oscars 2012

This year's big winner: The Artist.

The 84th Annual Academy Awards have come and gone. This year's show had few surprises, but I hope the rest of you enjoyed watching it as much as I did.

It's always been a big deal for me to watch the show. I tend to call it my Super Bowl (even though I do in fact follow football and consider the Super Bowl the Super Bowl, too, but that hardly matters). What it comes down to, though, is win or lose, I love seeing the films and creators recognized through nominations, tributes and awards.

I was especially pleased to see Christopher Plummer and Meryl Streep receive recognition. Both are ridiculously talented, and he will always have a special place in my heart as Captain Von Trapp (I swear I could hear him singing "Edelweiss" during his acceptance speech).

I have not seen The Artist, or most of this year's other nominees, but I am told it was quite good and would like to see it.

A few of my favorite moments included:
•  Billy Crystal's standard opener with celebrity cameos. Between his kiss with George Clooney and the Justin Bieber cameo, the opening video was hilarious.
•  The short film about test audiences, which featured actors from my favorite mockumentary films, such as Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.
•  Tina Fey. She looked gorgeous last night, kept the funny going during her appearances and reminded me all-around of why I adore her.
•  Colin Firth presenting. I love him even more than I adore Tina Fey. I've been Team Colin since I hit puberty, and I enjoy every chance I get to see him.
•  The timing for this show seemed spot on. The show is always ridiculously long, but they seemed to streamline it better this year. I still managed to get in bed at a decent time.

In honor of this year's celebration, my sister and I held a little watch party at the bar where she works. We had snacks (movie popcorn and candy, plus dips and cheesecake bites), Oscars trivia and decorations. And even though we didn't wear gowns, we still made sure to glam up a bit. I'm lately obsessed with the TV mini-series Downton Abbey, so I did an Edwardian Era hairstyle and accessories. It was not perfect, but still fun.

I also participated in a Twitter Party with author Tracie Banister. (I'll be reviewing her new book in April, so be sure to look for that.) It was a lot of fun to gossip with people all over about our red carpet and ceremony opinions.

Here are a few photos from the night:

I made table tents with all of this year's Best Picture nominees. There's
nothing a little gold glitter and black and white artistry won't do.

Our table at the bar covered with treats and Oscar gold.

My attempt at a glamorous hairstyle. Not perfect, but it was fun.

What were your favorite Oscar moments? Did any of you hold celebrations, too?

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