cat who got the cream

So for me the Oscars are more like "Penélope Cruz Appreciation Day." These big, extreme gowns are really her forté, and I don't think she can really do wrong; even if I don't love this dress in itself, and if it's not a patch on what I think is her best overall Oscars look, in Oscar de la Renta in 2005.
Otherwise, I thought the red was a bit much, and inappropriate. Considering how well-publicized it was that Heidi Klum would be wearing a massive red dress that would be auctioned off for charity, isn't it a bit rude for so many other actresses to show up in the exact same shade of red, sort of stealing her thunder? What were stylists thinking? I guess knowing what she would wear set up a built-in trend for the night that it was easy to play into, without looking like you were "playing it safe."
I think in general the fashion suffered because it didn't seem like there were that many big actresses actually there: did the cancellation of the Vanity Fair party (everyone only really goes for the afterparty, or so they say) mean that actors decided to forego the event entirely? It's also been noted that few major, popular actors were nominated this year, so they only appeared as presenters.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I liked Marion Cotillard's dress, it was absolutely her night. I think for a French actress, going with something a little more risky and exciting is perfectly appropriate, as is the choice of Jean Paul Gaultier. Okay, a little mermaidy, but on screen (as well as, I assume, in person) the dress was a lot more bright and sparkly than fish-scaly, and the texture of it is not unlike the paillettes that made appearances in a lot of collections this season. I thought her long necklaces were very appropriate as well, and they worked with the outfit as a whole; much more successful than Nicole Kidman for example, who's necklaces would have been passable if they hadn't kept migrating to one boob and looking almost like part of the dress. Maybe I'm biased because I was so happy, and surprised, for Marion, she absolutely deserved it. And can't we agree that the Oscars are at least 10x better when the winners get emotional and excited --she was visibly shaking and crying-- rather than kind of robotically being gracious and calm? It's also why Julia Roberts' win from years ago is still so memorable.

For the rest, I thought Ellen Page look very appropriate -- at the same time dressy and not trying to hard to fit into a style that's she's not comfortable with. Jennifer Garner's dress wasn't bad, but it would have actually been nice if it were a dark navy, a dark ochre, any hint of color really. Renee Zellweger was as robotic as ever, with crazy hair to boot (I hope that's for a film role). The only other people who were really memorable were people who I don't even know who they are, such as Mrs. John Travolta who was in a bright orange/yellow and Mrs. James McAvoy who was in a tiered Yves-Klein-blue Moschino dress. But don't get me started on James McAvoy, I could be here all day.