The 84th Academy Awards

Alright, let's talk Oscars.

Best:
Cameron Diaz looked lovely, perhaps the most glamourous she's been for awhile. I find that she typically veers towards a more edgy look.

Jessica Chastain should have won in my opinion. She brought so much life to The Help. Her character was so refreshing.

Jennifer Lopez's dress reminded me of a Givenchy campaign from the 90's. Heaven forbid I find the advertisement.

 Angelina Jolie- Loved the black velvet dress...Her stance, not so much.

 I thought Stacie Keibler looked dynamic. She fared poorly on score cards, but I thought the dressed suited her. Her arm candy wasn't too shabby either....Also, notice her earrings. Divine.

Jane Seymour looked pretty dang good for a 61 year old as she channelled Jessic Rabbit.

I just adored the capped selves on Julianna Rancic's gown. Just exquisite.

So, I actually feel like I had to scrape the barrel to pick the worst dresses as there weren't any swan dresses or backwards tuxedos...Here's what I've got.

Worst:
I'm sorry, I don't even know who this is, and frankly I'm too lazy to figure it out, but all I can hear when I see this dress is "HEFTY, HEFTY, HEFTY!"

I know Shaleen Woodley said this dress epitomized her style, but it also looks like she borrowed it from Mrs. Brady.

Oh, Emma Stone...You've got the most authentic personality in Hollywood these days, but I'm sorry, you made my worst dressed list because I felt like I've seen this before...Oh, wait...I have...

Sherri Shepherd, I do not understand this dress. I am baffled by the eye sore that the sheer fabric is attempting to cover. It's so odd.

Alas, Ms. Natalie Portman. Would you ever consider wearing a dress that is not strapless and perhaps a bit more flattering? On another note, is the Queen of Hearts missing one her dresses? 

Okay, to sum it all up.

I did not miss Anne Hathaway and James Franco at all.

I loved Billy.

I also loved seeing Tony Stark and Pepper Pots together again. Seriously, can RDJ ever disappoint. "Plural titles are out this year."

And I honestly can't decide who is cuter, Bieber or Uggie?

What were your thoughts?

Who were your picks for Best & Worst dressed?

Festival 5.1K Logo

Just out of curiosity, which logo makes you want to run more?

Maybe neither...I'm just curious. I would love to get some feedback from my lovely readers. It would really help me out. Hope to hear from you!

Lady Marian

As I previously stated in a recent blog post on Robin Hood, I've found myself between a rock and a crazy place as of late (who am I kidding? More like "for as long as I've existed).

Here is a sketch that I did this week. The subject matter would obviously be associated with Robin Hood, so before I sketch my favourite outlaw, I thought I'd brush up on my skills ("You know, like nunchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills...") and because I really wanted the challenge of creating a face behind a veil, I chose the love of Robin's life, Marian.

If only it hadn't taken me "like three hours to finish the shading on the upper lip," I may have been able to finish the lace work.

It's ridiculously tedious because it's not really drawn, it's erased! It's negative space. Now I can see why this sculptor omited the lace detail on this veil. Does this look familar to anyone? Is it in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice?

Image from Mahsuri1284

Alright, I'm hoping to follow up this post with a drawing of Robin. Wish me luck!

Her Special Brand of Magic

We visited the award winning exhibition, Diana: a celebration at The Mall of America this week.

I was privileged to attend the exhibit with great admirers of Princess Diana. Four of the girls had even taken a pilgrimage to the same exhibition when it was held in Missouri.

It was unanimous amongst our crew that this woman resembled Anna from Downton Abbey, "Mr. Bates."

Though it looked like I was taking a picture of the new Mrs. Bates, I was trying to capture the picture on the screens behind her. There was a no photography rule and I was trying to get the urge to take pictures out of my system...to no avail.

They had a nice back drop for the perfect photo-opt.

This photograph was taken by Caroline C. Kilgore and trust me, it doesn't ruin the surprise. The magic surrounding this tiara could never be captured on camera.

You may be surprised, but this was actually my favourite part of the exhibit. I just loved being able to see these jewels up close on these blood red cushions. And I couldn't get over the artistry of John Singer Sargent and his original sketch of Princess Diana's grandmother, Lady Cynthia Eleanor Hamilton. There was something that stood out about the way the date was drawn in the bottom right corner that made me search for the name of the artist. Otherwise, I may have completely overlooked that it was a Sargent. (Another Photo also by Caroline C. Kilgore)

I just love the bold strokes of the backgroud. Fearless.

As her brother Charles stated, Princess Di radiated a special brand of magic. She dazzled us with her generosity and love for mankind. It was evident throughout the enitre display.

I was especially touched by the stacks and stacks of condolences in her honor. They were leather bound and covered an entire wall. Her life affected so many others in the most unselfish way. It was very moving how people from all over the world took the time to acknowledge her with a note or drawing.

The gift shop was nothing short of grand. See for yourself!

At the end, they had a pseudo-replica of the wedding cake and a book that we could write in. Here's Jody transcribing her thoughts.

Here's an example of the gorgeous exhibition logo.
Don't miss out on this exhibition. It runs until June 4th, 2012 at the Mall of America and then it will be travelling back to her estate at Althorp. You don't want to miss it.

Downton Dolls!

Vulture published an article featuring Downton Abbey paper dolls drawn by Kyle Hilton. You can  even print them out!

Aren't they fabulous?

Rockin' Robin

Pop quiz:

Who is the most dashing of the Disney characters?

a. Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid

b. Prince Philip from Sleeping Beauty

c. Flynn Rider from Tangled

d. Aladdin from...well, Aladdin


*(Dimitri from Anastasia could not be included in this survey because he is from a FOX animation, not to be confused with Disney.)
Did you decide?




Well, go on then!



Okay, if your answer was secret option e. Robin Hood then you are right!!!!!!
(I would have also accepted "e. Robin of Locksley")


I know, I know, he's a fox, so he shouldn't count, right? But he's a fox...who happens to talk with a gorgeous British accent and you can't dispute the fact that he is devastatingly romantic in every meaning of the word. So much so that he wears a disguise to participate in an archery contest just to win a single kiss from Maid Marian! He even carved their initials into the trunk of a tree for crying outloud! So he wins. End of story.

Though you know I wouldn't be writing a post about Robin Hood unless I had recently crossed over the line into a obsession- a kick, if you will.
It's what I do. (I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to deal with that, Mom.)

Thanks to Netflix, I was able to check out the BBC's version of the most infamous outlaw in Nottingham. (Infamous: that's "more than famous!")

Bullseye! I can't get enough. I realize that I'm going to have to cope with what I have, because the show only lasted for 3 seasons. (When I see the end of season 3, I plan on being in a bad mood--Just warning those that will be subjected to being in my vincinity. ) Ah, I really don't want that day to come, so in the mean time, I'm gonna make treasuries on Etsy, and maybe even set up an archery range in my backyard (Just kidding...or am I?) in order to prolong the idea that the series isn't over...even though it is.

So here's my latest Etsy treasury:

And because I'd like to be blatantly pathetic with you, I shall count thy ways to prove this Robin Hood obsession to you.

1.  As a child, the cartoon I liked. The cartoon I loved...even though it is made up of many recycled scenes from previous Disney movies and the animators at Disney were so embarrassed of it. I still love it. Anyone else agree with me?

2.  I won't deny that I secretly love the Kevin Costner version Robin Hood :Prince of Thieves (1991). I don't even care that he doesn't have a British accent! K. Costner somehow manages to make me forget that he has a mullet, so that's got to count for something! Also, Alan Rickman's portrayal of the Sheriff of Nottingham is so skeevy! It's brilliant!

Here's one of K. Costner's costume..I still can't believe I saw this in person.

3. I would NEVER fathom changing the radio station if Bryan Adam's rendition of "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" were to play. (Though, I'd rather listen to silence than Clay Aiken's version.) I even have a copy of the sheet music with the original cover and bought multiple versions of the VHS to find the copy that has the music video that plays behind the credits. (I know, ultra-geek moment, but this was pre-youtube days.) Here's the video that I absolutely had to have in case you're curious. Ah, don't ya miss the days when one could wear denim from head to toe?

I still think it is one of the best songs of the 90's. It's timeless.

4. I even tried to convince the Senior Prom commitee to have "Everything I Do) I Do It For You" as the Prom Theme! In the end, they selected the theme song, "Heaven" by DJ SAMMY, but who was "Heaven" orignally by? That's right, Bryan Adams, so I'd like to think I had a little bit of an influence on them after all.

So, yeah, I'd say I'm a fan. But this is what I find interesting. Bryan Adams is synonymous with the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves version in my twisted mind and I've actually thought for sometime now, that Bryan Adams would have made a great Robin Hood. (Okay, I've really exposed my insanity now. There's no going back.)

SO, you can imagine my elated state when I discovered that the actor they cast as Robin of Locksley in the BBC series resembled none other than...wait for it: My Bryan Adams--I have earned the right to call him "my". You don't want me to get into it. Just trust me.

I'll prove the resemblance between the two:

Okay, so let's talk logos/design now.

This is another reason why I like this BBC series.

I believe their logo is ingenious.

 Compared to...

which reads as "Robin Backwards-K-ood" to me. But in their defense, they do utilize the "o" as a target...so...I guess I'll let it slide. How does it read to you?

Any other fans of Robin Hood?

What did you think of the Ridley Scott version?

Here's are some beautiful screen captures from Ridley Scotts's Gladiator 3...I mean Robin Hood provided by mmorrow.

Alright, alright, I'll put an end to the Robin Hood madness...for now.

Hope my lovely readers all had a Happy Valentine's Day!

Sincerely,

Jana of Locksley...just kidding...not really...