Recent Celebrity Sitings

I've crossed paths with two up-and-comers and one classic beauty recently.

Most excitingly, Michael B. Jordan was eating at the taco stand near my apartment. No, it wasn't as exciting as when Ryan Gosling was there, but I think Michael B. Jordan is going to be a big deal after FRUITVALE STATION comes out. I mostly know him from TV shows I've caught a few episodes of, like FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and PARENTHOOD (yes, I know, I should watch all of Jason Katims' shows), and is probably best known for his role in CHRONICLE. Anyways, he's young and talented and handsome and, apparently, likes tacos.

On our way walking to get some fro-yo, we were waiting to cross the street with none other than queen meanie Sadie Saxton from AWKWARD. If she wouldn't have been with a friend, I would have complimented her and the show, because I love them both so much. But maybe I wouldn't have, because I couldn't remember her real name for the life of me. Oh, and another thing I hate about Hollywood, she's supposed to be the "fat" girl on the show and she's considerably thinner than me when we're standing side by side. Sigh. Oh, and her real name is Molly Tarlov, and she looks like a Molly. Love her!

Finally, the classic. Jane Seymour was across the small restaurant at my birthday dinner at Alma. Hubs thought it was her when she walked in, I didn't see her. But he mentioned it later, and I could easily pick her out in the back corner of the room. Even from a distance, she was recognizable and stunning.

Best Dressed at the Oscars

There weren't a lot of wows on the Oscars red carpet this year. Not a lot of color. Wah-wah. But these ladies looked amazing.

1.) Jessica Chastain

My favorite of the night. I was hoping she would walk out of there with a statue, but I guess she'll have to settle for being on top of everyone's best dressed list. I need to go out and buy a bunch of shirts that match my hair!

2.) Stacy Keibler and Amy Adams

Love, love, love. I really wish one of the nominees would've worn this. I think Amy Adams would've rocked it. Actually, it looks a little similar to Amy's awesome after party dress, which I liked much, much more than her ceremony dress.

3.) Halle Berry

'80s in all the right ways.

4.) Naomi Watts

At first, I wasn't sold on this one. I'm not a huge fan of asymmetry, but this one really grew on me over the course of the night. Maybe because there weren't enough risks taken and this one seemed like an edgy choice. Love the unique silver-green-blue color as well.

5.) Jennifer Garner

She pulled off the trifecta this awards season. This isn't the best of her three dresses, but the color is amazing. The necklace is fabulous. The ruffles sprouting out the back are so over-the-top that they're fun.

She's a fluffy triceratops.

Honorable Mention:

Jennifer Lawrence

I'm not a huge fan of the giant Dior. And on a night when everyone was completely bent out of shape over Anne Hathaway's darts, but no one seemed to care about the lumpy-bumpiness going on near Jennifer's Lawrence's bust line. Seriously, am I the only one who saw this? I couldn't get past it, just looked so sloppy to me. Other than that, the dress is pretty, puffy, a little too bridal for me. If it would've been a color, I might have loved it.

Man, it is a dress, though. Props for her being able to wear it and it not wearing her. I love this photo.

I much prefer the dress she wore the night before to the Independent Spirit Awards.

It walks the line between sexy and vulgar, yet never tiptoes into v-town.

I love the back shot. She's all, yeah, we all know I'm gonna win, and I'm gonna win tomorrow, too. And I give good back.

Best Dressed at the SAG Awards 2012

Three ladies knocked it out of the park.

1.) Amanda Seyfried

She has never looked better. The gorgeous blue against her pale skin. The beautiful makeup. The to-die-for hair. She looks perfect.

2.) Marion Cotillard

She's one of the most beautiful people on the planet, and probably the only person I would like this dress on. It suits her fashion sense perfectly.

3.) Jennifer Garner

She is killing it this awards season. I can't wait to see what she wears to the Oscars, even though Ben isn't nominated, sniff.

R.I.P., Nora Ephron

When I saw the headline of Nora Ephron's death on Yahoo, I gasped. One of those shrieking inhales that feels like your heart stopped beating for five seconds.

Obviously, she was a great writer, and I mourn the fact that she will never write another movie or pen another book of essays. But my sadness is also selfish. When I turned my focus to writing a couple years ago, I was asked what screenwriter I wanted my writing and career to emulate. I thought about it for thirty seconds. Nora Ephron. Not just because I write romantic comedies, but also because of the way her great sense of humor shined through in everything she wrote, humorous or tragic. I wanted to have lunch with her, and I dreamed that maybe one day I would. I don't want my idol to be dead.

Jar

Hubs and I went to Jar a few months back. We went early, sat in a corner booth that was great for people watching. We spotted Martha Plimpton among the eclectic crowd.

I've heard the restaraunt decor could be straight out of Mad Men, and though I don't watch the show, the surrounding wood panels do inspire one to sip a glass of scotch at any hour of the day. The large room manages to still feel cozy and walk the line between boisterous and intimate.

The food was good. I had their signature pot roast. It tasted good and all, but I'm sure I could make something comparable on a lazy weekend day. It was also pricey for what it was. It's an inexpensive cut of meat, and it didn't come with anything. All the main courses are a la carte, so you have to pay for every side. I didn't need a fancy side with it, but, I'm sorry, if I'm at a pricey restaurant and served a piece of meat in a bath of sauce, I need a starch to soak it up. Starch, people! Potatoes or rice, two of the cheapest things you can buy. Not having a starch served with it seemed indecent.

Surprisingly, I did not have to pay extra for the carrots.

Hubs had a pork chop, which was better than my roast. Well-cooked, very juicy.

A dressed onion as a side/garnish? Please. Just scatter some parsley on the plate. You aren't fooling anyone.

The stuffed squash blossoms were also tasty.

These were the standout dishes:

Who would've thought a place that specializes in pot roast would have great Fried Rice? This is the only thing I would reorder on a return trip.

This might not look special but it was hard to share and not gobble it all up for myself.

The pastry chef is pretty great there. We ordered two desserts because we couldn't decide which one to share. The pumpkin bread pudding was so, so delicious. Everything a dessert should be. Warm cake, cold ice cream, spiced pumpkin. Comfort food at its finest.

We also had a butterscotch something or other. I forgot what it was called. L.A. is currently going through a butterscotch craze. This was the first of a few butterscotch pot de creme desserts we've had lately. They've all been good. Butterscotch was my favorite Jello Powder + Milk = Pudding when I was a kid, so my mouth waters at the mention of it.

If we went back, the only thing I would reorder is the fried rice. They had a lot fantastic looking starters. It might be a place where our best bet would be to make a meal out of appetizers, and whatever new desserts they're offereing, at least one would be worth trying, but we'd probably end up getting two again.

Oscars 2011

Here were my five favorite dresses of the night:

1.) Milla Jovovich

She was the first one on the red carpet and I thought, who is going to beat this? And no one did. I usually dislike the one shoulder thing, but this is structured so well it doesn't look like it only has one shoulder just because it's trying to be interesting. Perfection.

2.) Rose Byrne

Remember how I said I don't like the one shoulder? Love this as well. I don't think this dress would look good on many people, but I thought it looked amazing on her. Shiny.

3.) Michelle Williams

So bright. So pretty. Great makeup. I'd been waiting for her to do something I loved all season, and she brought it to the Oscars. Feminine.

4.) Leslie Mann

Sexy. Sexy. Sexy.

5.) Jessica Chastain

This had been a mostly unsuccessful awards-dressing season for her. She is so, so pretty and extremely talented. I'm glad she finally wore a dress that is deserving of her. Regal.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Cameron Diaz

 This is so surprising to me. The dress, and the fact that I like it.

********************************************************************

Octavia Spencer

It's not my favorite dress, but she looked great in it, and she gave a lovely speech.

********************************************************************

Gwyneth Paltrow

She wore a cape, man. A cape! And she made the simplest dress look pretty darn fabulous.

Golden Globes 2011

Again, I don't care who won any awards. It's all about who won the award of looking best on the red carpet. My picks, starting with two HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Tilda Swinton. I love your style. You march to your own drummer and end up looking fantastic more times than not. This was SO CLOSE. I love the color. And the hair, the hair is dynamic. But I hate, hate, hate the skirt. If this had been paired with pants, it might have been my favorite look of the night.

Evan Rachel Wood. Your makeup looks better than it has in a long time. I think I might even be able to see actual skin on your face, and that is a blessing. The color of your dress is amazing. And it sparkles! And I love sparkles. But then it tries to turn into a bird at the bottom, and I just can't get behind that. It's like performance art for a story about the mermaid that fell in love with a bird or something. If it was all sequins, I would have loved it. Heck, if it had been all green feathers, I probably would've loved it. But I don't care so much for the hybrid.

Okay, so onto the great stuff. Here are my 5 favorites of the evening, in no particular order:

Salma Hayak. I love the gold on the bodice, and I love the black shiny lines on the skirt. This looks regal, like a modern Cleopatra. LOVE.

Nicole Kidman. I love how structured this is. It also strikes me as Egyptian looking. Hmm. Maybe I'm on a Nile kick...
Only about five people on this planet could pull this off, and lord bless us all that one of them chose to actually wear the dress in public.

Sarah Michelle Gellar. And now for the exact opposite of the Nile. This is normally a dress that I don't care for, but add the crazy print and I'm on board. It's so fun. And the hair and makeup are perfect for the look.

Emma Stone. This dress rocks. I love the detail on the shoulders, then the magenta on the side, and the slit that's not vulgar. I know, everyone loved the eagle at the waist. I won't fault her for it, but I don't think it elevated anything. The dress was already good enough on its own.

Charlize Theron. I usually don't like nude dresses. Snore. But this one is just pink enough and so floaty, and then sexy with the slit. This reminds me of a better version Gwyneth Paltrow's Oscar-winner, probably because of the color and the low neck.

An A-Lister Who Loves Organic Tacos

Living in L.A. for more than a few years, I've run into a few celebrities. It happens, we all live in the same town. And I'm not talking about movie screenings with Q&A panels, those don't count. I'm talking about random run-ins in the produce section, hearing famous voices while buying fluffy towels, and spying one of my favorite musical artists at the best strip club in Los Angeles.

I don't get all star-struck about celebrities. They're just normal people who happen to have a lot more money than me. Kind of like all of my bosses. So, I try to make a point about not being an a-hole, and if I see anyone, I give myself one long look, take a satisfied breath of enjoyment at the surreal moment of someone larger than life all of a sudden being so much smaller than myself (literally, most celebrities are tiny), and then be on my way, letting them try to live their lives as normally as possible.

My first celebrity was a little lame. I'd been in L.A. for about a week and was scoping out towels at Bed Bath and Beyond when I heard a familiar voice around the corner. Who is that? I took a peep. Oh, it's just John Tesh. I was more embarrassed that I knew John Tesh's voice than excited about seeing him. I think it was from all of the gymnastics competitions I watched as a child.

My local Whole Foods has been a good spot. I've seen Wayne Knight (Seinfeld's Newman), Mario Lopez (he is very short, no taller than me) and Sarah Chalke (who is very thin and pretty without a drop of makeup).

At Trader Joe's there was a very tall man in front of me in line. He looked average with a hint of creepiness, and, oddly, familiar. He smiled with unbleached teeth, and just when I started to doubt my celebrity radar, he started chatting with the cashier about how Rainn Wilson gave him his hat. Ah, it was Creed from The Office. Also at Trader Joe's, I've seen Kevin McKidd loading groceries into his car with his parents. Adorable.

While serving jury duty, I was on my way to the courtroom when a very tall (at least 6'4") Jon Voight stepped into the crowded elevator. Even celebrities have to serve jury duty! This was right after he and daughter Angelina Jolie went through a very public falling out. There was that nervous hush that comes when everyone wants to ask the same thing all at the same time, but no one has the courage to.

When Conan O'Brien was being courted to take over Jay Leno's job, I saw him on the Universal Lot and I couldn't help but smile at him. And he smiled back and got into his completely unassuming car. I love you Conan!

One Sunday Hubs and I had a Glee day. We went hiking and passed Jane Lynch. She has great skin, beautiful. Then we went to brunch at Hugo's and saw Chris Colfer, who looks exactly like Kurt.

Also at Hugo's, I once sat at a table next to James Cromwell who was reading a script. Part of me still regrets not gushing to him how he played such a great bad guy in my favorite movie, L.A. Confidential. But I'm sure he appreciated that I let him eat his lunch and read in peace.

Perhaps my most unexpected sighting was at Jumbo's Clown Room, an awesomely divey faux strip club in Hollwood, where girls just wanna have fun while dancing in their underwear. It's a fun time for all (except if you're a dude expecting full on nudity, as was the case with one person at my table, and he did not stop whining about it all night). We were sitting up in the back (the place is small) and I recognized the swallow tattoo on P!nk's shoulder before I saw her face. She was sitting in the front row with her husband and it turned out to be her birthday. I love her music, her voice, and now I like her even more.

A couple years later, Hubs and I were walking into our favorite sushi restaurant when I saw a cute, short-haired blonde sitting outside waiting. It looked like P!nk, but there was no way this place would make P!nk wait for a table. I went and checked in. Sure enough, P!nk's name was on the waiting list. And now I love my sushi place even more because if you don't have a reservation, it doesn't matter who you are, you're going to have to wait.

As previously mentioned, Hugo's Restaurant is a celebrity goldmine, but, really, their taco stand across the street? Yes, yes, and yes. One day I walked over for lunch and a really scruffy Sam Trammell from True Blood was there. And as I moved over to pick up my food, Melissa Gilbert was seated at the nearest table. But last night, I had my favorite celebrity siting yet, courtesy of Hugo's Tacos.

As we crossed the street, we passed the pick-up window. I was yammering on about something pointless and as we stepped up to order, Hubs said vaguely, "Is that someone sitting there?" After a brief scan and seeing no one, he said, "Nevermind. I don't think so." As we started ordering, a number was called and Hubs nodded at the pick-up window. I looked over. A chiseled nose poked out as a tall figure in an enormous, black, down-filled coat pulled a hood over his head. Much like Jared Leto and his ridiculous trapper hat, it is never, ever cold enough in L.A. for a huge black snow coat. Unlike Jared Leto, this guy was clearly trying to hide. I stared at the hooded man. Is it him? I mean, why else would he be hiding in the giant hood? And then he turned, coming directly towards me, locking eyes as I stared at his face. Yes, it was him. And Ryan Gosling was looking back at me with his steely Ryan Gosling eyes, probably wishing I would die, because, really if you're going to wear a hood that big and people like me who usually make an effort not to gawk at celebrities was hard-core gawking, what hope does he have?

He drives a big SUV (disappointing) and his eyes weren't nearly as blue as I expected, but I think that can be blamed on the terrible Hugo's lighting. However, the good outweighs the bad. He actually looks better in person. Yeah, I know, how is that even possible? He looks younger than he does on screen. I don't know how old he is, but I would've guessed max 25. So...props for looking so young and healthy, as if he needs it.

I'm sure these aren't all the celebrities I've seen, but they're the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

Oh, and speaking of Ryan Gosling, I just saw Drive and I kind of loved it. Go see it.

R.I.P. Amy Winehouse

Though Amy Winehouse's death doesn't come as a complete shock, that doesn't make it any less tragic. Her music and her amazing, soulful voice had a unique, honest vibrance and vulnerability that pop music hasn't had in a long time. And it stinks that we won't get any more of it.

More Wall Decorations

After remembering the photo of Trent on my adolescent closet, I searched for other photos I had hanging up. Here's what I found:

Oh, Bai Ling. What went wrong? I saw you in Red Corner and thought you were so amazing and were on your way to being the next big thing. So beautiful, so talented. You were creepy in The Crow. Well done. Then in Anna and the King you were so beautiful and so talented again. And then you stopped being in movies and started dressing like a total wackjob, even winning Fug Madness (okay, I'll admit, that's impressive, but sad). And now you're going to be on Celebrity Rehab 5. Argh. You are still hot and can still act. You were even good in LOST, though I remember your part was some lame storyline to explain Matthew Fox's tattoos (you know, which are his real tattoos, so they need not be explained in a fictional show). But that wasn't your fault, that was the awfulness that LOST was at times. Please, clean it up, girl. I still have hope for you.

I was never a huge No Doubt fan, but I always worshiped Gwen's red lipstick and black liquid eyeliner. I also had mad respect for her multiple magazine interviews where she emphasized how she worked out a lot to keep her thin frame when all the other celebrities were saying they never worked out and ate whatever they wanted to. She made teenage girls believe they could grow up to be healthy rock princesses without starving themselves.

Rob Thomas? I guess I really liked Matchbox Twenty's first album. And the dude was homeless for a bit before their big break. It was a nice story. Moving on...

 CZJ, I loved you in Mask of Zorro. I'm still a little creeped out that you married Michael Douglas.

Wino Forever. How come Charlie Sheen can be a wife-abusing, anti-Semitic, host of porn stars hauling suitcases of cocaine, yet completely in demand when all he was good at in the first place was playing a womanizer who spouted bad dick and fart jokes? And you, with years of solid film performances and multiple Oscar nominations have one small misunderstanding with Saks and some prescription pills and your career is toast for ten years. Hollywood is not fair. Lucas was a childhood fave. Dracula, Little Women. So good. You looked great in Black Swan, not a hint of Botox. Here's hoping for more leading roles in the near future. And finally...

Okay, this was not the same photo of Shirley Manson that I had up, but it was the same hair and makeup, so it may have been from the same shoot. In my photo she was wearing a sleeveless robin's egg blue latexy shirt, but I can't seem to find that photo. Anyway, Shirley was my hero, still is. Love her voice, love her lyrics, love her style. Love Butch Vig and the rest of Garbage. No, I did not watch her in The Sarah Connor Chronicles because I gave up on that show long before then, but I'm always tempted to check out the episodes she's in. Maybe someday.

I had many, many more photos, mostly from Premiere (does that magazine even still exist?) and Rolling Stone, which is business savvy and makes you pay a subscription fee to look through their archives. Darn you RS for refusing to adapt to the free internet age.

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor passed away on March 23 at the age of 79. The media was quick to label the occasion as the death of the last true Hollywood star. Somewhere, Debbie Reynolds muttered, "Really? Are you effing kidding me?" And Lauren Bacall rolled her eyes and continued reading the phonebook just to listen to her own voice.

All the summations of Ms. Taylor's life have blurbed about her personal life overshadowing her acting career. Maybe it's because I wasn't alive when all the drama was taking place, or maybe because I watched a recent interview with Debbie Reynolds where she spoke of making peace with Elizabeth decades ago, but I've always just seen her as a gifted actress, stunning beauty, and gracious humanitarian. I recently watched Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Great performance. And, of course, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? would be the performance of any actress's career.

Okay, her personal life was pretty soap operatic with her first husband, Mike Todd (founder of the famous Todd-AO) dying in a tragic plane crash when she was 26 and the whole Eddie Fisher drama to on again, off again with Richard Burton for over a decade. But I will always remember Elizabeth as National Velvet.

This movie was one of my favorites growing up, and it still holds up. The Pi? Any little girl's fantasy. And Donald Crisp and Anne Revere are the parents you dream of having as a child; smart, loving, and flawed, but able to recognize their flaws. Anne Revere won a well-deserved Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the film. Unfortunately, her film career was ruined after she was blacklisted for refusing to testify to HUAAC. Ugh, what an ugly time in American history. Such a shame for all the talent so senselessly punished, and such a shame for us all, missing out on so many great Anne Revere (and countless others) performances.

But I have digressed. Rest in peace, Elizabeth. I'm sure Hollywod will make a movie about your life soon.

Wall Decoration

Holy hell! I can't believe I forgot to include Trent Reznor in my Oscar blog!

In high school I had magazine photos of all my favorite actors/actresses/musicians hanging on my closet doors. This SPIN cover of Trent Reznor always stuck out the most. I would stare at it all the time, hypnotized and pondering: Why did they apply concealer around his nose in perfect trapezoids and then not blend it? Why does he look so much like Jesus? Is he praying? Where did the bump on his nose go? This is the most photoshopped photo I've ever seen. I can't believe Trent signed off on this. It seems so un-Trent Reznor.

I even remember the article a bit. "The Perfect Drug" had just come out and was a huge hit accompanied by an awesome video. Trent was asked about his next album and he said he didn't have much material. He was having writer's block and a little perplexed. Oh the woes of being an artist. I was shocked when The Fragile came out a year later because not only was it awesome, it was a massive two-discer. I guess the inspiration must have struck. There is hope for us all.

In high school, if you had told me that Trent Reznor would cut off all of his hair, win an Oscar, and give a completely tame, everyman acceptance speech, I would have told you to eff off, turned up the NIN, and continued applying my black kohl eyeliner. But now that I'm older (and not any wiser) my inner fifteen year old celebrates this former rebel winning an Oscar. He deserved it. The Social Network's score was perfect for the the movie. And when was the last time a true rock star won an Oscar? I've seen a number of concerts in my day, and Trent in concert rocked it for two hours straight. It was most impressive. The only other musician I've seen capture the stage like Trent was Bono, and Bono didn't writhe around for two hours.

Congratulations, Trent. I'll always remember you as the picture on my closet door; you, but not quite you. As any artist should be.

Oscars 2010

Awards season is over! Congratulations to The King's Speech on its Best Picture win. My thoughts on the Oscars can best be summed up with my Top Ten list. Since there were five movies on my list that placed higher than TKS, it obviously wouldn't have been my pick. But that's okay, because Avatar didn't win last year, and for that I am still grateful.

I love Aaron Sorkin for many reasons. He's an amazing writer. He's eloquent and well-spoken. And I know his assistant's name is Laura. The reason I know that is because he thanks her every time he gets an award. What a stand up guy. Every single person who won last night (expect maybe the doc and short film people) has an assistant (probably more than one). How many people thanked their assistant (and their researcher)? Mr. Aaron Sorkin. Yep, I think that was it. From all the assistants out there, Thank You.

Best Acceptance Speech of the Evening: Luke Matheny, the NYU student who accepted for "God of Love" for Best Short Film. He thanked his mom for being Craft Services on his movie. It was the biggest laugh of the night.

But enough about the awards, it's all about who looked best. My top 5 IN ORDER:

Best Dressed: Amy Adams

Glorious. Sparkly. Perfect jewelry. Can someone lend me some emeralds?

2.) Jennifer Lawrence

Va Va Voom. The Oscars needed some sexiness this year, and Jennifer brought it. And her makeup. Oh, the makeup. Best makeup of anyone all awards season.

3.) Annette Bening

This is the dress Melissa Leo should have worn. It's age appropriate, yet fun. But I think it would look great on women of all ages. I want it. I could find somewhere to wear it.

4.) Natalie Portman

It was her night and she looked the best she's looked all season. Ditch the matchy-match earrings and she's perfection.

5.) Helen Mirren

I. Just. Love. Her.

Honorable Mention: Hailee Steinfeld

I liked her Oscar dress...

I love that she helped design it. It's lovely and youthful. I think the headband ruined it for me, much as Natalie's earrings almost ruined her look. But cheers for looking like a fourteen year old should look when she goes to the Oscars. And cheers for looking like a superstar at the SAGs.

This dress is freakin' awesome. It should look like a table cloth, but instead looks like a work of art. Way to rock it, Hailee. And the season started with this:

Pretty fabulous way to start. Thanks for a lovely awards season, Hailee, and for nailing all three of the televised shows.