Emmy ramble

Let me just say first and foremost that I am in love with Neil Patrick Harris. I have been in love with him since he was Doogie. I never missed an episode. I saw him standing outside the Nederlander in the summer of 1997. He was with Christine Taylor and they kissed on the lips. I loved that he loved Dr. Will on Big Brother. I love him as Barney. I love him as Dr. Horrible. I love him as himself. I LOVE HIM. That this Emmy telecast will be so all NPH, all the time means it might be the best ever, and I'm not even joking.

Super cute opening number. His voice is lovely. (Here he is singing in another white tuxedo many, many, many years ago.)

My favorite reaction shot so far is the redheaded waitress on True Blood sitting next to her husband, Benjamin Linus!

COMEDY

Comedy montage! The opening for the montage was really too long! The fire alarm scene on The Office was the funniest of all of these by far.

Presenters: Tina Fey & Jon Hamm. They both look pretty. It is hard to look pretty next to Jon Hamm. He is so stunning. And funny. And beautiful. Wow. Supporting actress in a comedy! Kristen Chenoweth has on weird 2009 glasses. I don't care for Jane Krakowski on 30 Rock. Elizabeth Perkins: also weird glasses. Amy Poehler: patch! Kristin Wiig: Lens thingie. Vanessa Williams: not playing with the props. WINNER: Kristen Chenoweth: SHOCKING. I am shocked to the max. She is a tiny little mouse and she's crying really hard. She'd like to be on Mad Men and The Office and 24. She's shaking and thanking her producers and cast and manager. She thinks NPH rocks. She looks gorgeous. Thanks the academy for recognizing a show that is no longer on the air. I did love you, Pushing Daisies. She hugs Tina Fey enthusiastically and leans on her on the way out. Tina Fey is a full head, if not more, taller than she is.

Cat Deeley is there! This makes every show better! Gorgeous and classy as always!

John Hodgman is also there. Another bonus! NPH is very amused by John Hodgman.

Presenters: NPH's co-stars on HIMYM! All of whom look great! Oh, Willow Rosenberg & Nick Andopolis, I love you forever. Writing for a comedy series! 30 Rock wins for Reunion, which was definitely a very funny episode. This guy Matt Hubbard looks very young.

Presenters: Julie Louis-Dreyfus & Amy Poehler! Supporting actor in a comedy. Cryer, Dillon, NPH (next to his beautiful BF), McBrayer, Morgan, Wilson. If NPH does not win I am GOING TO BE PISSED! Jon Cryer, oh for heaven's sake.

NPH is back, being adorable. The host lost. He is giving himself a pep talk and saying it's not awkward. Justin Timberlake is now onstage with very dark hair and thick-rimmed glasses. Justin Timberlake is a dreamboat. There, I said it. Lead actress in a comedy: Applegate (I love her, and I loved Samantha Who), Colette, Fey, Louis-Dreyfus, Parker, Silverman. Colette! Timberlake sounds suprised! She is beautiful but her tan is atrocious. I'm sorry, Toni, but it's true.

NPH! Congratulating Jon Cryer. And interviewing him in the press room! They are being cute.

Presenters: Serena & Blair in some crazy dresses. Serena's dress is basically obscene and Blair is way more gorgeous normally than she looks tonight. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Guest actress & guest actor in comedy series. Tina Fey (as Palin) & Justin Timberlake (overall SNL wunderkind) won! Sexy Back is playing! As it should. She is saying that Justin would still be very famous and very rich without Lorne Michaels, but she wouldn't be, so thanks Lorne Michaels. They are adorbs. Director in a comedy: Someone for The Office. The band version of the theme song is kind of weird. It was a really funny episode, so yay.

Presenter: Rob Lowe. A little too tan but still gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Although I never think it's very nice to say that you turned a show down because it reminds whoever got the part that he wasn't the first choice. Are we talking about Dempsey here? Well, he's really the only one who could be McDreamy, I think -- he's just so rumply and wounded in a way that Rob Lowe could never be. Honestly I just miss Rob Lowe as Sam Seaborn. A lot. Lead actor in a comedy! I really want Steve Carell to win. But Alec Baldwin will. And so he does. He says he'd trade his Emmy to look like Rob Lowe! Which is very funny! And probably what every other man in the room (and possibly world) is thinking.

REALITY

Reality montage: I am enjoying this montage more than I can possibly say, maybe just because I love Britney's "Circus" so much. Even though I wish there were more SYTYCD. Poor Maksim & Karina just called off their engagement and now they have to dance together. Horrifying. For them. Great for us.

Presenters: Jon Cryer & Hayden Panettiere. Both of whom bore me. Reality host! Cat Deeley should be nominated. I would like Phil to win. But I agree with Linda Holmes that Tom Bergeron deserves it the most. Just say no to Probst. PROBST WINS. Oh, gag me. I agree with everything Linda said about this category. But he complimented NPH, which earns him points in my book. He is honored to be the face of Survivor. Barf? He is quoting Joseph Campbell. I can't deal with him. Next!

Presenter: Tracy Morgan. Makes me laugh. No matter what he says. Best reality show: Amazing Race always wins and that is because it is the best! I wish there were a special award for best reality contestant so Adam Lambert could win. Because he's clearly what made AI good this year and nothing else.

(I had to talk on the phone for a little while.)

Okay, Brendan Gleeson just won for playing Churchill. And I just want to take this opportunity to encourage the world to watch his amazing performance in In Bruges, a wonderful movie that is very brutal and violent and somehow manages to also be quite touching and utterly funny and weird and wonderful. I could not love it (or him in it) more. I loved seeing how enthusiastically his fellow Irishman Gabriel Byrne applauded for him. Yay!

Skipping some stuff! The accountants! Interrupted by Dr. Horrible! Hijacking the Emmys. It's a beautiful thing. Which much of the audience is not going to understand at all. But I don't care. And he just got punched by Dr. Hammer! Who is being hilarious! And there's Moist! And Penny! This is kind of good to be true. I can't even explain it. You've got to see it. And get Dr. Horrible today, if you haven't seen it. What are you waiting for?

Jessica Lange wins for Grey Gardens. I am scared to see what she looks like. Her eyes look a little weird, they really do, but over all, I'm very happy for her. My sister and I once followed her into a restaurant bathroom. She seems genuinely touched and surprised. I love Drew Barrymore. And I love that she is back with Justin Long.

VARIETY

(Missed this part!)

Jimmy Fallon running around with his voice like T-Pain. Steve Carell is laughing very, very hard. Jimmy Fallon is funny. I've never seen his late night show but his appearance locally in like 2001 made me laugh a lot. I LOVE THIS SONG FROM THE COLBERT CHRISTMAS SPECIAL. I watched it over & over and laughed/cried every time. I really hope it wins. I had forgotten about this Timberlake ESPY performance. He really can do anything. I hated Motherlover & hope it does not win. Well, Hugh Jackman's opening number took it. I can deny Hugh nothing, so good for him. (Even though he will never ever be better than he was in the Tony opening number of 2004, to which I will now link for the 47th time.)

Ricky Gervais! I love him. I hate that hideous tux but I love him. He makes everything better.

(Okay, this is when I stopped typing for the most part. A few miscellaneous remarks as follows.)

I loved Patrick Swayze as Orry Main before I loved him as Johnny Castle. That clip made me teary. (I realize North & South was ridiculous, but I was 10 years old and I LOVED IT.)

Wish they'd figured out a way for Stephen Moyer to lapse into Bill voice and say "SOOKIE!" while presenting.

Not impressed by how Matthew Weiner basically ditched his co-writer while running to stage.

Peggy's clip was monumentally spoilery for those who haven't started Mad Men yet but intend to. Oh well!

I love you, Gabriel Byrne.

(And that's all I wrote. I remain completely in love with Neil Patrick Harris and am so glad he is shining his light all over Hollywood and the world. Eliza out!)

Oscars!

I love Hugh Jackman. His hosting stint at the 2004 Tony Awards remains one of the greatest performances I've ever seen on live television. I know you can do it, Hugh! So: his opening. Why aren't they lighting the audience when shots cut to them? That is pretty weird. The two best words that can come out of Hugh Jackman's mouth: "Opening Number." Hooray, here he goes! Oh dear, the worst two words that can come out of Hugh Jackman's mouth: "P-bic Hair." That is my only complaint about this opening number. Anne Hathway has gotten too thin, but she is being a great sport and I have liked her singing voice since she played Mary Poppins on SNL, and that was adorable. I think Hugh Jackman is cracking even himself up in this bizarro dancing number for The Reader. Oh my God, it just keeps getting better and better, and I can't keep up! Well, he said he wanted the Oscars to have more "show" and less "biz," and I think he has succeeded so far. I don't know how many ways I can say that I am actually, quite possibly, in real and complete love with Hugh Jackman. I will try to leave it at that.

Oh my God, the curtains are not opening. Well, that was fun! I like montages, but I wish they'd put the supporting actress clips in order instead of jumbling them all around! And ... another montage? Oh, it's because they're all presenting! Very cool and never been done as far as I remember. Whoopi's animal print dress is a nightmare. Tilda Swinton always looks like a gorgeous statue. Eva Marie Saint looks lovely in her white satin suit and does a nice job describing Viola Davis as Davis emotes silently from her seat with great power. I really, really like her. Anjelica Houston remains gorgeous, as does Penelope Cruz. So many damn gorgeous women! I am really sad about Whoopi's dress because her hair and make-up are nice, but that dress has both a horrible print and is one of the most unflattering things I have ever seen. Amy Adams, I love with all my heart. Oh, Goldie Hawn -- no. Just -- no. (Can I just say that we had Bird on a Wire on VHS when I was a kid and watched it all the time? Because we did.) Taraji P. Henson = also beautiful. (Are they seriously going to take this long with every category? Don't get me wrong, I like it! But it's so different and crazy!) Taking the time to really recognize each nominee is sort of stunning, really, and the nominees are so clearly moved. I think I am a fan of this strategy. We'll have to see how it goes for the rest of the night! And the Oscar goes to ... Penelope Cruz! Wow. I have to say I thought Viola Davis had it in the bag. Penelope's dress looks like a very pretty cloud. And now she is talking about art as the universal language, and I am crying!

This little typewriter silhouette introduction of Tina Fey and Steve Martin is fantastic! Wow, they are actually really trying to do something different this year, and I am really digging it. Tina Fey looks gorgeous and has a killer bod. Again with a dark audience shot, this time of Sophia Loren. What? Why? Shine some lights on these people! I always appreciate a good Scientology insult. Now they are doing the original screenplay nominees and superimposing typewritten text from the scripts onto the clips. Again, a stab at creativity. I appreciate this. IN BRUGES! I forgot this was nominated! Oh, In Bruges, I love you so very much. Oh, Milk. I feel fairly certain that this will win as the screenwriter is a wunderkind and the only one for years and years who has been able to pull Milk off. And, Dustin Lance Black wins for Milk, and I am glad. I loved Milk. Sean Penn is clapping so hard he might break his hands. This kid is adorable! And he calls it a "life-saving story," and really, it is. And now I am crying again. He says the story of Harvey Milk gave him the "hope that one day I could live my life as who I am and maybe even fall in love and get married." Gus Van Sant = in tears. His message to the gay kids: "You are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value, and no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you, and very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights, federally, across this great nation of ours. Thank you, and thank you God for giving us Harvey Milk." And ... more tears!

It's time for best adapted screenplay. I might have to take a break because my nose is running after the last speech. I wish they would stop showing that Slumdog clip all the time for all the people who haven't seen it yet. Regardless, the screenwriter of Slumdog won and hooray for that! Is he wearing a rosary across his shirt or is that some kind of English thing? Nice speech, makes me want to watch the movie again.

Here are Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black. Jennifer is not wearing black for once in her life! Fantastic. She remains overly tan, but it's nice to see her hair pulled back somewhat from her face. I think she must hate her ears because she never shows them. Possibly she should not be paired with Jack Black doing stilted awkward presentation comedy, but still, props to her for strutting out there in front of freaking Brad & Angie and looking awesome. Wall-E wins best animated film to the surprise of absolutely no one. Oh dear, Jennifer & Jack are back. And they cut to the inevitable Brad and Angie's reaction shot. AWKWARD.

The band just played a snippet of "Cool" from West Side Story as Hugh walked back onstage. I'm fine with that. And now in another random pairing, Sarah Jessica Parker and Daniel Craig. Her formerly nonexistent bosoms are heaving in what I guess is a trick of her dress's stiff bodice. Daniel Craig's delivery is a bit stiff, and I am reminded of that strange MTV Awards show of yore where SJP hosted and sang lots of strange songs like "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Art direction goes to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which I have not seen. And they're sticking around for costume design ... okay. This is dragging, I'm sorry to report. The Duchess wins; haven't seen it because I try to avoid Ms. Knightley if possible. And they are STAYING FOR MAKE-UP. This is really a bit much, Jesus. Benjamin Button wins, no shock there. God love the artisans but their speeches are not very goozzzzz.

Robert Pattinson glowers way too much. Lift up your head, Robert! Stop furrowing your brow! You are not really Edward Cullen. The end. Amanda Seyfried is beautiful, but their presentation is kind of a dud. Cue romance montage! Nice to see Last Chance Harvey in there. And ... a dancing montage within a romance montage. Did they seriously insert a clip of Diaz and Kutcher dancing in What Happens in Vegas? Shameful. And HSM3? Really? And ... huge Sex & the City spoiler if you care about that sort of thing. I'm not super crazy about this montage if truth be told. And ... who's better than Jamal and Latika and Harvey and Scott? No one.

Natalie Portman and Ben Stiller presenting cinematography. Ben Stiller, of course, is dressed as crazy bearded Joaquin. Natalie Portman's dress sort of resembles a Barbie costume but it doesn't matter because she is always articulate and pretty. This is fairly ridiculous and ought not be dignified with my commentary. Winner: Slumdog.

I cannot see Seth Rogen & James Franco sit next to each other on a couch without seeing Ken and Daniel Desario. They amuse me no matter what they're doing, actually. Now Franco as Pineapple Express guy is watching Franco as Scott Smith making out with Sean Penn, and it's good. And there's Jason Segel, and now the freaks are back together as they should be! I found that entire thing very enjoyable.

It is time for another musical number, and not soon enough for me. And it's a medley of songs from musicals. Oh dear, it's Beyonce. Who appears to be lip-synching. And I just do not approve of that, there is no excuse for it. No excuse! I don't really want to see Beyonce dancing in high cut red sequins, either. She is grinding on Hugh Jackman. This is not good. Hugh Jackman is better than this. I am embarrassed. And there are the High School Musical kids who are actually very cute -- now they are doing a juxtaposition of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" and "Can't Stop the Beat" (!?!?) and this is wrong. And Amanda Seyfried is barely getting to sing at all! Oh God, Beyonce ruins everything. I wanted to love this, I really did. But I can't. Nice idea, horrible costumes, repugnant execution. If I were not already fan of musicals, I think this would make me swear them off for all eternity.

I need a moment to recover. Now it's time for best supporting actor. Javier Bardem is very handsome. Past winners who are presenting: Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, Joel Gray, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Kevin Kline, all adorable. I wonder who will get to talk about Heath? Oh DEAR, Alan Arkin totally flubbed and said "Seymour Phillip Hoffman." Who is weird a very silly hat, by the way, sort of like the very tight crotch of a pair of black panty hose. Diane Lane is so gorgeous and seems to be very in love with James Brolin. John Mayer is sitting next to the couple and applauding very enthusiastically for Brolin. Robert Downey, Jr.'s wife is extremely pretty. And ... Christopher Walken is now sporting a bob. Kevin Kline is talking about Heath, and as he is basically the most articulate man on earth, I think it's a fitting choice. Nice tribute. And dispensing with all suspense, Arkin presents it right away to Heath Ledger, and his parents and sister are accepting. Oh, dear. I fear the tears will flow. Adrian Brody is fully crying. How does a mother stand up and speak about her dead son? This is almost unbearable to watch, everyone is crying, and they're accepting the award on behalf of his "beautiful Matilda."

Okay, gathering myself. I love documentaries very much, and I am glad they got such careful attention in that segment. Bill Maher is just so obnoxious. I currently have Encounters at the End of the World from Netflix and look forward to watching it soon.

((Missed some stuff while talking to my little brother about the atrocity that was the musicals tribute.))

The Slumdog sound mixer might be my favorite speech of the night so far. I am a sucker for the sincerely speechless winners. Film editing also goes to Slumdog, and Freida and Dev are bouncing and waving, which is adorable, just like they always are. As the band plays us out to commercial with Aimee Mann's "Momentum," I wonder if maybe these random songs the band is using were Oscar winners or nominees, but I don't think this one was, so I don't know what's going on there.

((Missed some stuff.))

Now it's time for best song. Love the dancers and the whole thing for the first Slumdog song. As for John Legend and the Wall-E song, am I the only one with a bit of a crush on John Legend? And now it's time for "Jai Ho," HOORAY! I don't know how any folks can hear this song and not feel their heart begin to explode somewhat. And now they are doing "Jai Ho" with the Wall-E song, and it sounds about a thousand times better than the odious song mixtures of Hugh & Beyonce. Yay! That was fun. Surely "Jai Ho" will in. And it does! Awesome. The composer, A.R. Rahman, beautifully said that the "essence of the film is about optimism and the power of hope in our lives ... all my life I've had a choice of hate or love. I chose love. And I'm here. God bless."

And now for the moment my brother's been waiting for all night ... Freida Pinto! Best foreign language film ... I am always a little late on these as they usually haven't opened here by the time the Oscar show airs. The Japanese film wins. I always enjoy the speeches for these because often times the winners don't speak great English and they are always super psyched.

Queen Latifah has a very pretty voice, but I think I prefer an instrumental behind the memorial clips. Waiting on Paul Newman to finish it off ... and there he is, with the most applause, and he's the only one who gets dialogue. The empty spotlight = a moving touch.

Here's Reese Witherspoon wearing a dress that's not the cutest I've ever seen. Are we even pretending Danny Boyle is not going to win? David Fincher isn't, as he just practically rolled his eyes when they called Fincher's name. Danny Boyle it is! And he just jumped like Tigger, and it was very cute.

Best Actress! Sophia Loren, Shirley MacLaine, Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, and Marion Cotillard, presenters. Randomly: the theme from Gone with the Wind. MacLaine does Hathaway, and Hathway and I cry. Cotillard does Winslet, and there's more crying all around. Berry does Melissa Leo, and I'm a little annoyed that her speech started being all about her! Oh, well. I am not nuts about Melissa Leo's hair, but as I've said before, viva Kay Howard. Loren does Streep with her HAND ON HER HIP. Kidman does Jolie with feathers on her chest. Kate Winslet wins for The Reader. She is hugging all five presenters, get a move on, Kate. Her dress, like Reese's, is sort of dark blue and black and not that cute. She has looked better, but she is very emotional and her dad just whistled for her and that was fantastic. She is super stoked and just one of my favorites ever since she was Marianne Dashwood.

Best Actor! Presenters are Robert DeNiro, Ben Kingsley, Anthony Hopkins, Adrien Brody, and Michael Douglas, and everyone is applauding for each of them THUNDEROUSLY. Normally I don't care for the hogging of awards, and I know Sean Penn won recently for Mystic River, but I thought he was wonderful as Harvey Milk, and I hope he wins. I wanted him to win for Dead Man Walking. Robin Wright Penn = still hot. DeNiro is talking about his achievements and antics as a human being, not just an actor, which is a little weird, if you ask me, for this moment. Oh, I forgot about Richard Jenkins! I would be tickled if he were to win! He was wonderful in The Visitor! Oh, Mickey Rourke. I would comment on his outfit, hair, jewelry, glasses, etc., but at this late hour, words fail me. Very nice tribute by Ben Kingsley, I have to say! And ... Sean Penn. Well, he didn't go to kiss Robin so she grabbed his face and kissed him on the mouth. Bravo, Robin. I feel like they are applauding Harvey Milk as much as Penn, really. The cute screenwriter is crying. Sean Penn, I do not care for your all-black tuxedo. Thank your wife, Sean, thank your wife! Please. Please, please, please. And ... he didn't thank his wife.

Best Picture at last. Very nice montage interspersing the nominees with past films with similar themes. Winner: Slumdog Millionaire. And the kids are storming the stage, where they belong. And the producer just kissed baby Salim on the head. Dev Patel is holding baby Latika. And now they're showing scenes from upcoming movies. Whoever decided to put Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in the same movie gets my vote for best casting decision. The movie I'm most looking forward to is Sunshine Cleaning. And ... that's a wrap.

SAG Awards recap

SAG Awards! I love this awards show. First of all, I could never recap an awards show like Kymm does, but here I go!

I am glad they chose Victor Garber for this "... and I'm an actor" beginning! I love him. And I also love Phylicia Rashad, and I am always glad to see her. The guy from Ed? Really? I guess this is because he's on a new TBS show. (Lame.) The host from Slumdog Millionaire! Oh, gloriousness. He was so fantastic in the movie! He made Creed smile a lot, which is always important. Jenna Fischer is falling out of her dress. (I love her blog.) Who's cuter than Amy Poehler and Will Arnett? I wonder if Steve Carrell made that up, the little tribute to the Sully the pilot, instead of tooting his own acting history. I like to think so!

Kiefer & Rosario, presenters: Rosario Dawson is so gorgeous I can't really believe it. Kiefer looks the same as ever and will always be Ace "Suck My Fat One You Cheap Dimestore Hood" Merrill to me. Christina Applegate, America Ferrera, Tina Fey, Mary Louise Parker, and Tracy Ullman. I always enjoy Tina Fey's speeches, but it would be nice to spread the love around a bit. And ... Tina Fey. No big surprise considering how popular she seems to be among her peers and how grateful everyone is to her for making such delicious fun of Sarah Palin. Very cute speech.

Dev Patel and Freida Pinto, presenters: They are adorable! My little brother is in love with Freida. I think I might be, too. I love them, and I am particularly sad that he was not nominated for an Oscar because I think he totally deserved to be. They're presenting their film. They are showing a very tense and important scene toward the end of the movie, and I have to say that it's a bit of a big fat spoiler. Oh well.

Kyra Sedgwick and Jon Hamm, presenters: She continues to not age. She is also amazingly tiny. I am not crazy about her bustier-type top, but I like her necklace and her hair. I also like Jon Hamm's hair when it's not all slicked back like it is on Mad Men. It is a shame that Kyra Sedgwick had to be outshined by a man who is more gorgeous than her and basically everyone else in the room, except for maybe Ms. Pinto. Alec Baldwin, Steve Carell, David Duchovny, Jeremy Piven, Tony Shalhoub. Please do not win, Jeremy Piven. This is actually sort of a boring category. My vote would be for Baldwin or Carell, clearly. And ... it's Baldwin! Again, no shock there. Who is that child who just hugged him? Is that Ireland? Surely not. Please tell me it's not his date, though; she looks like an adolescent. Steve Carell's wife didn't even attempt to smile or look happy, and good for her! Be genuine, I like that. 

Evan Rachel Wood, presenter: Her hair is a strange color, but her make-up is much less deranged than in recent months (like here), which pleases me. It is hard to believe little Jessie Sammler is all grown up. She is introducing a Trailblazers Montage. I love a good montage, so we'll see how it goes. I'm not sure how Trailblazery some of these performers actually are -- it's a bit random -- but I always appreciate seeing a clip of the Sharks dancing in West Side Story, so that's cool. How nice to show Corky from Life Goes On and Peter Dinklage back to back. That was a very weird and possibly not very well-thought out montage.

Claire Danes, presenter: Distracting veneers and weird pronunciation of "afloat" and "Wisteria Lane" notwithstanding, she looks gorgeous and I am glad she is now dating the adorable Hugh Dancy instead of the formerly beloved by me but now creepy Billy Crudup. Casts of 30 Rock, Desperate Housewives (really?), Entourage, The Office (yay!), and Weeds. And ... 30 Rock! Well, this is a clean sweep! Honestly, I'm glad they won if for Jack McBrayer alone, and I wish they'd let him give the acceptance speech. Did Jane Krakowski just make an Ally McBeal-skinny joke? Really? Boy. That kind of stank up the room.

Frank Langella and Michael Sheen, presenters: People are applauding madly, which is nice. They're presenting Frost/Nixon, which I haven't seen but would like to soon.

Greg Kinnear, presenter: Supporting female actor nominees ... Amy Adams (love her, haven't seen Doubt), Penelope Cruz (want to see this; also enjoy how she never pretends to enjoy talking to Giuliana Rancic), Viola Davis (always very charming in interviews; looks stunning in that yellow gown!), Taraji P. Henson, and Kate Winslet (beautiful blue dress, bosoms are very ... wow) ... and it's Kate Winslet. Random reaction shot of Diego Luna. Kate Winslet looks beautiful but mildly exhausted. Sorry to harp but either her undergarments or her breasts are truly extraordinary.

Christina Applegate and Taye Diggs, presenters: He is wearing tiny glasses and a bow tie, and she is wearing a pretty green dress with an ugly long necklace. Michael C. Hall, Jon Hamm (WIN), Hugh Laurie, William Shatner, and James Spader. If one of these Boston Legal bozos wins, I will be annoyed. Come on, Hamm! And ... Hugh Laurie. Well, I'm okay with this simply because he seems like a nice person. Christina Hendricks tries to look pleased even though Hamm didn't win; she fails but is still a knockout. Hugh Laurie does give good speeches. Random Michelle Pfeiffer reaction shot!

John Krasinski & Amy Poehler, presenters: Sometimes he tries too hard to be cute and funny in interviews. He should not try so hard, for he is just that way naturally! She looks unfortunately rather orange. Their schtick is actually very good! Shirley MacLaine, in particular, clapping and guffawing, thinks so! Sally Field, Mariska Hargitay, Holly Hunter (doesn't age), Elisabeth Moss (who is awesome but is not exactly a lead, huh?; looks adorable next to new fiance Fred Armison!), and Kyra Sedgwick. And ... Sally Field. Which would be a boring choice, but she is very good on Brothers & Sisters and she looks freaking phenomenal.

Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, and James Franco, presenting: I enjoy all of them, though Josh Brolin is way too tan and strikes me as kind of insane. Emile Hirsch is teeny and adorable, and James Franco's suit is weird, but he was so good in Milk and of course as Daniel Desario. That clip certainly doesn't show the wondrousness of Milk. Whatever.

Eric McCormick & Emily Blunt, presenters: Ron Howard just clearly leaned over and asked, "Who is that?" I really like Emily Blunt, but I am not crazy about her stretchy aluminum foily dress. Drama series ensemble ... Boston Legal, The Closer, Dexter, House, and Mad Men (Where are the Mad Men women in that clip? Hello?). I will never understand all the love Boston Legal gets on these awards shows.  And ... Mad Men. No brainer! Obviously. There are so many of them that it's taking forever to get to the stage. Mr. Cooper just patted Sean Penn on the shoulder on his way up! January Jones is lovely but always dresses like a lunatic at these awards shows. Oh, look at the little kids! Poor "Hells bells, Trudy!" -- standing in red next to Joan Holloway, also in red, and paling in comparison as any human would. Pete Campbell is the anti-Pete Campbell tonight, super scruffy. I like it.

Alan Rosenberg looks a bit haggard. Nice shout-outs to the other guilds/unions.

Forest Whitaker, presenting: He has been everywhere this week! Talking about the inauguration nonstop, always eloquently and sincerely. I really like him. Giving the Life Achievement Awards to James Earl Jones. "Oh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come." I know lots of people always think of him first as the voice of Darth Vader, but he will always be Terence Mann to me. And Mufasa, of course. That was a very sweet tribute to Paul Newman that he threw in at the end.

Ernest Borgnine, presenter: Female actor, TV movie/miniseries ... Laura Dern (enjoy her), Laura Linney (enjoy her, too), Shirley MacLaine (apparently I enjoy all of these women; she is so good in In Her Shoes if you've not seen it), Phylicia Rashad (I hope she wins because her speeches are terrific), and Susan Sarandon (her tatas are a bit much, I'm sorry, there I said it). And ... Laura Linney. I wonder if Laura Dern's heart swelled before the Linney part. Oh, well. She sure has won a lot of damn awards for this part. Alec Baldwin looks gravely concerned by this. 

Amy Adams & Viola Davis, presenters: They are both beautiful. I have decided I hate Amy's dress. It's a nice color, but it has a very strange ruffle/bow thing on the side that is just butt-ugly. Viola Davis' dress, however, is bright, yellow, and perfect.

Marisa Tomei, presenter: I like her yellow dress, but she looks like she is wearing no makeup, and instead of looking natural and pretty (which she is), she looks like she forgot something and very washed out. Not good, Marisa! You are too good-looking to look this drab. Anyway -- male actor, TV movie/miniseries ... Ralph Feinnes, Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, Kiefer Sutherland, and Tom Wilkinson. And ... Paul Giamatti. Again. He's not there, so moving right along.

Susan Sarandon and her decolletage, presenting the montage of the passed on. She gives a nice, sincere opening. I always wonder what music they will use for this. I am always also surprised to be reminded of deaths I'd forgotten. The applause situation is always a little awkward. Cyd Charisse sure was gorgeous. I'll always remember Beverly Garland as the mom in Where the Red Fern Grows. I guess they will save Heath Ledger for last. Actually, I guess he died last year. So the final spot went to the beautiful Paul Newman.

Kristin Scott Thomas, presenting: She is a very hot lady, but I am not crazy about her blazer and long gold chain. The dude playing a dude disguised as another dude line is getting very old. Come on, awards show writers! Some originality, please. Supporting actor ... Josh Brolin (admittedly very good in Milk), Robert Downey, Jr., Philip Seymour Hoffman, Heath Ledger, and Dev Patel. If Heath Ledger doesn't win, I will eat this iBook. Oh, Dev Patel! I didn't know you were nominated! I love you. Gary Oldman, rather than Christopher Nolan for once, is accepting on his behalf. Which is nice, as these are the SAG Awards and everything. Oh, Heath. Gary Oldman is crying. Also, I forget what Gary Oldman's real accent sounds like because one never hears it. "He was an extraordinary young man with an extraordinary talent and it is wonderful that you have acknowledged that and ... honored that talent tonight." That was rather shy, bumbling, awkward, and sweet.

Taraji P. Henson & Brad Pitt, presenters: Once and for effing all, I wish Brad Pitt would shave off that idiot mustache. That said, she looks amazing and I love her dress, hair, earrings, and every last thing about her look. She can't read the prompter because she needs glasses. They're presenting Benjamin Button, clearly. I sort of want to see this but have avoided it because (a) I know I'd be annoyed by the Katrina factor; (b) it's one million hours long; and (c) I hate thinking about mortality. But my little brother really loved it, which is usually reason enough to see a movie.

Ralph Feinnes, presenter: Female actor, leading role. Anne Hathaway (looking a little thin), Angelina Jolie (ditto), Melissa Leo (Kay Howard 4-eva!), Meryl Streep, and Kate Winslet. And ... Meryl Streep. Who is allegedly shocked and gets a huge hug from someone who must be her daughter, because she looks exactly like her. Everyone is charmed and amused by her spastic, actually possibly real shockedness, even Ralph Feinnes, on whose lips she just planted a giant smooch. Everyone clearly loves Meryl Streep. And why shouldn't they? She is not only an awesome talent, she is very amusing. She has total command of the stage, and they are just eating it up. 

Katie Holmes, presenter (WHATEVER): Okay, I like her hair, make-up, and dress. Damn it! She just said "magnifiss-kent." Nice. Why is she the one presenting one of the biggest awards of the night? This makes no sense to me, and I do not accept it. Sure, she was on Broadway, but this is SAG! For God's sake. I just protest this on every level. Anyway, moving on. Richard Jenkins (YES -- so wonderful in The Visitor, a beautiful film), Frank Langella, Sean Penn (wonderful in Milk and totally there with Robin Wright Penn, which makes me happy), Brad Pitt, and Mickey Rourke. Well, I think this is a gimme for Rourke because everyone seems super psyched about his comeback. And ... it's Sean Penn. WOW! I am truly shocked by this. I wonder if he's thinking, "I am so sure I am getting this award from someone whose greatest on-screen role was Joey Potter." I think he just made a joke about communism. Robin Wright Penn is crying, and I love it. Freida Pinto is moved and glowing. Sean Penn is moved and crying and rambling but who cares.

Anthony Hopkins, presenter: He looks thin and old. I am sorry, it's true. But he sounds strong and sensational. I really want Slumdog's ensemble to win, especially because they were all overlooked in the Oscar nominations. And ... hooray!! Anil Kapoor just tackled Dev Patel, and I will love Irrfan Khan forever as the dad in The Namesake, and Anil Kapoor is breathless and stoked, and I want Dev and Freida to get married and dance the train station dance at their wedding, and Anil is acknowledging the young children in the film and saying "they deserve it ... it is the children who have done it" (and he is so right), and Freida is now saying the kids' names for posterity! Which is so fitting and perfect, and all is right with the world. 

Update

The first thing I would like to say is that I have finished Rob's book. My friend Rob wrote a really, really good book. In case you've been holding out because you think you've already read his blog and it's just his blog on paper between two covers, you could not be more wrong. I couldn't put it down. Obviously I've been following Schuyler's story since she was in utero in Rob's blog, but the story in the book goes far deeper than that. It's beautiful, and it's just a fine achievement.

All I have to say about the Oscars is that I am sad that Hal Holbrook lost and so thrilled that Once won best song that I basically haven't stopped crying yet.

Their performance:



Their speeches.

(For more on the Oscars, go read Kymm's great-as-ever recap.)

I took charge of two giant and dead bushes, a lantana and a plumbago, in my front yard because the garden experts at the farmer's market told me to. "Just cut them all the way back to the ground!" they said, waving their hands dismissively in the face of my skepticism. "They'll grow back!" So that's what I did. And I scratched my arms up and there's now a giant pile of dead sticks on my curb.

I'd really been missing my friend Grace's semi-regular updates -- luckily she recently posted a link to where she's been writing lately. As usual, I am in love with every word she utters.

This weekend, B. and I went to Sunday brunch in New Orleans, where we hadn't been together since last fall, which is weird and wrong. It was fabulous, and it was great to meet his old friend who was in town for a wedding. We treated ourselves to mimosas and sazeracs and creole eggs benedict and seafood gumbo and really soft bread, and between the food, the drinks, the sunshine, and the jazz trio playing "A Kiss to Build a Dream On," it almost felt for a moment like neither of us is in school or working too many hours or doing anything else but relaxing like we used to spend every weekend blissfully doing.

Meanwhile, I turn 33 in two days, but that's too weird to contemplate this early in the morning.

Misc. + Oscars

I had not been rollerskating since the 8th grade, so it was not surprising that I was not extremely sure on my feet at a roller skating birthday party Friday night. But I never fell down, I had fun, I did the Hokey Pokey, and that's what it's all about.

I've been enjoying my documentaries lately. The Jewish Americans is really good, and the end of last week's installment made me weep ... when the [graphic video] rabbi talked about how he doesn't want to lay a stone on the heart of his people when they look back on the Holocaust ... how we must "look hard for the sparks of divinity in the ashes of atrocity" ... the way he said it got to me. It was beautiful. This series is allegedly narrated by Liev Schreiber, but to me it sounds nothing like him. Anyway, it's still good. I had no idea that Henry Ford was such a hateful, incurable asshole. And I loved seeing old Mandy Patinkin talking about Irving Berlin. Awesome.

I watched The Fog of War this weekend. I knew nothing of Robert McNamara, which makes me feel like an utter ignoramus. I liked it; it was pretty fascinating.

As for the Oscar nominations, I don't really feel like doing a whole entry about them this year, so I'll just say this. The best nomination on the list is the one for Hal Holbrook. I think Keri Russell should have gotten Ellen Page's place. Is that mean? I like Ellen Page, but I think Keri Russell was better in the indie chick-flick slot. I'm thrilled that "Falling Slowly" from Once was nominated for original song, and the main reason I hope the show actually occurs this year is so I can see Hansard and Irglova perform it live. The rest of it? I don't really care about. I haven't seen any of the nominations for best picture except for Juno. I've seen none of the best actor nominees. I've seen none of the best actress nominees except for Ellen Page (best in the crying alone in the mini-van scene, I think) and Marion Cotillard (good in a pretty good but depressing movie). I've seen none of the supporting actress nominees except for Ruby Dee in American Gangster, and while she was very good in it, her part might have been even smaller than Judi Dench's in Shakespeare in Love, and I find that irritating. The whole thing is irritating because it makes me feel like I saw no movies last year when I totally saw many and loved several. Anyway, it seems very white male-dominated, somehow, the whole thing. And excuse me, but where is Hairspray? WHATEVER.

But go, Hal Holbrook, go! You totally deserve to win.

Emmy Nominations

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin ~ 30 Rock

Hm. I've only seen this show a couple of times. I will be annoyed if he wins. I kind of don't like him even though he's funny.

Ricky Gervais ~ Extras

Oh, Ricky! I only hope they do a behind the scenes DVD extra for this awards show like they did for The Office when we got to see them all in their fancy clothes. I will love Ricky Gervais until my dying day, and I really need to check out more of this show. I've only seen it once or twice.

Tony Shalhoub ~ Monk

I think he's won this plenty enough times now.

Steve Carell ~ The Office

Well, clearly. This man delights me on all levels, and he's a large part of what brought me around to finally embracing the U.S. version of The Office with my entire heart. I like him not only because he is hilarious but because he also seems to be a genuinely good person.

Charlie Sheen ~ Two and a Half Men

Ridiculous.

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Tina Fey ~ 30 Rock

Not sure how I feel about this since I'm not that familiar with the show.

Felicity Huffman ~ Desperate Housewives

I've written before of my love for her, but I am definitely over this show.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus ~ The New Adventures of Old Christine

She beat Lisa Kudrow on The Comeback last year, and I'm still not over it. So I hope she does not win.

America Ferrera ~ Ugly Betty

How can you not love her? This show has been one of my absolute favorites this past season, and she's done great work on it.

Mary-Louise Parker ~ Weeds

I've only seen season one of this show, but I liked it a lot. Lord knows she can act ... she's won at least one Tony, I know, and a bunch of Emmys or at least Golden Globes. And she is suddenly very, very hot. When did this happen? Has it always been so? Surely not in Boys on the Side. Anyway, if America doesn't win, I guess she's my pick.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

James Spader ~ Boston Legal

As I said a few years ago, he will be Steff to me for all time.

Kiefer Sutherland ~ 24

"What're you gonna do, shoot all of us?" "No, Ace. Just you."

Hugh Laurie ~ House

I guess I would be okay with him as the winner.

Denis Leary ~ Rescue Me

I'm not sure how I feel about this. There've been times in the past when I've really enjoyed this show. But at the same time, there's always a part of me that thinks it's a little sick and deranged. And the sex scenes with Denis Leary always make me feel like I'm going to become violently ill. But I can't deny that he's sort of captivating to watch. I don't know. I am conflicted about Denis Leary.

James Gandolfini ~ The Sopranos

He's won three times already, but in this case, I'm fine with him winning again.

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Sally Field ~ Brothers & Sisters

Betty Buckley originally played Nora, and Sally Field was brought in to replace her. It's hard for me to imagine anyone else in this role even though I am rather fond of Ms. Buckley after seeing her blow the roof off as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway in the summer of '96. Sally Field is so good that it's sort of unbelievable. She can do anything, and she pretty much does as Nora, playing funny, angry, terrified, heartbroken, and pretty much every other emotion under the sun, sometimes miraculously all at once, on this show.

Patricia Arquette ~ Medium

I don't really have an opinion of her on this show because I don't watch it.

Mariska Hargitay ~ Law & Order: SVU

I think she seems like a cool person. Her baby is adorable, and she has a blog. But I still do not watch this show because I think it is the stuff of nightmares.

Kyra Sedgwick ~ The Closer

I tried watching this show once, but her accent grated so I turned it off. That said, I really like her. Mostly because she (along with Gena Rowlands and Robert Duvall, of course) was the only decent thing about Something to Talk About and was, in fact, hilarious in her role, and even more because of how great she is in the underrated Heart and Souls. Oh! And how can I forget Singles? I do like her. I think she might win.

Minnie Driver ~ The Riches

Wow! This nomination surprises and pleases me greatly. I've always liked her. I've mentioned before that I would really like to see again her appearance on The Rosie O'Donnell Show when they sang what appeared to be an impromptu harmonized duet of "Truly Scrumptious" from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. My mouth dropped open when I heard how well she could sing. And let me tell you, she is so dynamite on this show. It's kind of mindblowing, really.

Edie Falco ~ The Sopranos

Like Gandolfini, she's already won this three times. But who could begrudge her another?

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Kevin Dillon ~ Entourage

My first exposure to him was in Heaven Help Us, a film we were forbidden to watch as children but somehow did anyway. Then he was in that horrible TV movie with Shannon Doherty. And I'd never seen this show until recently. I saw a few minutes of it, plenty enough to know that I don't like it and that Kevin Dillon plays an idiot.

Jeremy Piven ~ Entourage

I cannot think of Jeremy Piven anymore without thinking about Erin. I think he's a good actor, but I keep reading that he's a real jerk in real life, and I've decided this show is so stupid that no one on it deserves to win anything.

Jon Cryer ~ Stupid Show

No. I do like Jon Cryer, but no.

Neil! Patrick! Harris! ~ How I Met Your Mother

I've said before that this is the best sitcom on television aside from The Office. And he is so, so, so good on it as Barney. This is my favorite nomination on the list, I think. Partly because I'm so happy someone on this show is getting recognized, and partly because I love him both on and off the screen. In the spring of 1997, I saw him outside of the Nederlander Theater after the matinee. This was before played Mark; Anthony Rapp was still Mark back then. (This was also when Norbert Leo Butz was in for Adam Pascal and my sister and I first beheld his wonder and glory.) Anyway, Neil Patrick Harris was with Christine Taylor, and they gave each other a quick peck on the lips on the sidewalk. I stood and gaped at them, transfixed by the adorableness. For good measure, here's a lovely interview he did with Ellen. And here's one of my favorite clips from the show. And just in case anyone hasn't seen it yet, one of my favorite things of all time, Neil Patrick Harris as Javert and Jason Segel and Jean Valjean.

Rainn Wilson ~ The Office

I am truly conflicted over this category! I cannot decide whether N!P!H! or Rainn Wilson should win. My love for them is sort of tied in my heart. I would be happy with either one. I never thought anyone could out-Gareth Gareth, but he has created his own Garethy character, Dwight, and he is so wonderfully crazy that I almost die from pleasure when watching this show. I'm not kidding. Here's some Dwightishness for your viewing pleasure.

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Jaime Pressly ~ My Name Is Earl

I no longer approve of her.

Vanessa Williams ~ Ugly Betty

She is really, really good on this show. She is the only person I would be mildly okay with beating Jenna Fischer.

Holland Taylor ~ Two & a Half Men

I will repeat what I said in 2005: Who in the hell actually watches this show? A lot of people, apparently. I remember being so annoyed years ago when she won best supporting actress in a drama for The Practice on which she was barely even a character.

Conchatta Ferrell ~ Two & a Half Men

I have always liked this actress but no way in hell is she allowed to beat Jenna Fischer.

Jenna Fischer ~ The Office

Her blog is great. She is great. She should win for this scene alone. (Don't watch it if you don't want to be spoiled for the end of season three.) I have recurring dreams about the Jim/Pam relationship. I have no idea why. Either I am competing with her for Jim's love or playing an active role in trying to conspire to get them together. It is sort of embarrassing to admit this. I am definitely rooting for her.

Elizabeth Perkins ~ Weeds

Damn! Another one I really like. I've liked her since Big, and I loved her in Moonlight & Valentino. Well, I guess I could accept her winning. But I'd really like Jenna to win. In case that's not clear.

More thoughts: Here's who I think should have been in the best supporting comedy actor/actress categories: Michael Urie and Becki Newtown, who play Mark and Amanda on Ugly Betty. In a great all-around cast, they really stand out and have managed to be really mean and really funny but also show a lot of heart in their roles. They should have been recognized, definitely. This is a long but excellent reel of clips featuring this very enjoyable duo.

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

William Shatner ~ Boston Legal

Whatever!

Michael Emerson ~ Lost

I read somewhere that Ben, Desmond, and Juliette saved Lost this past season, and I agree. It's nice to see one of them recognized. He is so creepy and good in this part, and I think he deserves this nomination.

Terry O'Quinn ~ Lost

Locke always seemed like the center of this show to me, but weirdly, I don't remember him doing all that much this season. Maybe I'm just not remembering very well. I still think he's awesome, and I'd be happy to see him win, but to me, this year the show did not belong to him like it has in the past.

T.R. Knight ~ Grey's Anatomy

Huh. He gets nominated for the season when George went from my favorite character to my least favorite character. I guess I can't blame the actor for that so much as the writers, who have all but assassinated his character in my mind, right along with Katherine Heigl's. I really don't know what in the hell happened on that set. But I definitely don't think that making George into an adulterer is doing this show or his character any favors, and I'd like it to cease effective immediately.

Michael Imperioli ~ The Sopranos

He's won once before. I didn't watch it this season, so I don't really know what kind of work he did, but I'm sure it was very good as usual. I can't pick him over Emerson, though. I think Emerson should win.

More thoughts: When thinking about how I wish Matthew Rhys had been nominated as Kevin on Brothers and Sisters, I came across this clip (also featuring Rachel Griffiths, oddly) of him performing "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun," and I died from the awesomeness.

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Sandra Oh ~ Grey's Anatomy

I've decided I don't even like Christina anymore.

Chandra Wilson ~ Grey's Anatomy

I wouldn't mind seeing her win just so we could hear another speech as good as the one she made at the SAG awards.

Katherine Heigl ~ Grey's Anatomy

A lot of people hated the Izzy/Denny storyline, but I liked it, and it was mostly because I thought that the actors really sold it. I thought she was fantastic that season. In this scene in particular. But this season ... I can't help it. My hatred for the Izzy/George relationship has colored my opinion of her. I don't want anyone on this show to win, as it turns out. The whole thing has just become too annoying.

Lorraine Bracco ~ The Sopranos

Lorraine Bracco is definitely awesome.

Aida Turturro ~ The Sopranos

I would prefer Bracco to win.

Rachel Griffiths ~ Brothers & Sisters

She's my favorite for this category. This is a fitting nomination. She is incredibly good.

Outstanding Comedy Series

30 Rock

I guess I should give this show more of a chance. I do like Tina Fey.

Entourage

I did not like what little I saw of this show. It was highly irritating.

The Office

I love the British version so much. I resisted this version for a very long time. And then I gave in, and my life is all the better for it. I think it will win, and I think it deserves to.

Two and a Half Men

I do not understand.

Ugly Betty

My love for this show is well-documented. I don't think it belongs in the comedy category even though it's definitely very, very funny, but I understand why it's here. I thought it was way too campy on first viewing, but I stuck with it, and I'm so glad I did. It's over the top and crazy sometimes, but that's sort of the point. When it's moving, it's very moving. There is really nothing I don't like about it. I think everyone should watch it because I think it will brighten your life.

More thoughts: I really wish that How I Met Your Mother were in this category.

Outstanding Drama Series

Boston Legal
Grey's Anatomy
Heroes
House
The Sopranos

I'm not going to write about these shows individually. I'm just going to say that I would kick any one of them off the list except for The Sopranos and replace it with Friday Night Lights or Brothers and Sisters (which I will simply say is a fantastic show that exceeded my every initial expectation). My other favorite drama? Battlestar Galactica? I understand, regrettably, that it doesn't have a chance in hell at an awards show like this. But Friday Night Lights is not set in outer space. It's set in a small town in Texas, and it's about real people. It's really hard for me to understand how it didn't end up in this category if this category is supposed to include the best. And it's not like I have some kind of blind love for the show. I am attached to it emotionally, but from an objective, critical viewpoint, it's just awesome television. Its lack of recognition makes me want to tell everyone involved in the television academy to sit and spin. Which I realize is not a mature reaction. But I wish it would have been nominated if only to convince a few more people to watch it. I didn't write about what actors from the show were left out of the acting categories because I didn't want to start to sound like a broken record. I wish Kyle Chandler had been nominated. I wish Connie Britton would have been nominated. And so forth. Here's a short little scene between them that's not too super spoilery in the grand scheme of things. I guess I should not let this upset me so much. I guess what it all boils down to is that when I love something I want everyone else to love it too because I want it to make them as happy as it makes me. Is that weird?

(Similar entries: 2005 and 2004.)

Stupid Emmys.

Tony Night! (Spoilers included)

Tony Night is a happy night. Happy, happy, HAPPY!

When the announcer introduced the first presenter as a four-time Tony winner and a nominee tonight, I assumed it would be Audra McDonald. But it was Angela Lansbury. Which is kind of unreal, considering that Angela Lansbury is 81 and Audra McDonald is 36. Not to take anything away from Angela Lansbury, whom I've adored since Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

As I just e-mailed Kymm while demanding that she blog the awards again, Neil Patrick Harris was adorable and Christina Applegate had both a pinched dress and a pinched face.

And God bless John Gallagher, Jr. How goddamn wonderful. I thought Jonathan Groff's smile would fly right off his face as he watched his friend give his delightful, delightful, delightful speech. (Watch it here.)

I hope these aren't considered spoilers.

I am so happy the Tonys are on. It amuses me that Tom Hulce, also known as Amadeus and the voice of Disney's Hunchback (beautiful singing voice by the way) and the black sheep sibling with a son named Cool in Parenthood, is one of Spring Awakening's big producers. I think that is awesome.

Carla Gugino's hair looks like it did in Son-in-Law, a movie I love, but it's not a great look for her. She is so stunning as a brunette. Also, I'm not fond of her florescent green dress.

Nominees who sit stone-faced instead of clapping for themselves or at least cracking a smile annoy me.

STEVEN SATER, WOO! "Spring Awakening is all about the hopes we feel as parents and the wounds we feel as children." And there is Jonathan Groff, again, looking overcome upon a Spring Awakening victory. What a tremendous speech. (Watch it here.)

I didn't know that Melina Kanakaredes was in Cabaret. I think they ended up letting everyone who wanted to play Sally Bowles. Also, I hate her dress. And her make-up. And she is not reading the teleprompter well at all! Mortifying. Could they not have found someone better to introduce John Kander? Holy Hell! I guess it's because she's on a CBS show. Shameful. What about Bebe Neuwirth? Chita Rivera? Joel Grey? These are just the first few that come to mind. Melina F-ing Kanakaredes? Excuse me?

Now I am apparently copying off of Kymm and typing throughout the entire broadcast.

Curtains looks good. David Hyde Pierce is great. Maybe there should be a musical starring David Hyde Pierce and Neil Patrick Harris. They could play Niles and Barney and sing and dance together. I would enjoy that.

Taye and Idina together! Walking out to a song from Annie Get Your Gun. Bizarre. Idina Menzel is beautiful, but I'm not crazy about the monochromatic dress and make-up. She sort of looked like this, at least hair and make-up-wise, when she won for Wicked, and it was a nice contrast to the green skin we'd seen her in a few minutes earlier when she performed, but Idina! Color. You should look into it, really. And Spring Awakening wins Best Score. And they look very happy, and it's adorable. And Sater and Shiek each just hugged and kissed Michael Cerveris on the way up! Interesting. And cue the Jonathan Groff reaction shot. Maybe the Tony producers are trying to reach out to the young audience by showing Groff all the time. Not a bad tactic, I'd say. "This is for you, The Guilty Ones." LOVELY. Also, I'd like Duncan Shiek to shave his neck. He just said, "Musical theater rocks," like, "Hello, I am a rocker, and this just occurred to me." Cute.

There's Anika Noni Rose with Donny Osmond. It really bothered me that in the midst of the Beyonce / Jennifer Hudson extravaganza nobody ever noted that Anika Noni Rose was the 3rd Dreamgirl in the movie and that she was a damn Tony winner. And I love Donny Osmond's voice a lot, but his Botox / facelift is frightening me.

Rosie O'Donnell will be so happy that Mary Louise Wilson won. I would really, really, really, really, really like to see Grey Gardens. I like her pants suit. She is lovely. Christine Ebersole looks gorgeous and like a sunbeam is shining down from heaven on her face.

I love you, Phylicia Rashad, but that is an unfortunate tie-dyed tent that you are wearing. I forgive you because you gave one of the best acceptance speeches I've ever heard. "Often I've wondered what does it take for this to happen. And now I know. It takes effort and grace, tremendous self-effort and amazing grace. And in my life that grace has taken numerous forms. The first was the family into which I was born, parents who loved and wanted me, and a mother who fought fearlessly, courageously, consistently so that her children above all else could realize their full potential as human beings. Teachers who wanted to be teachers. Art. All my life. A brilliant play, a magnificent role, a producer with a vision, a producer with a heart, and a director who dares to see me as an artist capable of many things. I thank God for everything, every, every single thing. For my mother, for my sister, for my brothers, for my children, and for this." (Yes, I just transcribed that from the 2004 Tony Awards show which I am physically incapable of deleting from my TiVo.)

Okay. Choreography. Bill T. Jones for Spring Awakening. And he is dancing down the aisle and jumping onto the stage. Well, wow! He is psyched! And, unsurprisingly, so is Jonathan Groff. This is funny because Shelley did not approve of the choreography of this show, not one little bit. It made her put her face in her hands. Oh, well! This guy is totally jazzed, and I'm loving this Spring Awakening sweep so far. (Watch his acceptance here.)

Rainn Wilson looks nothing like Dwight Schrute! Weird. Claire Danes' long blond hair is loathsome, as is her over-articulation. I cannot believe how much I loved her as Angela Chase and how much she totally gives me the creeps now.

Jennifer Ehle is so gorgeous, oh my God. And there is Martha Plimpton! Damn. Another Parenthood person. I love Parenthood. And Jennifer Ehle wins. Which is funny because she is the quintessential Elizabeth Bennet, of course, and I'm in the middle of reading Austenland. She's sounding very American. Why did I think she was English? What the hell? She sounds vaguely English, but not really. I'm very confused. I also loved her in that dark and dismal movie Paradise Road. But I really think she sounds American and someone needs to clear this up for me.

There is adorable Justin from Ugly Betty! He is precious. And weirdly, I am now feeling affection for Mary Poppins, the Broadway version, even though I've always hated the thought of you. And I don't like the way they sing "Chim chimUHny, chim chimUHny, chimchim cheree." It is spelled "chiminy." Not "chimuhny."But other than that, I am slightly more interested in it. I like this Bert. They certainly did give Mary Poppins a lot of time, good Lord.

Harry Smith? Okaaaay. Whatever. He's presenting "The Year in Plays." Poor plays. They really get the shaft.

Liev and Cynthia Nixon make quite a dashing pair of presenters.

Eddie Izzard! I hope his wife Elizabeth is watching. He is being very silly, and it's very strange to see him as someone other than Wayne Malloy because that's the only way I've ever seen him until now.

Marg Helgenberger looks better every time I see her. She is aging backwards. And now a musicals montage. I did not know that The Cat in the Hat and High Fidelity were made into musicals. And I think that Legally Blonde looks pretty bad. Mostly just because the new nose of the lead actress jars me every time I see a photo of her. Harry Connick, Jr.: also aging incredibly well. And there's the director of Rent, Michael Grief, against Michael Mayer, the director of Spring Awakening. And Mayer takes it. He is very pumped and is wearing a lavender tie. "I think it's awesome that the Broadway community has embraced our musical of young people struggling with the confusing and exhilarating journey to adulthood. And I believe that it is only with open eyes and open ears and open minds and open hearts that we can guide future generations until one day societal repression and sex as taboo are no longer themes for which directors win Tony Awards. Thank you very much." (Watch his acceptance speech here.)

Patti Lupone is wearing an unfortunate dress. And the microphone is blocking her mouth. She still looks great, though. And here's Raul Esparza! Whom I have never seen perform! This is very exciting, as I love him in Tick, tick... BOOM! Unsurprisingly, he is giving an A*W*E*S*O*M*E with capital letters and stars performance tonight. If he's like this throughout all of Company, how could anyone else win tonight? (Watch his beautiful performance here.)

What in the name of Antoinette Perry is Marcia Gay Harden wearing? Gee, I wonder if The Coast of Utopia will win Best Play? It only looks like the best play ever. Judd Hirsch is wearing opaque black sunglasses. Perhaps he just had eye surgery. There's no other excuse. They're explaining the plays, which are getting a few clips each. Judd Hirsch just pronounced Pittsburg as Fittsburgh, which makes me think of Titspervert/Fitzherbert in Bridget Jones' Diary.

Sam Waterston's gray hair is very distinguished. I hate men and their ascension into aging gorgeousness. Best Revival of a Play: Journey's End. Fellow presenter Felicity Huffman apparently could not care less. The man accepting the award: "Is there not a better way for human beings to resolve conflict than war? Is there not a better way?" Amen.

Tommy Tune! Still tall. Wearing what looks like a big white magnolia on his lapel. I enjoy him. He's singing! "Look around, they disappear from sight, and when I recall what used to be, I'm weeping like a weeping willow tree, just look around, you'll see a memory." Very nice song over the shots of the people who died -- lovely, really.

I'm getting sort of tired of this and just want to see the live performances from Spring Awakening and Grey Gardens. Here are Kevin Spacey and Jane Krakowski, whom I saw in Grand Hotel when I was a junior in high school, the first show I ever saw on Broadway. Is Jane Krakowski still dating Tim Rice? I think I remember her saying that when co-hosting Live with Regis one day. I found that a very weird pairing, frankly.

Okay, I stopped paying attention for a few minutes. But here is Audra McDonald presenting and looking incredibly beautiful. Leading actress in a play. I am very torn between Angela Lansbury and Vanessa Redgrave, two legends. And some very random woman wins who is very thrilled and shocked. Wait, I remember her from that show with the blonde Southern comic. What was that show? Oh yeah. Grace Under Fire. It was on in reruns, along with Coach, all summer when I worked at Disney World. Anyway. I remember her from that. She is being a little too silly and over-the-top in this speech and I feel it's kind of disrespectful especially when she beat Lansbury and Redgrave. It's just kind of ridiculous. I feel like I would like her in real life, but she just called her Tony statue a "tchotchki." No.

GREY GARDENS! Is coming up. And here are the guys from Jersey Boys. And they are singing again this year! Well, that is awesome. I don't recall ever seeing performances from the same show two years in a row. It's fine by me. I like these guys a lot. Shelley said this show went on forever, though. My sister just called and asked me, "Who are these clowns?" Ha! She also said she has a mouse in her room and she just saw it scurry across the floor. Ah, New York City.

Fast-forwarding. I'm very sad that I did not get to see Captain von Trapp make an acceptance speech because of Frank Langella. Patrick Wilson! I used to see him as Curly in Oklahoma ... now I see him as the adulterous husband who gets naked in Little Children.

And look at the magnificent Christine Ebersole. She looks and sounds exactly like Little Edie. This is uncanny, truly. I cannot imagine her not winning. (Watch her performance here.) And look! Here is the gorgeous trio of Moritz, Wendla, and Melchior announcing that they'll be performing soon. Hooray.

Oh, there's Christopher Plummer presenting. Good, good. He is still very dreamy, I think. And the Best Play is The Coast of Utopia. And there is Tom Stoppard in all of his bushy-haired glory.

It doesn't surprise me that Zach Braff is presenting Spring Awakening as he's been very public about his love for the show. And here it is, holy wow. There's Lea Michele, looking as ever like mini-Idina Menzel and being a good sport about not being nominated. I really am not too nuts about the "Mama Who Bore Me" thing they've been the making the rounds with lately. Honestly. It just does not really represent the true awesomeness of the show for me. And here's "The Bitch of Living," THANK GOD!!!!!!!! And the lyrics are different, what? Oh well! There's John Gallagher, Jr., singing and thinking, "Hello, I just won a Tony." Random key change! And there is Jonathan Groff singing and thinking, "I will never beat Raul Esparza, but I am still wonderful in every way." What is going on with these lyrics? I do not understand. Nor do I much care. It's still splendid. And somehow Groff jumped off the chair and flew through the air landed on his knees. Does he always do that? And now they are singing "Totally Fucked!" and covering their mouths for the curse words! And they're "Blah, blah, blah"-ing and jumping and leaping and dancing, and it's magic. (Watch the video of the performance here.)

I am fast-forwarding through Fantasia because I'm getting impatient for the end. The reaction shots are kind of hilarious when she finishes. Taye and Idina look both confused and concerned. Maybe they never saw her become hysterical during a song on American Idol.

Bernadette Peters fills me with happiness. She is so small but so commanding and so perfect. OMG, what if Jonathan Groff wins? Okay. Deep breaths. And it's David Hyde Pierce. WOW! This really shocks me. He looks rather nauseated and shocked, too, walking down the aisle. He is shaking and crying. Oh God, beautiful. "And I'm sittin' here tonight and I'm reminded of Raul's amazing performance and my dear friend Michael Cerveris and Gavin who tap dances on the ceiling and Jonathan who has so much talent at a young age that I have to go take a nap ..." He is lovely. He seems genuinely overcome and moved. And he thanked his partner Brian of 24 years publicly, finally. Wonderful.

Ben Vereen and Usher. Oh, I hope Jonathan Groff is okay. I'm sure he is. He's like 21 years old and has a long future on the stage. Keep your chin up, Jonathan! Ben Vereen and Usher are presenting Lead Actress in a musical. If Christine Ebersole loses and Audra McDonald (don't get me wrong, I love her) wins her FIFTH I might fall over. Oh shit, why am I so nervous for this one? Woo! Christine wins! She is divine.

Best Musical: Spring Awakening. Wow. Stunning and magnificent, if you ask me. Everyone is screaming and pumped. Carla Gugino appears to be giving them a standing ovation all alone in her row in her florescent green dress. Why is Tamara Tunie standing onstage? What the hell? Oh, she's a producer. Who knew? Stupid Tony producers for giving the show time for those stupid "there's a little Broadway in everyone" clips instead of letting the goddamn best musical give its whole acceptance speech before getting played off.

Anyway. Until next year. Phew. That was exhausting. I don't know how Kymm does this every year for multiple awards shows. All props to her. I'm going to bed now to dream about showtunes and curtain calls.

Meet you in the light

Okay. Weekend update. Life update.

On Friday evening, my boyfriend and I dined with friends and ate our weight in bread and pasta. It was a fun time.

We woke up on Saturday morning and did some errands ... went to the car repair shop, dropped off the lawnmower to be fixed, and other such thrills. We met up with a friend of his and his son after their early morning race and had coffee and giant muffins. Later, we went out to lunch and prepared for our long runs. He ran 12 miles, and I ran 11. I'm not going to lie to you. My sister told me that by miles 11, 12, 13 in a half-marathon, it just starts to hurt. And I've never made it past 11, but she is right. My feet and hips were just hurting and hurting hard. It was nice again to see my boyfriend running along the route at warp speed and to have him drive around to find me once he was done and showered and I was still plugging along to offer me some water and encouragement. Musical high points were Keane's "Bend and Break" and "Holiday" by Green Day. So thanks to Grace and Shelley for those great songs.

While trudging along near the end, I became plagued by doubts that I'll ever be able to run the half-marathon, but I guess I won't know until I try. It's a weird thing. I personally think that running this many miles at one time is kind of inhuman and insane, and I am not going to do it anymore once I've done the half-marathon. I want to keep running, but I am going to definitely stick with more reasonable regular runs of 3-4-5 miles. Once I get to 8 or 9, it's so painful and I get so delirious, but I really want to do the race. I'll be in the back of the pack, probably alongside the walkers, but I really want to try.

I also hope to diversify my exercise and do things other than running, like going to yoga and pilates and some of the wild cross-training classes with a hundred people in them that I see going on at the gym sometimes when everyone is working themselves into a frothy craze jump roping, riding stationery bikes, running suicides, and doing God knows what all at the same time. I want to stick with running, but I don't want it to be the only activity in my life anymore.

We collapsed eventually after our runs and decided to go see Volver because it would take little to no energy. I went into a feeding frenzy at the movie and ate popcorn with a giant box of Reese's Pieces dumped into it. I liked the movie more than he did; Penelope Cruz certainly was fantastic in it, as was everyone else. It was my first Almodovar movie, and I enjoyed it very much.

On Sunday morning, I attempted to make the cinnamon sour cream walnut coffee cake from Amy Sedaris' book, and it was fairly disastrous. I started making it when I was barely awake, and though it looked cooked on the top after 35 minutes at 325 degrees, when I turned the bundt pan over, it fell out in a big pile of goo instead of a lovely heart shape. UGH. I was so mad at Amy Sedaris! I cried, so upset was I. Then I re-read the recipe and saw that I'd misread it -- it was supposed to be 55 minutes at 350 degrees. So I cranked up the oven, picked up the blob of goo with my hands, threw it back in the pan, and baked it until it looked cooked. Some bites were salvageable; some tasted vaguely burned. Maybe I'll try it again someday, because I think it's probably really good when not totally effed up. I'm sorry for cursing you when it was all my fault, Amy Sedaris.

After that, I headed to a luncheon for my friend who's about to have her second baby. We ate shrimp and corn soup, chicken salad, mini-quiches, fresh fruit, strawberry cake, and various other delectable treats. We had a nice time. I am still full from what I ate this weekend. On Sunday night, I lay around like a sloth. It was the only thing I could do. The cats piled on top of me in commiserate slothitude and we watched the Grammy Awards and Brothers and Sisters.

While glad that they won so many awards, I was bummed that the Dixie Chicks could not be bothered to pull together in some kind of unified effort to present an articulate, organized acceptance speech. I know they had to give 5, but even for the first one, they were so totally not making it happen. Their performance was amazing. I mean it. Even though I've seen them perform that song over and over, they always look so totally into it and like they're singing it for the first time. Why could you not be so powerful in your acceptance speeches, Dixie Chicks? You would have come off a lot better as a whole. Seriously. You looked like kick-ass songwriters, musicians, and performers during the song, but you just were kind of clownin' during the speeches and clearly I am probably more bothered by this than I should be. (As for Brothers and Sisters, I think Rob Lowe and Calista Flockhart are very good actors who handle their witty repartee very well dialogue-wise but there needs to be more repartee and less kissing. It is wholly un-chemistry-producing and not believable. That said, I maintain that this show gets better every week and I am so excited to see Emily VanCamp join the cast in next week's episode that it's bonkers.)

Last night I watched This Film Is Not Yet Rated, which I definitely recommend.

The best news I have is that Mary Chapin Carpenter has a new album coming out on March 6, and Anne Lamott has a new book coming out on March 20. I cannot wait, I cannot wait, I cannot wait.

Oscar Nominations

Actress

Penélope Cruz in Volver

I haven't seen this. She sure is getting raves, though. The consensus seems to be that she's just okay when in an English-speaking film but that she's amazing when using her native Spanish. I definitely want to see this, and I'm just waiting for it to come out here.

Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal

I'm sure I've written before that I really love her even though I still don't think she deserved the Oscar for Shakespeare in Love (even though she's great in it -- 8 minutes just does not cut it, in my opinion). This movie looks dark and disturbing, and my memories of teaching are dark and disturbing enough, so I'm not sure I'll see it.

Helen Mirren in The Queen

It occurs to me that I've never seen her in anything. She is a super sexy and awesome broad, though, from what I've seen of her and read of her. I want to see this.

Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada

I didn't see this, and of course I like Meryl Streep, duh. She always gives great speeches. I don't know. I really can't see anyone winning this but Dench or Mirren.

Kate Winslet in Little Children

My co-worker today, who's usually pretty smart about movies, it seems, told me this morning that he's sick of Kate Winslet. Sick of Kate Winslet! I have to think this is just some kind of sudden lapse of sanity on his part. It is impossible to be sick of Kate Winslet. This movie never came out here, surprise, but I've no doubt that she's astonishing in it because she is astonishing in everything and I love her, the end.

Actor

Leonard DiCaprio in Blood Diamond

Huh. I didn't see this. I thought he was fantastic in The Departed this year. What can you say? He's a really good actor. There's really just sort of no denying it at this point.

Ryan Gosling in Half-Nelson

Oh, Ryan Gosling. I saw this movie solely because I read that he was so magnificent in it. And he was. This movie is dark and depressing and slow. It's good, but don't expect to feel light and happy when it's all said and done. I think Ryan Gosling is brilliant, and I hope that he and Rachel McAdams make lots of beautiful Canadian babies together.

Peter O'Toole in Venus

The only Peter O'Toole movie I have ever seen is Supergirl. And see it I did, lots and lots of times when I was younger. I loved it as a kid even while recognizing that it was ridiculous, and I loved how Sharon (Grease 2) / Doris (Fame) was in it. I should probably rectify this shame immediately by renting a Peter O'Toole movie because word on the street is that he's one of the greatest actors of all time. I should really get some culture. I hope he wins because he's old and he's still out there doing the talk show circuit like he's 25. I am rooting for him.

Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness

I did not see this and my former affection for Will Smith has sort of waned due to his apparent friendship with Tom Cruise. I can't help it. I still like him, but not as much as I used to. He seems to be becoming a part of that scary Scientology-influenced Hollywood Power Couple circle with Cruise and Holmes and the Beckhams and Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony and it's just gross to me.

Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland

This never came out here. Everyone seems to think he will and should win. I don't know. All I know is that he directed Hope Floats and that's enough for me to love him eternally. (Speaking of, did y'all recognize Bernice as the bent-over girl on Grey's Anatomy recently? As in Bernice, who just doesn't want to be known as Bernice Matisse?)

Supporting Actress

Adriana Barraza in Babel

I never saw this; I'm not sure why.

Cate Blanchett in Notes on a Scandal

Well, what can you say about Cate? Only that even though she just won for The Aviator, it's impossible to get sick of her, just like it's impossible to get sick of Kate Winslet. In addition to being radiant and just insanely good, she also gives some of the most well-spoken and intelligent-sounding interviews I've ever read. I think Kate and Cate should team up in a movie so screens across the world could explode, unable to withstand their talent.

Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine

This nomination completely surprised me. I loved her in this, to be sure, and I even love her in the Hewlett Packard ad. But it didn't occur to me that she'd be nominated. But yay, bravo. Without her, this movie might have still been okay, but let's face it, she's the big reason that people love it -- because you root for her and you understand why the family is going through all of this absurdity to make her dream happen for her. Because you think you'd do all of that, too. You think you'd do anything for her. Aw, screw it. I hope she wins for this scene alone.

Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls

Everyone seems to think she will win. My sister saw this and conceded that she is really quite awesome in it.

Rinko Kikuchi in Babel

No clue except that The Fug Girls have very amusingly featured her lately.

Supporting Actor

Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine

Sigh. Okay. There's no denying that he's very good and funny in this. Most of the big laughs in the movie come from him, I think. But it didn't really seem like that huge of a stretch. I KNOW that part of being a great actor is to make it seem like you're not acting, but I just don't really see that his performance was any better than Greg Kinnear's, Steve Carell's, or Paul Dano's (Dwayne). I'd put any one of those three over him, even though he was great and his character was hilarious, simply because they each just had a lot more range than he did. But I get that he's a veteran actor and that he's probably due this recognition.

Jackie Earle Haley in Little Children

Like I said, I haven't seen this, but I do have very strong memories of him in The Bad News Bears and am very weirded out that he is now a grown man with no hair.

Djimon Hounsou in Blood Diamond

I always enjoy his performances, but I can't really say much about this one because I'm unfamiliar with the movie and his role in it.

Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls

I think it'd be nice to see him win. I really can't help but like him and respect him even though (a) most of his movies these days are totally idiotic and (b) he's been kind of an assclown during this whole recent paternity dispute with Scary Spice.

Mark Wahlburg in The Departed

Okay. I have always liked Mark Wahlburg and truly believe that he is a fine, fine actor. But I don't understand why he was singled out for this nomination over Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson. Huh? Matt Damon is consistently so solid, and I think he should have been recognized for this movie, and it's just kind of laughable that Jack Nicholson wasn't. I realize he already has at least 3 Oscars that I can think of off the top of my head and that he doesn't really need any more kudos, but he was fantastic in this! Wahlburg was really good and everything, but this is a head-scratcher for me.

Picture

Babel

Something about the ads for this just did not appeal to me. I admit it might have to do with my love/hate relationship with all things Pitt / Jolie.

The Departed

Loved it!

Letters from Iwo Jima

I didn't really like Million Dollar Baby, and I never saw Mystic River. He sure has been going balls-out on his movies lately. It's admirable, and everyone seems to love this one. I'd like to see it. Assuming it ever comes out here. Which it probably won't.

Little Miss Sunshine

Loved it.

The Queen

Hopefully I will see this soon.

(Previous Oscar nomination entries: 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006.)