Reviewing the Drama: Broadway, Off-Broadway, Ballet, Movies, and TV Reviews

The 86th Academy Awards is in the books! I've included some notes about the ceremony at the bottom of this post (after the full list of winners), but first, as always, the fashion. Let's begin with some ladies who looked great. From left, we have nominee Meryl Streep ; her Into the Woods costar, Anna Kendrick in J. Mendel; and nominee Sandra Bullock in Alexander McQueen. What impressed me about Streep's look is that it shows some effort and an attempt at glamour. She's known for eschewing aesthetics and can sometimes look dowdy on the red carpet, but this year, she looks simply elegant. Kendrick bucks the trends (which we'll get to in a moment) and opts for a funky (for the red carpet) black frock, with an asymmetrical hemline, structural detail in the back and a cut out at mid-waist with red accents. It's a terrific young, sexy but still classy look for the young, sexy and classy actress. And Bullock looks stunning in the understated navy McQueen go...

The 86th Academy Award nominations were announced today! Without any further ado, here are the nominees: Best Picture American Hustle Captain Phillips Dallas Buyers Club Gravity Her Nebraska Philomena 12 Years a Slave The Wolf of Wall Street Since there are only nine nominees and not ten, I can say I've seen more than half the nominees. But since there are nine instead of ten, Inside Llewyn Davis  is left off the list. Are the Academy nominators taking crazy pills? I'm glad to see the Her  made it on but to leave off Inside Llewyn Davis ? Anyway, this is the start of the showdown between American Hustle  and  12 Years a Slave . The former has 10 nominations and the latter has nine; the only reason 12 Years a Slave  has nine is because it did not have a contender in the lead actress category. If not for that, it'd be a dead heat between the two. I think 12 Years a Slave  should win, and if Academy voters can get over their squeamishness an...

The Golden Globes, which honor both film and television, will be handed out on Sunday, January 12, 2014, and funny ladies Tine Fey and Amy Poehler will, once again, be hosting the ceremony. (The Globes are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, HFPA.) Herein, the nominees and my commentary: Film Best Motion Picture, Drama : 12 Years a Slave Gravity Captain Phillips Rush Philomena With all the buzz around Dallas Buyers Club , I'm surprised, though not upset, that it's not on this list. Throughout, as with the other awards, I'm rooting for 12 Years a Slave . Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama : Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips Robert Redford, All is Lost Idris Elba, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom With the exception of Elba, this category is pretty much what was expected. Throughout award season, look for this race to come down to Ejiofor and McConaughey. Best P...