Brothers from Another Mother

I may go to hell for this. We can carpool.

I feel compelled, despite the potential eternal damnation, to point out an observance I made the other day while watching Zoboomafoo with my son. The Kratt brothers (Chris and Martin), the creators and human stars of the show, closely resemble another famous set of brothers. Those other brothers would be the convicted parent murderers Lyle and Erik Menendez.

Bracing myself for the bolt of lightning to strike me.

Oscar Fashion 2009: If it doesn't fit, you must ditch it

The Oscars were a bit ho-hum last night, including the fashion. I did make two major observances, though. First, a great dress can be ruined by a bad fit, and a middling dress can be uplifted (ahem, no pun intended) by a great fit. Second, amazing jewelry can salvage a bland look.

In the "good dress, bad fit" category:

Sarah Jessica Parker loves to get all ball-gowny on us, and most of the time it works. Here however, her...uh...cups runneth over. And the belt is cinched way too tightly. Love the hair, love the dress, bad fit.

Next up, we have Jessica Biel, and I've lied to you already. This is a bad dress with a bad fit. If it had been fitted properly, however, it would be much more attractive (also, removing the giant napkin tucked into the front would help). Anyway, this dress looks as though it's about to slip down her chest (which I'm sure would be dreadful to her male fans), it's too roomy in the hip, and the skirt looks like it was designed by the finest Barbie fashion minds that Mattel has to offer.

Wow, Goldie. If I can see your tan lines (and why, oh why, do you have tan lines?) and your lavaliere microphone cord, it's time to quit that dress. Also, it looks like every other neutral-colored dress you wear to every event. If you're recycling in this down economy though, then props for that.

In the "fit makes the look" category:

Anne Hathaway went with a very safe old-Hollywood look last night, but the impeccable fit elevated it to a red-carpet winner for me.

At last, we have some color. Natalie Portman looks like she needs some intense cheeseburger therapy, but you can't argue with the fit of this dress--it's perfection. The color is Pepto-tastic, but at least it's not boring. I would have like to have seen a wee bit more color in her make-up, though. She was borderline corpse-like in this photo.

I surprised myself a little with my favorite of the night: Marisa Tomei. I usually don't like a lot of embellishment, but for some reason this pleated number is doing it for me. She has the pose down, the dress fits like a glove (or in this case, like cascading stack of envelopes), and it brings just the right amount of drama. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

In the "your jewelry just saved you" category:

Amy Adams' red number is not a loser on its own (I like the art-deco look of the bodice design), but the bold collar necklace definitely completes this look. Kudos for the hair and make-up folks, too.

I'm stunned. Angelina Jolie wore black. She's usually such a bright ray of sunshine. What a dramatic departure. OK, at least she wasn't wearing a bed sheet again, as she has been inclined to of late, but I found her dress to be deadly dull (so dull, I don't even feel the need to include a photo of it!). The earrings, though...wowza.


Taraji P. Henson looks like she got toilet papered by some ornery high schoolers on Halloween night, but I am in love with this necklace. Stunning. And great hair. (Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)

Congrats to all the winners. I went 6 for 8 in my predictions last night, and the two I missed were really wishful thinking on my part. I'll miss the red carpets now that awards season is over!

I'd like to thank the Academy...

OK, I've been extremely lax in my blogging the past week. Shame on me. But I do have a real, full-time job, not to mention a four-year-old boy taking up my time. To get back on the horse, I thought I'd make some eleventh-hour Oscar predictions.

The Academy Awards are sort of like my Super Bowl (except for when the Steelers are in the Super Bowl...then, um, that's my Super Bowl). Until a few years ago, they used to broadcast the the Oscars during the week of my birthday, which was a cool birthday treat for a movie fan.

So, here are my predictions for tonight's winners in most of the major categories:

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actor: Mickey Rourke
Best Actress: Kate Winslet
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger
Best Supporting Actress: Marisa Tomei
Director: Danny Boyle
Best Original Screenplay: Milk
Best Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire

I'll be back later for commentary on the show. Enjoy!

TLC = That's Lotsa Children

I think I may be in the minority on this one, but watching television shows about people that give birth to small armies of children gives me hives. I have a four-year-old boy. If I wanted to hear more whining, I'd go work at a daycare center.

As we all know, TLC is the home for people who have never heard of birth control. "John and Kate Plus 8" . . . I'm sure they're lovely people. I've made attempts to watch the show. Never made it through a single episode. John and Kate look eternally harried. Watching them try to do something as simple as have a meal with eight children makes me start to sweat.

I do love children (particularly my own child). I always knew I wanted to be a mother. But not only do I not want to be the mother to eight young children, I don't care to watch anyone else do it either. I even change the channel when the incessant commercials for their show come on.

Then we have the Duggars. Their shows (including "17 Kids and Counting") are actually a bit more palatable to me. Perhaps it's because Michelle Duggar has some kind of superhuman quality that Kate Gosselin doesn't possess. The woman has 17 children and never looks even remotely stressed (and she home-schools them all, for goodness sake). She has built-in baby sitters with her older children, so I'm sure that takes some pressure off of her. Again, they seem like exceptionally nice people, but they still give me the creeps.

Two weeks ago, we had a new woman of questionable sanity bring forth another litter of children into the world. Nadya Suleman gave birth to octuplets in southern California, after being implanted with six embryos (and knowing the risks inherent in this). She is a TLC fan, I'd wager. The single mother already had six children under the age of seven. She also has an agent. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I'm avoiding her on my television as well.

Mike Tomlin in the "House"?

After I watched every last bit of post-Super Bowl coverage on TV last night, I decided to unwind before bed with Season 1 of House on DVD. For a minute, I thought I was having Steelers-euphoria-related hallucinations, because I could have sworn Mike Tomlin was right there on House. Omar Epps and Tomlin definitely could have been separated at birth.

I'm "Lost" without you

I'm a huge fan of the television show "Lost," but as any regular viewer can attest, you're often left with more questions than answers by the time the closing credits roll each week. I've seen every episode of the series, and I still have a hard time keeping up with all the intricate threads the show's creaters have spun. But that intricacy is also what makes the show so awesome.

To help fill in the plot points my feeble brain has failed to capture, I usually check in with my favorite television recap web sites the day after a new episode has aired. If there's anything better than watching television shows, it's reading about television shows!

I would never attempt to recap or analyze my favorite shows in great detail on this blog (there are people out there that get paid good money to do that already). Television Without Pity and Entertainment Weekly's TV Watch do it best, in my opinion. They cover many of the cult favorites and ratings leaders (TwoP's coverage has much more depth and breadth, though).

If you know of some great TV recap/analysis sites, please share them in the comments section. Happy watching--and reading!