Oscars: PB Presenting & Fit To Be Black Tied

[Ace]

No word on PB presenting at The Oscars but this article seems to imply he's at least attending.

VARIETY: FIT TO BE BLACK-TIED

Sun Feb 22, 7:00 PM ET

NICOLE LaPORTE

(Variety) There once was a time when dressing for a black-tie affair was fairly straightforward for a man. You wore a tux. Sure, you could get creative with the details --- silver or brass cufflinks, pleated or unpleated shirt, black or white bow tie --- but otherwise real fashion decisions were left up to the ladies.



No longer. Today's dress code is a little blurrier, with dark suits considered an acceptable substitute for the traditional tux at certain, if not all, formal events. Navigating the code can be confusing --- what goes at the Golden Globes may not suit at the Oscars --- which is one reason so many men hire stylists during awards season, and fill up their Palm Pilots with Valentino and Armani fittings.

If a tux is selected as the outfit de nuit, it is only half the equation. Men are increasingly opting for open shirts and neckties, colored shirts, and jacket embellishments like shiny finishes, braiding and velvet.

"Relatively speaking, men are being as creative as they can be in the confines of a suit and tie," says stylist Phillip Bloch, who is in charge of Jim Carrey and Pierce Brosnan's Oscar duds this year. "You've got the basics, but you're basically playing with the basics and readjusting them."

Wanda McDaniel of Armani --- past outfitter to Oscar host Billy Crystal, Samuel Jackson and Mel Gibson --- agrees. "Men this year are tending toward classic looks made casual in some instances, of good taste and just having a little fun with it," she says. "They want to wear an open shirt, or something unusual in the shirting: shirts in colors, shirts that have very refined ruffles. Also shirts with unique button configurations --- a loop-on button instead of a stud."

"I don't think men want to break the rules, but they want to be more comfortable." says Merle Ginsberg, a longtime fashion observer.

Ginsberg points to style icons like Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise --- who ushered in the open collar in the mid-1990s --- as well as Johnny Depp, as leading pioneers on the red carpet.

"Look at Johnny Depp. The guy is just cool. He's got a real rock 'n roll thing going on," she says.

At this year's Golden Globes, which has historically had a playful approach to formal wear, Depp looked like a cross between a hobo and a gangster in a black-on-black suit and fedora.

The Grammys have long had a loosened sartorial standard and today that ceremony doubles as a hip-hop fashion runway. This year, Sting treated the aud to a kilt and shirt opened to his navel. Fashion watchers expect a more traditional look Oscar night, however.

The Academy Awards has traditionally looked down its nose at creative dressing by its male participants. Of course, Hollywood being Hollywood, there have always been deviants.

In 1971 Erich Segal showed up in a turtleneck and a smoking jacket. Nicholson wore a beret in '75. Sting's past tuxedo-clad appearances aside, music icons Prince, Stevie Wonder and Bono have not exactly worn outfits you'd call conservative.

And even formal wear of the past seems outlandish by today's standards.

McDaniel's husband, producer Albert Ruddy, won an award for "The Godfather" in 1972, and she recalls her better half's outfit on Oscar night.

"He wore a cocoa brown tux," she says, chuckling. "Everyone in the audience had mutton chops. Some of those pictures are quite hilarious."

Yet for all the insistence that the Oscars are the Oscars, and "not the Grammys" --- as Variety's own awards vet Army Archerd curtly maintains --- the proliferation of other, more casual, award kudocasts seem to be having an effect on Oscar's formality bar.

The proliferation of ceremonies crammed into an ever shorter period of time doesn't help either. Like women, men find themselves scrambling for not just one but a dozen outfits to don on all the red carpets.

"It all starts to blur at a certain point," Bloch says. "They're all over the place, going 'Oh, God, another awards show, did I wear this already?"

The danger with the new emphasis on men's awards wardrobes, of course, is that there is a fine line between fashion forward and fashion faux pas.Sean Connery 's ruffley bib at last year's Oscars raised a few eyebrows.

But ruffles are the exception. For the most part men are avoiding big flourishes, following the Ashton Kutcher approach to style: tousled, unshaven, unbuttoned.

For those old school traditionalists, who maintain that there's only one thing to wear to the Oscars, and only one way to wear it, there is some hope.

In the cyclical world of fashion, some say the pendulum will soon be swinging back to the penguin.

Bloch predicts the return of the cummerbund and even the --- gasp --- double-breasted suit.

[curious george]

Yes, we all have this problem, don't we - deciding what to wear to the awards shows? I just can't make up my mind this year....

cg

[sparklingblue]

I agree with cg. It's always hard for me to decide what pyjamas I'm going to wear for Oscar night. ;D

I'll be setting up my VCR anyway. I'll hardly be able to watch; the live broadcast begins at 1:00 am my time.

[Ace]

uk.movies.yahoo.com/040225/242/emxnb.html

Thursday February 26, 05:00 PM

More Oscar presenters named

Even more big names have been added to this Sunday's Oscars telecast.

Ian McKellen, Pierce Brosnan, Adrien Brody, Scarlett Johansson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler and Owen Wilson will join the likes of Angelina Jolie, Uma Thurman, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins to present the lucky winners with their prestigious gold statues.

Billy Crystal is back to host the event and it all takes place at LA's Kodak Theatre on Sunday night. The whole bash is being screening live on BBC1 with coverage starting at 12.50am.

[xenos]

SparklingBlue said:

I'll be setting up my VCR anyway. I'll hardly be able to watch; the live broadcast begins at 1:00 am my time.

I don´t have to work on Monday so I think I´ll have to make a big cup of coffee and watch this big self-projection

[Ace]

Additional Presenters Named to Sunday's Oscar® Telecast


Beverly Hills, CA -Adrien Brody, Pierce Brosnan, Scarlett Johansson, Ian McKellan, Jada Pinkett Smith, Ben Stiller, Liv Tyler and Owen Wilson will be presenters at the 76th Academy Awards® on Sunday, producer Joe Roth revealed today.

Brody took home the Best Actor Oscar at the 75th Anniversary Academy Awards for his role in "The Pianist," his first nomination for an Academy Award. He will be seen next in "The Village" and currently is filming "The Jacket."

This will be Pierce Brosnan's third appearance as a presenter on the Oscar telecast. His film credits include "Die Another Day," "The World is Not Enough," "The Thomas Crown Affair," "Tomorrow Never Dies," "Goldeneye" and "Mrs. Doubtfire."

Scarlett Johansson will make her first Oscar show appearance as a presenter. She currently can be seen in "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and "Lost in Translation."

Ian McKellen was nominated in 1998 for his leading role in "Gods and Monsters" and for his supporting role as Gandolf in 2001's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." He currently can be seen in "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," followed later this year by "Asylum" and "Emile."

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who will make her first appearance as an Oscar show presenter, recently was seen in "The Matrix Revolutions" and "The Matrix Reloaded" and will be seen next in "Collateral."

Actor-director-producer Ben Stiller's appearance on the show will be his third as an Oscar presenter. He currently can be seen in "Along Came Polly" and will be seen next in "Starsky and Hutch."

Actress Liv Tyler, who is making her second Oscar show appearance, can be seen in "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and will be seen next in "Jersey Girl" with Ben Affleck.

Actor-writer Owen Wilson has just wrapped "The Life Aquatic" and will be seen in "Starsky & Hutch" this March. In 2001, he received an Oscar nomination for co-writing the original screenplay for "The Royal Tenenbaums." His acting credits include "The Royal Tenenbaums," "Zoolander" and "Meet the Parents."

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2003 will be presented on Sunday, February 29, 2004, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland® and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. (PST) with a half-hour arrivals segment. Information about the 76th Annual Academy Awards can be accessed on line at oscar.com.

###

©A.M.P.A.S.®
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
8949 Wilshire Boulevard Beverly Hills, CA 90211-1972
[phone]
www.oscars.org
[e-mail]

=================================

3rd appearance. OK I vividly recall 1996, what other year did he pesent?

Note, he's the only presenter who doesn't get a blurb about his upcoming films in the press release! Honestly, that's why he's there, for publicity and they don't give him any!

Ace

[curious george]

[whispers] I don't want to get too off topic here, but has anyone seen Lost in Translation? Opinions? [/whispers]

cg

[sparklingblue]

He doesn't get an award, but has to present one. And then he doesn't even get his publicity! Such ignorance--on the Academy's part.

[migs]

Ace said:

This will be Pierce Brosnan's third appearance as a presenter on the Oscar telecast.

Always the presenter, never the presentee


::siiiigh::

[sparklingblue]

Maybe he's "one of those actors that are constantly so good that they are taken for granted and overlooked". Clint Eastwood said that about Sean Penn at this years' Golden Globes.

[Ace]

PB at the Oscars

Red carpet:



Wire Images 1

Wire Images 2

Getty Images

[Ace]

PB and Julianne presenting Best Editing





Getty Images:Show

Wire Images:Show

Wire Image: Press Room

[Ace]

Hollywood.com:Revealing Stuff on the Red Carpet

It's not every day you spot two James Bonds in one place. Pierce Brosnan, dapper but unshaven in Giorgio Armani with velvet lapels, passed by, as did Sean Connery, who admitted he's lost count of his Oscar nights out. Does it get easier when you have a few ceremonies under your belt, Sean? "Possibly--I believe this one's better than last year."

[Ace]

Uncommon threads
No wardrobe malfunctions on red carpet as form-fitting glamour rules the day

By Sandra Barrera
Staff Writer


Classic Hollywood glamour was back on the red carpet at the 76th Academy Awards Sunday night at the Kodak Theatre. Big, wavy hair and body-hugging silhouettes were the looks stars Scarlett Johansson, Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron and Liv Tyler went for.

Johansson's look, almost an homage to Marilyn Monroe, was a green form-fitting Alberto Ferretti gown. As she waited for her interview with MTV, the actress glossed her lips and admired Holly Hunter's couture pink tulle over chiffon gown designed by Vera Wang.

"It fits your body so perfect," she told Hunter, whose dress was also popular with actress Julianne Moore, who wore a silver sequined Versace.

Theron wore a champagne gown with silver sequins designed by Tom Ford for Gucci. Kidman chose a Chanel strapless soft green gown with an embroidered hemline.

The guys cleaned up nicely, too. Many wore a less-formal tux look with white shirt and long black tie instead of a bow tie.

Sometimes accessories seemed to dominate the look the stars were going for. Jewelry dictated the gown that would be worn by Jamie Lee Curtis. She chose the Monique Lhuillier turquoise silk chiffon strapless gown to match the marquis star necklace.

When TV crews asked the actress to twirl for the cameras, Curtis refused, saying, "I don't spin. Mommy's 45."

Over her left ear, Keisha Castle-Hughes wore a five-carat diamond- and-topaz whale hairpin designed by Sydney Evans in Los Angeles.

Diane Keaton, in an "Annie Hall" nod, wore a Ralph Lauren tuxedo with black and white polka-dot tie and white carnation in the lapel of her coat, a black bowler hat and - of course - her trademark gloves.

Angelina Jolie wore a form-fitting satin V-neck white gown by Marc Bouwer that revealed tattoos on her arm and back.

Ben Stiller and a shaggy Owen Wilson were seen palling around with each other promoting their upcoming film, "Starsky & Hutch."

"I thought we were dating by the way you're holding my hand," Pierce Brosnan told Alec Baldwin. As they bear-hugged and kidded, a blond Julia Roberts in her champagne Armani satin gown passed by.

Last year, he kissed Halle Berry. This year, actor Adrien Brody planted one at the top of Djimon Hounsou's head. When asked what it meant, Hounsou hushed reporters, saying, "That's all you get."

Johnny Depp cleaned up nicely in a tux with a haircut that looked like it was styled by Edward Scissorhands.

[xenos]

I love this unshaven look combined with Armani!

my favorites besides PB:

Finding Nemo won! ;D

Stings and Annie Lennox performance

Billy Crystals´ comments

[Ace]

Kansas City Star: Fitting fashion

It was a night of understated elegance and few misses

By JACKIE WHITE

The Kansas City Star


Diane Keaton looked about to break into tap dance and song when she moved across the red carpet in Ralph Lauren's tuxedo and derby before the Academy Awards ceremonies Sunday night. It was apparently a tribute to the film “Annie Hall,” in which Keaton starred in 1976.

And Jamie Lee Curtis didn't get the word that prim was in. Her strapless blue chiffon by Monique Lhuillier was cut so low and close she would have been in trouble if she had stepped on the front of her skirt.

They were among the few celebrities in the “oops” department at the 76th Academy Awards in Hollywood. Mostly the dress code for the evening involved flowing gowns and tight silhouettes with modest necklines. This year, for a change, the dresses tended to fit, albeit a little tightly in spots.

And after so much talk of brilliant color – and at a time when designer runways are exploding with oh-wow hues – the winning shade was, oddly enough, beige. Even Nicole Kidman was in a simple gray strapless with a gathering of tulle across the top from Chanel couture.

Strapless dresses were hands down favorites. Necklines slashed to the waist were few. (Although you couldn't ignore Angelina Jolie, in a white silk goddess gown.) No one seemed to need more underwear. Embarrassing see-through fabrics were missing.

It was low-key enough to make you miss Jennifer Lopez and long for the kick of seeing Bjork with a swan draped around her neck. Many actresses paid homage to old Hollywood glamour. Best actress winner Charlize Theron was subtle in her nod to Jean Harlow with silver wavy hair and fitted strappy gown by Tom Ford for Gucci.

As for the best dressed – drum roll, please – they included Patricia Clarkson in a beige fitted sleeveless gown studded with crystals from Michael Vollbracht for Bill Blass. “It was made for me. It fits the contours of my body,” she said.

Naomi Watts was equally beautiful in Versace's strapless beige gown studded with sparkle.

Jennifer Garner was in a coral strapless gown she described as “vintage Valentino.” “Just a bunch of dresses arrived at the house. I tried them on and this one fit,” she told red carpet hostess Joan Rivers.

Black was still a strong presence. Liv Tyler was in a simple black gown with wide stripes by Givenchy. “I went to the couture show. And when this dress came down the runway, I wanted it and they made it for me.” Sofia Coppola wore a black dress accented only by bows on the shoulder by her close friend Marc Jacobs.

White was a favorite. Best supporting actress winner Renee Zellweger wore white a satin gown with a train by Carolina Herrera. It could have passed for a wedding dress.

Catherine Zeta-Jones' red strapless was from Versace's archives, she said. Uma Thurman looked a bit like a maiden who should have been tending sheep

Since no awards story is complete without awards, we do have some superlatives of our own:

• Prettiest dress: A tie between Patricia Clarkson's Blass gown and Naomi Watts' Versace. Both were beige.

• What was she thinking: Diane Keaton looking like a vaudeville performer.

• Tackiest Joan Rivers remark: Question to Julia Roberts: “Do you diet?” Roberts' answer: “Should I?”

• Most ill-fitting gown: Jamie Lee Curtis' strapless gown by Monique Lhuillier.

• Best-dressed man: Pierce Brosnan in Giorgio Armani tuxedo with velvet collar.

• Most interesting-looking man: Tim Robbins in monochromatic black on black.

• Sweetest dress: Keisha Castle-Hughes' pale pink gown with capelet by fellow New Zealander Liz Mitchell.

• Worst hair: Marcia Gay Harden's dated updo.

• Most overdone jewelry: Joan Rivers was packed with bling bling. She wore a chandelier diamond necklace.

Last night's festivities were the grand finale for a wild week for celebrities and fashion folks. Beauty experts and accessory companies were set up in hotels and private homes. At Frederic Fekkai's Beverly Hills salon, doctors were standing by to do Botox injections and microdermabrasion treatments.

At Harry Winston's Beverly Hills store, it was “mayhem,” Carol Brodie, public relations executive, said. The diamonds Winston loaned for the red carpet were insured this year for $20 million, a pittance considering the past when stars such as Nicole Kidman and Whoopi Goldberg wore diamonds worth millions in one evening.

On another note, the much-touted gift baskets sent to the nominees included a touch of Kansas. Upscale denim jeans from the Lee Co. of Merriam were delivered to the celebrities' homes.

[Ace]

Scripps Howard News Service: PEOPLE AND CELEBRITIES

A behind-the-scenes peek at Oscar night
By LUAINE LEE

March 01, 2004

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Helicopters droned overhead, bleacher-crammed crowds craned for a closer look and "Lord of the Rings" turned Middle Earth into the Top of the World.

But it was Charlize Theron who put everything into perspective at the Academy Awards Sunday.

"It's kind of like a wedding," she breathed backstage as she clutched the Oscar she won for best actress for her role as the serial killer in "Monster."

"I've never been married, but it's just such a strange sensation where you don't - your body kind of goes on automatic and you just hope that everything kind of sticks together. But I felt very lucky because I had my mom and my boy next to me, so I just kind of grabbed onto them for a while until I dragged myself up on to stage."

Her "boy" is Irish actor Stuart Townsend who wore her arm like a trophy as they floated down the red carpet (which was really cerise).

Hollywood's annual genuflection to itself ignited with glamour this year, a commodity in short supply recently. There was Alison Krauss in her $2 million shoes, Prince in a toreador outfit, Sandra Bullock in white taffeta and Scarlett Johansson breathless because she spied Mickey Rooney.

"I can't believe this is happening," she said. "That is Mickey Rooney! This is a Big Deal."

It was a big deal, with Billy Crystal back after a four-year gap hosting one of the best intros the show has seen in its 76-year history.

Pierce Brosnan hinted there will be another "Bond" film, but nothing has been signed yet. And Francis Ford Coppola said the best advice he ever gave his daughter, Sofia, (whose "Lost in Translation" won for best original screenplay) was "always do the things that are personal to you."

"I never thought my dad would be watching me get one, so it's just a thrill," said Sofia backstage.

"I'm just trying to stay calm because I'm nervous," she said. "You know, I'm shy talking. I'm not used to being on stage in front of people."

Neither is Sean Penn, who was named best actor for "Mystic River."

"You know, I said one of my concerns having to do with this, I think that actors are expert in the fact that there is no such thing as 'best.' And we also are aware that there is a fashion show outside and all of those things. But really it came down to social discomfort, too many people you know a little bit in one room."

Director Peter Jackson, whose ambitious "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," swept the awards, said he was going to give his two trophies to his kids. "I actually want to put one beside my son's bed and one beside my daughter's bed," he said.

He and his wife and partner, Frances Walsh, have six children between them, but they begin working on a new film before the old one is done, he said.

"So the last few months while we were finishing 'Return of the King,' really since we delivered the film in December, we started work on 'King Kong.' This award season has been tricky to write and everything. We've been actually going around hotel rooms all around the world - Japan, Tokyo, London, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara - and we've been writing 'King Kong' in all of these hotel rooms while we've been moving around."

Renee Zellweger, in vintage Cartier jewels, caught the spirit of the evening.

"It feels like old Hollywood for some reason to me, the glamour of old Hollywood," said Zellweger, who won best supporting actress for her role in 'Cold Mountain.' "It is like this really long-lived tradition. I kind of wanted to be part of that tonight, I guess."

Hollywood Boulevard had been closed for a week, and technicians were perfecting the video screens for longer than that, but there were some technical problems: Michael McKean said he couldn't manage to zip up the fly on his tuxedo pants.

"I had the whole family working on it," he said and he and wife, Annette O'Toole, navigated the red carpet.

Tim Robbins, named best supporting actor for "Mystic River," said he slept in to prepare for the night.

Praising "Mystic" director Clint Eastwood, Robbins said, "It reminded me of my first film because we only had one or two takes for each setup. And the great thing about that was it gave me great confidence in myself, and that's due to Mr. Eastwood. He infuses that in all of his actors, a respect and a dignity that is extraordinary. Unlike most experiences I've had in film, he is really a unique and a great director."

[Yuliya]

Ace said:

Best-dressed man: Pierce Brosnan in Giorgio Armani tuxedo with velvet collar.

How does he do it, darn it! Surely he wasn't the only one wearing Armani.

[Ace]

Nope but his Armani was the best looking tux, maybe it was the 3 buttoned jacket with the velvet collar, added to that he's one of the few who's tux look liked it fit and one of the very few with great posture who know how to walk formal dress.

Ace

[Yuliya]

Must you rub it in?