie yet, but it was an unbelievable experience. I felt more secure in front of the camera than in real life. In my normal life I have so many insecurities. I am learning from them, or trying to learn.

[All right, just kill me. And the movie obvi turned out to be A Single Man.]

How much time do you spend at the gym?
Almost none. I really hate the gym. So I go running. When I lift weights I feel like I am hurting myself. I would rather do other things. Swimming sometimes. Why should I be two hours in a gym, suffering so much, with all these people that I don’t know and don’t want to know?

Have you ever fallen down on the runway?
Yes! It happened during, like, my second show! But I was lucky because it was on a stairway that was mostly hidden, so the audience couldn’t see anything.

Who hits on you most often—women or men?
I don’t get hit on a lot. Really. I do see people looking at me but normally it’s me who takes the first step. (laughs) I’m the one who walks over to see what’s going on.

[You know, people stare at me too. But usually I think it's for all the wrong reasons.]

Onto the pics! There were just so many amazing Jon K photos I couldn’t fit them all here. So take a trip down the Information Superhighway (people still say that right?) to our Facebook page for even more Kortajarenaness. Hint: Kor-ta-ha-ray-na-ness].

Photos: Models.com

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

1. Ricky Gervais will never be asked to host anything ever again, short of a Bar Mitzvah on Long and/or Staten Island. Gervais’ brilliant and acerbic monologue had me in stitches, but you don’t make fun of Angelina Jolie, Scientology and Cher and expect to get away with it. What made Gervais opening monologue and openly drunken interludes so great was the fact that he was spot-on. But as Hollywood has proven time and time again, it takes itself far too seriously.

2. Michelle Williams might actually stand a chance at the Oscars. Front-runners Natalie Portman and Annette Bening both took home Best Actress (Drama and Comedy, respectively), however, the Oscars don’t separate performances by genre. Portman and Bening have been splitting the awards down the middle this awards season, leaving me to wonder if Michelle Williams might just slip in should they divide the Academy’s vote. Or, even better, what if there was a tie à la Kate Hepburn and Babs Streisand in 1969?

3. Peg Bundy is amazing. There’s nothing I love more than seeing an actor or actress finally get her due. Katey Segal is perhaps best known for her role as Peg Bundy on classic 90s sitcom, Married…with Children, in addition to 8 Simple Rules and as the voice of Leela on Futurama. In short, she’s been working her ass off for years with little to no recognition. So when she won Best Actress in a Drama for Sons of Anarchy, I couldn’t help but feel not only happy but proud of that leopard-print spandex-wearing, big-haired, chain-smoking angel from on high. See also, Melissa Leo winning for The Fighter.

4. Glee is the best thing to happen to the gays since the birth of Liza. Best Supporting Actresses, Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch delivered two of the best acceptance speeches of the night; the former a heartwarming and inspiring message to gay teens and the latter a comedic tour de force ending with Lynch thanking her wife and kids. When Glee finally won Best Comedy, you could just hear all the little gays around the country squeal in pitch-perfect delight.

5. Robert DeNiro can continue making Meet the Fockers movies til he dies. Watching the montage of Bobby DeNiro’s films over the past 40 years (which for some reason included The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle), I was reminded how prolific and amazing an actor he is. His legacy will remain in tact with such films as Mean Streets, The Godfather – Part II, Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, Raging Bull, The Last King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Cape Fear and Casino. Hopefully time or excessive drinking will erase the past 15 years or so from our collective conscience.

Below, the full list of winners:

Film

Best Picture – Drama: The Social Network

Best Picture – Musical or Comedy: The Kids Are All Right

Best Actress – Drama: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Best Actor – Drama: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

Best Actress – Comedy or Musical: Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

Best Actor – Comedy or Musical: Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter

Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3

Best Foreign Language Film: In a Better World

Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network

Best Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Best Original Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network

Best Original Song: Diane Warren, “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me”, Burlesque

Cecil B. DeMille Award: Robert DeNiro

TV

Best Series, Drama: Boardwalk Empire

Best Series, Comedy or Musical: Glee

Best Actress – Drama: Katey Segal, Sons of Anarchy

Best Actor – Drama: Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Best Actress – Comedy or Musical: Laura Linney, The Big C

Best Actor – Comedy or Musical: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Best Mini-Series or Made for TV Movie: Carlos

Best Actress, Mini-Series/Made for TV Movie: Claire Danes, Temple Grandin

Best Actor, Mini-Series/Made for TV Movie: Al Pacino, You Don’t Know Jack

Best Supporting Actress: Jane Lynch, Glee

Best Supporting Actor: Chris Colfer, Glee

Link Love: Golden Globes

I really had no idea that celebrities got paid to sit front row at Fashion Week! You’d think that it was more pleasure then business for them, but I guess I was way wrong, getting photographed at the tents IS just as publicity worthy as a club opening! Here is a list of famous people and how much they get paid to attend:

A-List:

Rihanna ($100,000 or more)
Beyonce ($80,000-$100,000)
Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen ($80,000 each)
Julianne Moore ($60,000)
Maggie Gyllanhaal ($60,000)
Chloe Sevigny ($60,000 or more)
Jennifer Lopez (circa 2005: $80,000; circa 2010: $30,000)
Lindsay Lohan (circa 2006: $60,000; circa 2010: UNINVITED)
Colin Firth (pre-A Single Man: $5,000; post-A Single Man: $15,000)
Check out the B and C list after the jump…
B-List:

Blake Lively ($50,000)
Leighton Meester ($40,000)
Hilary Duff ($40,000)
Other Gossip Girl cast members ($25,000 a piece)
Jared Leto ($25,000)
Clive Owen ($10,000)
Kristen Bell (unpaid, but airfare, makeup and clothing are taken care of)

C-List:

Kim Kardashian ($35,000-$50,000)
Amanda Bynes ($25,000-$30,000)
Eliza Dushku (unpaid, but airfare, makeup and clothing are taken care of)

D-List:

Paris Hilton (free or uninvited)
Jersey Shore cast (uninvited)
America’s Next Top Model Winners (free)

LINK LOVE: Envy/ Fashionista / Marie Claire U.K.

Tom Ford was on Good Morning America talking about his new movie. He tells the world that Colin Firth was fat. We love him slightly more.

The next issue of V Magazine, issue #63, which does not come out until January 12,  featurs the stars of Tom Ford’s new film “A Single Man.” Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, and emerging actor Nicolas Hoult are all photographed exclusively by Tom Ford himself!

Tom Ford attempts to direct with a new film about a man who’s coming to terms with his partners death. No one speaks through the preview, so I’m guessing it’s supossed to be artsy, or possibly for deaf fashionistas.

Lily Cole already has two films in the pipeline, Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll, directed by Marilyn Manson, and The Imaginarium Of Dr Parnassus, directed by Terry Gilliam (pictured, above). The flick also features the late Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Firth, and is due to première at Cannes Film Festival later this year.

LINKAGE: catwalk queen