2013 Oscars: Hits, Misses and Memorable Moments

I, along with millions of others (40.3 million to be exact), tuned in to see the annual parade of celebrities at the Academy Awards. While I felt first-time host Seth Macfarlane's beginning monologue was entertaining and fairly original (He still has me humming "I Saw Your Boobs" almost 24 hours after the fact) I strongly feel as though he held back his true shocking one-liners and quirks for the viewing audience when in retrospect, that's the reason why we love the "Family Guy" creator in the first place. The Academy should have let him have free reign on this one if they truly wanted a successful show in terms of roping in younger viewers which they're always striving to do.

Seth Macfarlane/ Photo courtesy of: Daily News

The show, however, did fall flat during the usually overlooked categories such as sound editing and the tribute to "James Bond" which in my opinion, should have been given the playoff music soon after it started. 

Despite the many great musical performances of the night the most memorable had to be Jennifer Lawrence's on stage tumble when she was announced best actress in a leading role. (Side note: Did anyone else notice that both Hugh Jackman and Bradley Cooper practically leaped out of their seats to assist Jennifer? I fall walking up the stairs on a daily basis and no one ever helps me!) 

Daniel Day Lewis, Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway and Cristoph Waltz 

2013 Academy Awards

In spite of being thrilled to see Katniss accept her Oscar, her acceptance speech was underwhelming compared to producer and director Ben Affleck's speech for "Argo" after the film won for best picture. Future winners take note, speeches should be moving and rememberable. The audience at home doesn't want to hear you rattle off a bunch of names of people they have never heard of. 

Overall, I believe this years Oscar ceremony was a success and I'm already sitting on the edge of my seat to see what cinematic wonders await us in the near year.

What was your favorite part of the Oscars?

Oscars 2013: Who Will Win? UPDATED

The 2013 Academy Awards is quickly approaching and the media is abuzz about who will be walking away with the coveted golden man named Oscar this year. Below are my speculations about who will be the lucky winners on Feb. 24.

Best Picture
Based on other award shows this season, Ben Affleck's Argo is a firm winner but there is also a generous amount of buzz surrounding Lincoln. Crowd favorite Life of Pi will most likely not win despite its popularity, but I do believe director Ang Lee will without a doubt walk away with a win for best director this Sunday.

Best Picture: Guessed "Argo"- Won
Best Director: Guessed "Life of Pi"- Won

Actor in a Leading Role
I only see Daniel Day-Lewis winning for his lead role as Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln. Poor Bradley Cooper, his Silver Linings Playbook co-star, Jennifer Lawrence, is getting all of the glory this award season.

Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playboy

Best Actor in a Lead Role: Guessed "Daniel Day-Lewis"- Won

Actress in a Leading Role
Speaking of Jennifer Lawrence, the previous Oscar nominee has a large public following praying for an Oscar win. Unfortunately for them, it is unusual for the Academy to give a win to a dramedy such as Silver Linings. Jessica Chastain performance in Zero Dark Thirty is going to dominate.

Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx in Django Unchained

Best Actress in a Lead Role: Guessed "Jessica Chastain"- Lost to Jennifer Lawrence (but I'm happy about it!)

Actor in a Supporting Role
This category is a tough one for me to determine a winner. On one hand, I want to Robert De Niro win for his impressive performance as a superstitious gambeler Silver Linings but Christoph Waltz is so highly praised for his work in Django Unchained that he could easily win.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Guessed "Christoph Waltz"- Won

Actress in a Supporting Role
Anne Hathaway's dramatic and heart wrenching performance in the musical Les Miserables is the only stand out winner in this category this year.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Guessed "Anne Hathaway"- Won

Who do you think will win an Oscar this year?

2012 Oscar Winner Predictions

This year winning one of the most prestigious awards in entertainment is not going to be an easy feat for any of the current nominees. I may be wrong, but here are my guesses for who will walk away with the golden man this year at the 2012 Oscars. 

Actor in a Leading Role

My guess: George Clooney in 'The Descendants'

There is no doubt in my mind that George won't walk away with an Oscar this year whether it is for his lead acting role in 'The Descendants' or for his adapted screenplay of 'The Ides of March'.

Runner-up guess: Brad Pitt in 'Moneyball'

Personally, I wasn't completely impressed with Brad's acting in this film but he has gotten a lot of critical acclaim, so he is a front runner.

Actress in a Leading Role

My guess: Meryl Streep in 'The Iron Lady'

Her role playing Margaret Thatcher has definitely had to have enchanted the academy this year.

Runner-up guess: Michelle Williams in 'My Week with Marilyn'

This was a tough choice for me. There is no doubt that Michelle did a wonderful job portraying the iconic Marilyn Monroe and she did just did a Golden Globe for playing the role. This one is a close call. 

Actress in a Supporting Role

My guess: Octavia Spencer in 'The Help'

Call it a premonition, but if Octavia Spencer doesn't walk away with an Oscar this year for playing the spunky maid Minny in 'The Help' then I don't know anything!

Octavia Spencer in The Help

Makeup

My guess: 'The Iron Lady' Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Make up is one of Meryll Streep's biggest weapons in terms of turning into the characters in each of her roles. Meryl's makeup transformation for this film is undoubtedly amazing.

Runner-up guess: 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' Edouard F. Henrique, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng.

Wouldn't it be nice to see 'Harry Potter' win an Oscar after over a decade of fandom?

Who do you think is going to walk away with an Oscar this year? Or better yet, who do you want to win?

Official Interview With "Breaking Dawn" Artist Ashley Longshore

There are multiple elements that go into creating a successful and visually attractive film, one of those key elements is being able to properly set a scene. New Orleans based artist Ashley Longshore, who has worked for several major Hollywood films, was recently offered the opportunity for her artwork to appear in one of the world's most anticipated films of the year, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. Her paintings can been seen in some of the most coveted scenes of the entire saga, including Bella and Edward's honeymoon and the scene in which Bella discovers her pregnancy. 

Ashley recently spoke to me about her experience being commissioned to create artwork for the film and explained that her episode with the filmmakers was more like a dream than a job. 

"I've had my work in lots and lots of movies but you get something like the set decorators for Twilight, that's major, it's super, super powerful. Considering what the first movie has done and how this next movie is supposed to be the top grossing movie of 2011. It's just really awesome to have this opportunity," said Longshore.

Based out of New Orleans, on the well-known Magazine Street, Ashley said her studio's location was one of the reasons she was chosen by the set decorators of Twilight. 

"Louisiana has become a major hub for film production. The state is offering a tax credit to all of the big film production houses. We have major movie stars, set designer, directors all over the city right now. Louisiana has become the new LA. The position of my studio is right on Magazine Street, which is a six mile street of antiques and shopping and so I have set decorators in my studio all the time," said Longshore.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in a scene from Breaking Dawn

Despite being well-visited by some of Hollywood's finest, Ashley said she was shocked to see her art placed so prominently in almost all of the Breaking Dawn theatrical trailers, TV spots and talk show clips. 

"I mean look, set decorators, they pick up items for obviously every single scene in the movie. But with a movie like Twilight, when I'm sitting at home, drinking a glass of wine, watching E! news and boom, there is the trailer and there's my artwork front and center, it's awesome. I love Twilight, so you know, that's even better," she said.

As for the future of the paintings displayed in the films, Ashley said there is a possibility they could also be used for Part 2 of Breaking Dawn as well. 

"You don't know whats going to be it in the shot. You don't what scenes are going to get edited out. You don't know what the directors vision is. There is certainly a possibility of that, absolutely. There is always hope," she said.

As for where the original paintings used in the film are now, Ashley said they're currently in her possession and we will have to wait and see what comes of them. Twilight fans can view all of Ashley's art on her official website: ashleylongshore.com.

New "Breaking Dawn" Photos

New photos of what appears to be the pack, Bella and Edward's wedding as well as a picture of some of the 'humans' from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 have surfaced online. 

What do you think of the new pictures?

Awesome Behind-the-Scenes "Harry Potter" Photos

The series may be over, but we still have many awesome photographs from the cast and crew's time on the set of the eight Harry Potter films. Check them out below!

5 Things You Didn't Notice in the "Breaking Dawn" Trailer

If you're a true Twilight fan most likely you have already watched the new Breaking Dawn trailer more than you would like to admit. However, there are six things about the new trailer you may not have noticed. 

1. Cleavage. Pause at eight seconds in and you will see that the Cullen ladies are leaving little to the imagination during Bella and Edward's wedding ceremony.

2. I spy Stephenie. Most hard core fans know that Stephenie Meyer was a producer on both of the Breaking Dawn films and that she makes a cameo during the wedding, but who knew she would be the most visible guest? Pause at 26 seconds in to see her and to get a glimpse of one of the "human" guests, Jessica.

3. Change of venue. In the books, Bella and Edward get married inside the Cullen's home. While this does differ from the trailer, the wedding still looks beautiful outdoors.

4. More Edward. Edward was noticeably frequently absent from the book and it seems the filmmakers decided to give him a little more screen time and dialogue in the film which I am definitely not complaining about.

5. Wedding dress. Hooray! Bella's wedding dress isn't strapless. First it was Kate Middleton and now it is Bella Swan I have to thank for getting rid of that wedding dress trend. Not to mention, how beautiful does Kristen look in that scene? Her make up is so well done.

Did you notice any special details about the Breaking Dawn trailer?