Emmy Awards 2005

In terms of the Emmy Awards show itself, there were many off-note moments. The first was the opening musical number. I enjoy the Black Eyed Peas; and Earth Wind & Fire are fun, but frankly the song they did was out of place and not at all funny. Why a pointless musical number when you have Ellen Degeneres? I guess the government isn’t the only place where resource management is lacking. As I expected, Degeneres was very funny, but I would have liked to see much more of her, rather than all that scripted presenter banter that bombed so badly.

My favorite moments included David Letterman’s tribute to Johnny Carson. It was a lovely speech. I also enjoyed the tribute to news anchors Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather. The best acceptance speech was by S. Epatha Merkerson. Her thanks were clearly from her heart and losing her speech in her cleavage was hilarious. Also, it was great to see the Daily Show win a pair of awards, and not just because they deserve it. They also provided some much needed comedy to the event. Felicity Huffman’s thanks to her husband, William H. Macy, were funny and sweet, if not just a little creepy.

This was the night of the beautiful dresses and the awful hair. What was going on? Several of the ladies (and the men) would have made it into the best dressed or HM category if it were not for the hair. As a result, I have given them their own group. Sad to say, some of my favorite people made it onto that list. Overall, though there were many beautiful actresses with beautiful gowns (I was particularly happy to see all the rich, vibrant colors), there wasn’t one outstanding stunner that I could declare the obvious winner. It was all a little boring actually, with no huge mistakes or successes.

Best Women:


(Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Marcia Cross
She looked beautiful and appropriate in this stunning green number. The dress suits her coloring perfectly and the hair and accessories are spot on. The dress also boasts some nice detailing.


(Gregg DeGuire/WireImage.com)
Teri Hatcher
The dress is beautiful and flattering. Everything about this look was right except for the hair. The hair unfortunately only makes her face look longer and older, but it wasn't the worst of the night (see below).


(Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)
Mariska Hargitay
The dress fits her beautifully and the saturated shade of orange is refreshing as well as flattering.


(Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Felicity Huffman
Sexy, great beading and fabulous color.


(Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Marg Helgenberger
Great color again, sexy and a nice alternative to all the satin dresses.


(Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)
Ellen Pompeo
A lovely shade of green and nice accessories. The hair is also nice as the easier style is more suited to a young actress than a stiff up-do. The jeweled halter is an interesting detail as well.


Best Men: It's a tie!


(Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com)
Oliver Platt
Maybe not the obvious choice with all those younger, hotter male actors at the Emmy's, but I thought his tux was classic, well-proportioned (tie and lapels not too big or small) and, most importantly, tailored beautifully.


(Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com)
Patrick Dempsey
One of the aforementioned younger, hotter actors. Dempsey looks spot-on in the classic, well-fitted tux.

Worst Dressed:


(Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)
Kristin Bell
I am sad to put her here, since Bell is the star of one of my favorite shows, but the dress is horrible. The outfit is unflattering and ill-fitting. She looks as if she wrapped herself in a shower curtain. Why would a young, pretty rising star wear a shapeless, colorless schmatte?


(Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Debra Messing
This dress is not too terrible on its own. It is the combination of the dress and the actress that is a failure. The color does nothing for Messing and her signature red hair. For some reason it also seems as if the dress is throwing Messing's body all out of proportion. It simply doesn't work.


(Mike Blake/Reuters)
Macy Gray
No surprises here. I am not sure I have ever seen her dressed really well.


Hair Horrors:


(Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Jennifer Garner
Cute dress on a beautiful actress, but the hair was a mess.


(Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com)
Alyson Hannigan
This dress is actually one of my favorites of the evening. Hannigan broke away from the usual solid-color dresses with a gorgeous pattern and fresh colors. The dress flatters Hannigan immensely. The problem is the hair that is so bad it distracts from the beauty of the dress.


(Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Maggie Grace
I don't think much comment is required here. So wrong for a number of reasons.


(Robert Galbraith/Reuters)
Patricia Arquette
There is nothing wrong with hair that is inspired by. or a reflection of, the past, but when taken literally and paired with a modern dress in a contemporary setting, the hair looks ridiculous.


(Lester Cohen/WireImage.com)
Naveen Andrews
This one goes out to all the young "Lost" guys (barring Daniel Dae Kim and Matthew Fox). I know they all need to keep their hair the same as their characters', but please. There has to be something they could do to make it presentable, like wash it perhaps.


Honorable Mention:


(Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)
Cynthia Nixon
One of her best looks ever. Great hair and the dress really flatters her body.


(Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)
Sandra Oh
I am just always happy to see Sandra Oh. I like this look because it stands out from the sea of flowing satin gowns.


(Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)
Blythe Danner
She really looks beautiful. The color of the dress looks wonderful with her hair and I like the jeweled detail. The other ladies in Danner's age group sometimes dress a little too old, while Danner hits just the right note.

Spring, 2006 Fashion

I am definitely not a fashion maven or even a very well informed amateur. However, I look upon fashion as art and I cannot help but form some likes and dislikes of what comes down the runways. Here are some good and bad selections from the Spring 2006 shows.

Ralph Lauren
Perhaps the French nautical look is not entirely original, but I was happy to see all the fresh blues and the prettiness in the collection. Overall it was lovely, with a few notable exceptions, particularly when Lauren went overboard with the pirate chic.

Best:





Worst:





Carolina Herrera
I really enjoyed this collection. Herrera made use of wonderful prints and fabulous color combinations. The clothes looked fresh and charming, but classic (excepting the pink number, of course).

Best:











Worst:




Bagdley Mischka
Incredible use of beading.

Chado Ralph Rucci
Wonderful, but very simple, use of color. Also, fantastic use of details.

Willow
I don’t have too much to say about this. I just thought some of the pieces were beautiful.

Donna Karan
I found the Donna Karan collection boring and fairly uninspired. Though there were many attractive pieces, I didn’t like the profusion of bell/tulip skirts and the sometimes slouchy bodices that looked ill-fitting.

Worst:
(REUTERS/Seth Wenig)

Best:

Zac Posen
I enjoyed his use of beachy colors, like sand and sea glass. In fact, much of the collection put me in mind of mermaids and tea parties, with the flowing skirts and iridescent fabrics.

Pages: Carl Hiaasen

Carl Hiaasen, author of the recent “Skinny Dip” and other wonderful novels such as “Double Whammy”, will be appearing at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois on Thursday, September 15 at 7:00 PM. He will be discussing his latest release for young readers, “Flush”.

Anderson’s Bookshop
123 West Jefferson
Naperville, IL 60540
630-355-2665
Thursday, September 15, 7:00 PM

Fashion 2005: MTV VMAs and the Teen Choice Awards

Best:




Kelly Clarkson
(Lisa O'Connor/ZUMApress.com/E!Online)

Clarkson was the surprise of the VMAs with this gorgeous gold number. She usually flies under the fashion radar so it was nice to see her look so great.




Gwen Stefani
(Dan Herrick-KPA/ZUMApress.com/E!Online)

Stefani thankfully recovers from her big misstep at the Teen Choice Awards (see below) with another sexy retro look.

Halle Berry
(REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)

Though this look wasn’t the most obvious pick, it was appropriate for the occasion. Berry wisely dressed her age and didn’t try too hard to pander to the teen audience by looking like one of them.




Jessica Alba
(Zap2it.com)

Cute, appropriate and a lovely print.




Eva Longoria
(Steve Granitz/WireImage.com/E!Online)

The stunning color of this dress raises it above the mundane.


Worst:




Jessica Simpson
(Evan Agostini/Getty Images/E!Online)

She looks as if she stayed out in the hurricane too long.




Gwen Stefani
(REUTERS/Chris Pizzello)

I am so terribly disappointed to include Stefani on this list, but I have no choice. The look is hideous.




Chad Michael Murray
(Steve Granitz/WireImage.com/E!Online)

What can I say. The guy looks like a total schmuck.




Paulina Rubio
(AP Photo/Jeff Christensen)

I really don’t think I need to explain my thinking on this one.



(REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)


(E!Online)
Hilary Duff

Okay, maybe the first outfit (VMAs) isn’t the worst one here; and maybe I can’t stand Hilary Duff no matter what she wears, but the outfit from the Teen Choice Awards is undeniably heinous.




Shannon Elizabeth
(Zap2it.com)

Pick a pattern and stick with it!




Fergie
(Zap2it.com)

Fergie thinks she is at Farm Aid, not the Teen Choice Awards.