Posts Tagged ‘Kate Winslet’

Awards Season 2012 is officially in full swing, and Hollywood’s biggest stars came dressed to impress for Sunday night’s Golden Globes!  As one of the first major red carpet events of the season, A-list fashionistas were setting trends worthy of a double take.  Here’s a rundown of the biggest trends that we’re definitely going to see this Awards Season!

Black & White

The classic color combination is reminiscent of Old Hollywood glamour.  Best Actress winners, Claire Danes and Kate Winslet, looked stunning in sophisticated black and white gowns with sexy and feminine twists.  Kate went for a refined Jenny Packham gown with flutter sleeves, a keyhole neckline, and Swarovski crystals at the waist.

Claire literally turned heads in her modern J. Mendel column gown with a daring open back covered in sparkling rhinestones.

Bold Blues

The hottest color on the red carpet was like a dazzling sapphire gem, with starlets making dramatic statements in striking shades of blue.  The voluptuous Sofia Vergara stole the show in a body hugging custom Vera Wang mermaid gown with cascading ruffles and draping.

“The Artist” actress, Berenice Bejo, looked amazing in a vibrant cobalt blue Gucci strapless gown and a matching vintage clutch.

Sleeves

From the runway to the red carpet, Hollywood’s latest fashion trend is sleeved dresses.  Best Actress winner, Michelle Williams, was an image of romantic elegance in a navy velvet embroidered gown by Jason Wu.

Best Actress winner, Laura Dern, sparkled in an emerald Andrew Gn gown with a plunging neckline and belted waist.

If you’re looking for a special occasion dress and want the Golden Globes look for less, check out Faviana.com.

Known for recreating the best celebrity red carpet looks, the design team at Faviana is currently working on replicas of Angelina Jolie’s custom Versace stunner, as well as Jessica Alba’s lavender embroidered Gucci gown.

Both will be available in the next 6-8 weeks with prices starting at $250!

It’s not hard to spot the latest celebrity trend, because it seems that Hollywood has gone dotty for Stella McCartney’s Fall collection.

Well, who didn’t fall for Natalia Vodianova wearing one of the polka dot dresses in the new Stella McCartney ad campaign? The collection was first shown in Paris in March and continues to be a big hit with actresses who know how flattering the figure hugging designs are. Kate Winslet looks stunning in the black dress with sheer cut out panels and polka dots at the Mildred Pierce Premiere in New York:

Miss McCartney’s thoughtfully designed creations have always been popular with A-listers. This dress works because it is grown up and sophisticated while still being incredibly fun. The combination of different textures and panels work wonders to make your body seem even more enviable. McCartney’s dresses have long been chosen by celebrities of all ages!

Jane Fonda looks amazing wearing the dotty dress with risqué sheer cut out on a shoot for Harper’s Bazaar. The high neck and covered arms keep the dress sexy and demure whilst showing off her killer body!

Liv Tyler is a friend and fan of the UK based designer. Stella McCartney pictured with Liv Tyler wearing a peplum-waisted version of the dress in New York:

There is more to McCartney than meets the eye!  The nipped in waist, the high neckline and below the knee hem are all winners! Liv Tyler clearly appreciates the wonders of an impeccably cut frock. She owns several McCartney dresses!

I have always had a soft spot for Stella McCartney, she is an established GIA (aka girl I admire!) A lifelong vegetarian, Stella McCartney does not use any leather or fur in her designs. Her collections include women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, lingerie, eyewear, fragrance and organic skincare. With 15 stores worldwide including West Hollywood, Las Vegas, Paris and Mayfair, London and clever collaborations with Adidas and Gap Kids, I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Love Coralie x

Sleep your way to beautiful skin and hair!

The concept of “beauty sleep” isn’t an Old Wives’ Tale. Experts say sleep does affect your skin and has a variety of benefits.

When you sleep, your body is busy repairing itself. Not only is sleep beneficial to your health, but it also plays a vital role in your looks.  Getting the proper amount of sleep can be better than even the most expensive beauty creams and treatments!

Here are some of the beauty benefits of a good night’s sleep:

Eyes: The benefits of sleep on the appearance of your eyes are seemingly endless. Bloodshot eyes, bags, dark under-eye circles, and puffiness can all be reduced, if not completely erased, by getting enough sleep.

Skin Tone: Sleep can work as an instant relief for ashy, washed-out, and red skin. While you snooze, your skin cells turn over faster renewing itself, which helps you wake with a healthy glow!

Hair: Increased sleep has been proven to make your locks grow faster. While you’re dozing off, your body is busy repairing itself and secreting growth hormones, which work to improve hair health and promote growth.

Acne: Sleep deprivation has been shown to increase inflammation, as well as insulin resistance, both of which are major culprits of acne.  In addition, sleep helps to build a strong immune system, which in turn works to fight infection so that blemishes clear up more quickly. The moral of the story is sleep more, break-out less.

Wrinkles: While you sleep your body produces more protein, allowing cells to repair damage – including those harmed from ultraviolet rays (a.k.a sun damage) and pollution. Getting your 8 hours can also result in more human growth hormone production which works to retain skin elasticity, making you less likely to wrinkle.

Jennifer Lopez and Helen Mirren (65) swear by sleep as their number one beauty secret!!

Sleeping Beauty Tips:

Many factors are crucial for getting enough sleep. Here are some tips to get you well rested and beautiful!

1. Chill out! To get your body relaxed and ready for a perfect night’s sleep, draw a relaxing bubble bath and sit with your favorite book before you snooze.
2. Keep your bedroom only for sleep (and sex!) It’s best to leave work materials, computers and televisions out of your sleeping environment.
3. The darker the better! A dark, cool sleeping environment is best for sleeping beauties. Invest in some black-out shades or just wear your favorite sleeping mask.
4. Finish eating 2-3 hours before bedtime. Eating before bed can make you uncomfortable and keep you up. Plus, you want your body working on repair, not digestion. And definitely no caffeine before bed!

Sleeping Beauty Extras:

Save Face: SILK PILLOWCASES

Kate Winslet and Reese Witherspoon are just two of several starlets who sleep on silk pillowcases and wake up looking perfectly coifed and creaseless. So, are they onto something? “Believe it or not, the weight of your head pushing your face against the pillow will create what are called sleep wrinkles and can worsen existing lines. So to prevent sleep wrinkles and to help delay worsening of existing facial lines,use a silk pillowcase.  Silk is also a strand savior for brittle, damaged hair!

Branche Charmeuse Case

Available at: www.branchebeautysleep.com

NIGHT CREAMS:

Sleep also increases skincare’s efficacy so slather on your favorite night cream! Before resting your beautiful face be sure to clean off all makeup and apply your night cream. Choose a cream rich in anti-oxidants for faster cell turnover or a deep moisturizing cream for an extra dewy glow the next morning.

Clinique Repairwear Intensive Night Cream

This is a very potent nighttime moisturizer and anti-oxidant booster that helps to mend lines and wrinkles.

Nighty night my sleeping beauties!

Peace, Love, and Sexiness!

Be sure to check out more of Angie Ohman’s great beauty blogs right here at Positively Celebrity!

The newly awarded Oscar statuettes have found homes on mantels and bookshelves, the gorgeous gowns and jewelry have been returned, and our favorite movie stars have all gone back to work. But don’t fret. There’ll be plenty more movies with “Slumdog Millionaire” stars, Mickey Rourke, and Anne Hathaway. Plus, even one more from Heath Ledger.

So what’s next for the winners and nominees? Here’s a Positively sneak peek: 

The once obscure stars from Best Picture winner “Slumdog Millionaire” are now household names and aren’t going anywhere. Dev Patel takes over Jesse McCartney’s role in M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender” based on the popular Nickelodeon kids’ show.

His onscreen love, Freida Pinto, wins her version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” by co-starring in Woody Allen’s next untitled project alongside “Milk’s” Oscar nominee Josh Brolin and Naomi Watts.

Best Director of “Slumdog Millionaire” Danny Boyle has no upcoming projects, but he did tell Variety that he’s thinking of making a movie from a girl’s perspective after all the guys’ movies he’s done. He also may return to his “28 Days Later” horror movie series.

Best Actor Winner Sean Penn just finished “The Tree of Life” alongside fellow Best Actor nominee Brad Pitt. Penn is also in talks to play Valerie Plame’s husband in the biopic about the outed CIA agent.

Best Actress Kate Winslet has not announced any upcoming projects. When we do see her again, however, leave it to the proclaimed “Actress of our Generation” to come back strong.

Best Supporting Actor winner Heath Ledger still has one more movie credit despite his death in January of 2008. His role in “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus” will be completed by Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell who will each play his character as he passes into different worlds.

Best Supporting Actress winner Penelope Cruz will star with past Oscar winners Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren in the musical “Nine” directed by Rob Marshall.

As for our other favorite nominees…  

Best Actor nominees: Richard Jenkins will star in the adaptation of Nicolas Spark’s “Dear John” novel… Frank Langella co-stars with James Marsden and Cameron Diaz in the horror film “The Box”… Brad Pitt goes from fable to war starring in Quentin Taratino’s WWII movie “Inglorious Bastards” … Mickey Rourke’s comeback wasn’t just a fluke. He’s here to stay starring in “The Informers” with Winona Ryder and Billy Bob Thornton, which is scheduled to be released in April. He’s also currently filming “13,” and he is in talks to play a Russian bad guy in the “Iron Man” sequel.

Best Actress nominees: Anne Hathaway will play the White Queen in Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” adaptation… Angelina Jolie is preparing for her upcoming role as Catherine the Great… Melissa Leo is co-staring with Hilary Duff in “Greta” and with Sarah Michelle Gellar in “Veronika Decides to Die”… Meryl Streep will once again reunite with her “Doubt” co-star and fellow nominee Amy Adams in “Julie and Julia,” a movie about chef Julia Child and the wannabe who recreates her recipes.

Best Supporting Actor nominees: Besides that Woody Allen movie with Pinto, Josh Brolin will also star in the comic-book movie “Jonah Hex”… Before the much anticipated “Iron Man” sequel, Robert Downey  Jr. stars with Jamie Foxx in this spring’s “The Soloist” and then as Sherlock Holmes this fall in Guy Ritchie’s movie about the classic detective… Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s voice stars in the animated “Mary and Max,” and you can see him – and his “crazy” hair, which is reportedly to blame for the ski cap he wore to the Oscars – in “Jack Goes Boating,” which he’s also directing…

Rourke’s not the only nominee in “13”; Michael Shannon will be appearing in it as well.

Best Supporting Actress nominees: Before Amy Adams pairs with Streep in “Julie and Julia,” she’ll play Amelia Earhart in “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” this May…

You can currently see Viola Davis in Tyler Perry’s “Madea Goes to Jail,” and she’ll also soon be seen in “State of Play” alongside Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, and Rachel McAdams… Taraji P. Henson will co-star with former Oscar winner Forest Whitaker in “Hurricane Season,” a movie about the ramifications of Hurricane Katrina on a basketball team… Marisa Tomei will trade the heaviness of “The Wrestler” with the silly as-yet-untitled comedy with Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly about a single mother whose son doesn’t like the new guy she’s dating.

Best surprise: With song/dance man Hugh Jackman as host, surprise presenters, and funny gag bits, the Oscar’s was one of the most entertaining it’s been in a long time. (Ratings were even up 6 percent from last year’s telecast.)

Worst surprise: Chances are you won your office pool because just about no surprise winners threw off our ballots. “Slumdog Millionaire” cleaned up winning 8 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay as predicted, and Kate Winslet, Heath Ledger, and Penélope Cruz won as expected. The biggest upset was Sean Penn winning Best Actor over Mickey Rourke, but really we all knew it was between the two anyway.

Worst use of presenting the Best Pictures:  Up until the last ten minutes of the show, you wouldn’t even know which films were nominated for Best Picture, and isn’t this what the night was really all about? Instead of showcasing clips throughout the night like usual, the clips were only shown right before the award was handed out. Even worse, they were intermingled with previous films that have similar themes making the clips confusing and taking attention away from the nominees.

Best presentation of movies: The montages of film genres recapping the best of 2008 were done so in great pop culture fashion. Coldplay’s “Lovers in Japan” played to the great romance flicks, Wall-E the adorable robot found a tape of the best animation movies, and the hilarious James Franco and Seth Rogen reprised their “Pineapple Express” roles as they watched DVDs of the funniest comedies.

Worst use of presenting the Best Songs: The song nominees, which are usually played in their entirety throughout the night, also weren’t given their full due. The two “Slumdog Millionaire” songs and “Wall-E” song were shortened and played one after the other. We all knew “Jai Ho” was going to win, but “Wall-E” should have been given it’s own set piece rather than making John Legend sing with “Slumdog’s” Indian back-up dancers and drummers.

Best use of presenting awards: Rather than randomly presenting awards, the telecast walked the audience through the making of a movie starting with the screenwriting process to art direction to editing. Stars associated with the category was also a nice touch like action hero Will Smith presenting Best Visual Effects and Sound Mixing and “Religious” filmmaker Bill Maher presenting Best Documentary.

Best presenters: Steve Martin and Tina Fey presented the screenplay awards humorously (“Don’t fall in love with me” Martin stoically told a googly eyed Fey) and controversially (poking fun at Hollywood-favorite Scientology). And don’t forget about Ben Stiller who delivered a dead-on impression of Joaquin Phoenix’s bizarre appearance on the “Late Show with David Letterman” while presenting with Natalie Portman. It would have been even funnier though if it wasn’t just parodied at the previous night’s Independent Spirit Awards.

Best use of presenters: Keeping most of the identities of the presenters top-secret beforehand made for a more exciting show because you never knew who was going to come out next. Hello Will Smith, hello Reese Witherspoon!

Worst use of presenters: While it was fun seeing past winners like Nicole Kidman, Robert De Niro, and Christopher Walken, presenting the nominees, it came off too self-congratulatory. Instead of comments like “You really nailed it” and Marion Cotillard clasping her hands together cooing “Thank you” to Winslet, let’s see some clips instead. Most viewers at home haven’t seen all the movies, so it’d be more interesting to see the performances for which they’re nominated. 

Best acceptance speech: Instead of the director or co-stars accepting on his behalf, the acceptance of Heath Ledger’s Oscar by his family was much more touching. “Tonight we are choosing to be happy and celebrate what he has achieved,” his mother, Sally Bell, said.

Funniest acceptance speeches: Where to begin? First there’s Phillipe Petit, the subject of the documentary, “Man on Wire,” who not only balanced the Oscar on his chin, he also made a coin disappear.  Then the Japanese director of the Best Animated Short, “Kunio Kato thanked Mr. Roboto.” Finally, Best Director, Danny Boyle, bounced up and down in homage of Tigger for his children.  

Worst camera shots: Awkward alert… Not only did Jennifer Aniston have to present an award mere feet away from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the camera cut away to Brangelina twice! At least Jolie and Pitt made nice and weren’t giving dirty looks.

Best use of teeny boppers: While baby faced stars like Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Robert Pattinson, and Amanda Seyfried presented and performed on stage to most likely draw in the younger audience, their presence was downplayed and didn’t make the Oscars feel like the Teen Choice Awards.

Best secret talent: Anne Hathaway showed off her really good voice in her pretend-impromptu song and dance number with Jackman. Look out Beyoncé. Maybe you won’t be needed next year.

Here are the winners of the major categories:

Best Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Actor: Sean Penn, “Milk”

Best Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Best Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Best Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Oscar night is fast approaching – this Sunday – to be exact. Will it be a victory for “Slumdog” or “Benjamin Button?” Which tough guy will win: Mickey or Sean? Which of our best actresses of today is it going to be: Kate or Meryl?

If you don’t have your scorecards filled out yet, here’s Positively Celebrity’s guide to help you out because we’re predicting who’s going to walk away a winner and who we think should really be one.

Best Picture

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Milk”

“The Reader”

“Slumdog Millionaire”

Should and will win: With its nearly unstoppable wins at the Golden Globes, SAG, BAFTA and guild awards, look for “Slumdog Millionaire” to take home the biggest prize come Oscar night and deservedly so. This vibrant, inspirational, romantic, and energetic film will leave you feeling like a millionaire long after you leave the theater.

Best Actor

Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”

Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”

Sean Penn, “Milk”

Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

Should Win:  Langella has already won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Richard Nixon, and he deserves an Oscar too. He pulls off the enormous task of encapsulating the former president’s mannerisms and voice without coming off as a caricature. Just as challenging, he also makes the audience feel empathy for a man who went down in history cast off as a crook.

Will Win: This is close. It very well could be Penn, but I’ll give the edge to Rourke. Academy members love a comeback story and both Rourke and his character are the comeback kids of the year. He also showed us he’s got what it takes physically and emotionally by playing an emotionally complex wrestler with a heart.

Best Actress

Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”

Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”

Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”

Meryl Streep, “Doubt”

Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Should and will win: Winslet for her intricate, dark turn as a tram conductor-turned-Nazi prison guard. She gave heart and emotion to a remorseless woman who was involved in Nazi war crimes and seduced a teenager. It doesn’t hurt either that she’s been racking up awards left and right this season, has five previous Oscar nominations, and stars in a film with the Academy-favorite topic of the Holocaust.

Best Supporting Actor

Josh Brolin, “Milk”

Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”

Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”

Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road”

Should and will win: Ledger for his dynamic, groundbreaking, and humorously creepy performance as the Joker. He stole the show from Batman by keeping our eyes glued to him whenever his chaos-loving sociopath came on screen. Unlike Jack Nicholson’s previous mediocre Joker, Ledger, with his smeared clown make-up, truly made for one darkly twisted clown.

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, “Doubt”

Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Viola Davis, “Doubt”

Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”

Should win: Even though she was only in two scenes, Davis managed to bring a whole movie’s worth of character backstory, emotions, and desires into those few precious moments on screen. Plus, she more than held her own against heavyweight Meryl Streep, which is alone no easy task.

Will win: Now with Winslet out of the running (the Academy chose to nominate her in the leading category instead), Cruz will most likely win for her domineering, vivacious turn as an emotionally unstable, eccentric ex-wife. She also won a BAFTA Award last week, which is a good sign she might win at the Oscars.

Best Director

Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”

David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”

Gus Van Sant, “Milk”

Should and will win: Boyle for delivering the beautifully crafted “Slumdog Millionaire.” He delivered intricate chase scenes, oversaw soaring camera shots over Mumbai, and brought out emotional performances from his young – and even younger, untrained – actors.

Those romantics out there looking for a better ending to the one Kate and Leo suffered at the end of “Titanic” may be disappointed to see what their relationship is like in “Revolutionary Road,” their first film together since the big boat sank twelve years ago.

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio play Frank and April Wheeler, a young, idealistic couple in the ‘50s based on the 1961 book by Richard Yates. They meet at a party, find each other interesting, and get married. Soon they have the stereotypical American dream with two kids living in a quaint house in the suburbs. He goes to work joining the other carbon copies of husbands just like him who are like workers in an assembly line everyday marching to and from work moving in a sea of hats. You don’t even know who is who – they’re all just hats that look exactly alike.

Being just like everyone else is adamantly not enough for April who meanwhile stays at home everyday with all her unfilled goals, fantasies and desires bubbling dangerously close to the surface. Finally, she gets the brilliant idea: “Let’s escape all this and move to Paris!” she tells Frank. Hesitant at first, he eventually agrees and they’re off to Paris – or at least that was the intention. Conflicts arise like Frank getting a job promotion and an unexpected pregnancy. Will they stay or will they go?

Meanwhile Frank and April are crippled by their incessant fighting. They got together because they thought they saw the same idealistic, ambitious, individualistic goals in each other; but, it turns out they don’t actually want the same thing lending to a film that consists of mostly just bickering. The film barely showed any happy moments so it’s hard to grasp that they ever did love each other making it hard to care if they do ever end up happy together.

While DiCaprio’s performance is satisfactory, it seems as though he prepared for his role by watching too much of Pete on “Mad Men” with an uncanny similarity of speech pattern. Actually much of the supporting cast is also just a big parody of the ‘50s with them acting as caricatures of the decade’s desperate individuals. “No Frank, he’s not welllllll,” Kathy Baker wails a little too dramatically.

In fact, the whole film comes off as a cliché of the 1950s. While the characters incessantly puff away at cigarettes and lunch over a wee bit too many martinis, the film doesn’t go beyond the surface and lacks the book’s emotional depth. It’s easy to see that, yes, Frank and April are both deeply unhappy but why? What’s more is that we don’t know who to side with or who to root for because we don’t really understand why they’re both so thoroughly messed up and mean to each other.

The stand-out performances are Winslet and Michael Shannon. Winslet gives it her all both verbally and through her subtle facial expressions. With just one slightly sullen look in her eyes and a pursed together smile, we can clearly see that she is trying to act excited over seeing her new suburban house for the first time even though she views it as a prison.   

Shannon, who plays the son of their friends, is the only one to garner an Oscar nomination for this film; and, while he isn’t in the film for that long he sure makes his presence known to the Wheelers. As a brilliant mathematician who’s spent time in a mental institution, he’s the only one who sees – or dares to – see through the Wheeler’s façade and to call them out on it. Wearing a squished up scowl on his face, he strolls into their perfect little house like a wrecking ball bringing all their true emotions, desires, and motives to the surface. His only crime is making people see themselves for what they really are.

So it’s quite ironic that the “crazy” guy is the only one who really knows what’s going on. Meanwhile, all the “normal” characters in the film are depressed and repressed. If that’s the way it is, “Revolutionary Road” will make you wish that you’re crazy.

Sunday night’s 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Award ceremony was almost a carbon copy of the Golden Globes two weeks ago with “Slumdog Millionaire,” “30 Rock,” Kate Winslet and “John Adams” winning big.

Since the SAG Awards only honors actors it doesn’t award a Best Picture, but “Slumdog Millionaire” took home the biggest award of the night: Cast in a Motion Picture. The cast of unknown Indian actors was shocked and grateful. Anil Kapoor accepted the award saying it was enough to be nominated and the win was “unbelievable,”and Freida Pinto took a moment to personally acknowledge all the children who played the actors’ younger counterparts.

“30 Rock” swept the show once again with the cast winning Ensemble in a Comedy series and stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin winning Female and Male Actor in a Comedy Series.

Fey threw in a jab at the ongoing contract negotiations between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers when she thanked her young daughter, Alice. “Someday, she’ll be old enough to watch 30 Rock reruns on the Internet and understand where mommy was going at 6 a.m. every day for all that time. And she’ll look up at me and say, ‘What do you mean, you don’t get residuals for this?’ I love you, Alice. Take care of me when I’m old and broke!” 

“Mad Men” also scored big yet again winning Ensemble in a Drama Series, and star Jon Hamm thanked their “dozens of viewers.”

Surprise winners Hugh Laurie from “House” and Sally Field from “Brothers and Sisters” won Male and Female Actor in a Drama Series. They were even shocked themselves: “I had $100 on James Spader – this is just not my night,” Laurie deadpanned, and Field admitted, “Oh dear, I thought it would be a cable girl.”

“Doubt’s” Meryl Streep who won Female Actor in a Leading Role was so shocked she won she didn’t even buy a dress as she showed all of us when she stepped around the podium to show off her simple black pants. Yet, after Winslet’s astonishing double-win at the Globes, we were all kind of surprised too.

Alas, Winslet didn’t go home empty-handed. She won Female Actor in a Supporting Role for “The Reader” and gave a much more subdued speech this time around.

Sean Penn beat out Mickey Rourke for Male Actor in a Leading Role for “Milk” and gave a much more dynamic speech talking about the statue’s “rather healthy package,” saying he “wept” at his fellow nominee’s performances, dissing the voters for not acknowledging actors like Benicio Del Toro, and reprimanding the media for making the award competition a “dog fight.”

Not all competitions have been a dog fight, however. Heath Ledger once again won a posthumous award for Male Actor in a Supporting Role for “The Dark Knight” with costar Gary Oldman accepting on his behalf and “John Adams” stars Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney won acting awards in the Television Movie or Miniseries category again.

Besides honoring the year’s best actors, the Guild also honored James Earl Jones by giving him the Lifetime Achievement Award. While these awards can often be the boring part of ceremonies, we learned some interesting things about Jones such as that he had a stutter as a child and subsequently barely spoke for twelve years.

Who would have guessed that about the man who breathed “Luke, I am your father” ?

The nominees for this year’s 81st annual Academy Awards were announced Thursday with not too many surprises. The top two films slugging it out are “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which leads the pack with 13 nominations, and “Slumdog Millionaire,” which won Best Picture at the Golden Globes and has 10 nominations.

What about the snubs? “The Dark Knight” didn’t get a Best Picture nomination, Clint Eastwood and his film, “Gran Torino,” got shut out, “Revolutionary Road” got no noms including its stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Springsteen’s song from “The Wrestler” didn’t get nominated even after it won the Golden Globe, and Sally Hawkins didn’t get a Best Actress nom fresh off her Best Actress Golden Globe win.

But the biggest surprise? Who would have ever thought Robert Downey, Jr. would get a nomination for his role as “a dude playing a dude, disguised as another dude”? 

Find out who wins on Feb. 22 at 8 pm EST on ABC, and in the meantime the nominees are:

Best Picture

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director

David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon

Gus Van Sant, Milk

Stephen Daldry, The Reader

Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionare

Best Actor

Richard Jenkins, The Visitor

Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn, Milk

Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Best Actress

Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

Angelina Jolie, Changeling

Melissa Leo, Frozen River

Kate Winslet, The Reader

Meryl Streep, Doubt

Best Supporting Actor

Josh Brolin, Milk

Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt

Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, Doubt

Penélope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona

Viola Davis, Doubt

Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin

Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

Best Animated Feature

Bolt

Kung Fu Panda

Wall-E

Best Original Screenplay

Dustin Lance Black, Milk

Courtney Hunt, Frozen River

Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky

Martin McDonagh, In Bruges

Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, Wall-E

Best Adapted Screenplay

Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, The Curious Case of Benjamin

John Patrick Shanley, Doubt

Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon

David Hare, The Reader

Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

“The Reader” is a film that manages to simultaneously be relatable and unfathomable, as well as emotional and distant all at once because of its characters, plot and locale.

Based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Bernard Schlink, it’s the story of the unlikely but captivating love that starts in 1950s Germany between a lonely tram worker and a teenage boy nearly two decades her junior. After the train ride, Hanna (Kate Winslet) helps Michael (David Kross) home because he has fallen ill with scarlet fever.

When he eventually gets better and brings her flowers to thank her, she initially acts almost cold to him. Things, however, quickly heat up between them leading to some pretty explicit sexual scenes between them. The sudden, intense physical attraction is almost repellant at first due to the age difference and their lack of familiarity with each other. They don’t even know their names until after a few of his… um…visits, and even after she learns his name is Michael, she still calls him “kid” like he’s never her equal.

So why is she so suddenly – and brazenly – attracted to him, we wonder?

It’s because he reads to her. (The Reader, get it?) It may sound odd, but they finally start to build an emotional connection to each other when he begins reading his school books like “The Odyssey” to her, and it’s actually heartfelt. By the time they truly connect and we actually start to accept their relationship, she suddenly leaves.

At this point the story shifts eight years forward to when Michael is a mature law student. There he and his classmates attend a trial for Nazi war crimes and to his surprise and ours, he sees Hanna on trial. Not only does Michael learn of her Holocaust involvement, he realizes another secret she’s been hiding.

While the latter secret is supposed to be much more meaningful and shocking, it comes as no surprise to the audience and doesn’t really garner the intended impact. The former secret, however, is extremely captivating. While it’s hard to relate to the specific circumstances at hand, it brings into question the issue of how you’re supposed to grapple with the situation of realizing someone you so deeply loved could be capable of something so horrible. Not only that, but does that change things and the way you felt?

The framing of the film is effective in revealing how Michael perceives Hanna at various times throughout his life. It initially begins in the 1990s with a middle-aged, emotionally guarded divorced lawyer who turns out to be the older version of Michael (Ralph Fiennes). Throughout its entirety, the film shifts around to different moments in his life, and we feel for Michael and his tale because we see and experience everything how he himself saw it.

We never quite understand Hanna’s motives or desires though. Coupled with the fact she was affliated with the Nazis, we never quite feel or relate to her. It doesn’t hurt she’s played by the wonderful Winslet, however, who just won a Golden Globe for her performance.

While we never love Hanna, Winslet doesn’t make her a monster which is good because Michael never knows quite how to perceive her either. Even better, it’s true to real life because people don’t always know the motivations or desires of others making it all the more frustrating when those people are the ones we love.

So even though this tale takes place a half a century ago in Germany and involves presently incomprehensible topics like Nazis and scarlet fever, it ultimately doesn’t matter. We get it anyway.