COMMENTARY

Oscars! Oscar nominations have been announced! In the category we care about… Best Costume Design: Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Last Samurai, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Seabiscuit.

My obvious favorite is Girl with a Pearl Earring: beautifully made costumes that looked like clothing (did you see the gorgeous cartridge pleats on the sleeve heads, and the beautiful green bodice on Vermeer’s wife?). But Lord of the Rings also had beautiful costume designs — I loved the medieval-inspired dresses on Arwen and Eowyn. Both films had high quality costumes throughout the cast and extras.

But while it has no female characters (and hence no female costumes to get excited about), Master and Commander was pretty darn impressive. Plus I have yet to see Seabiscuit, but what I’ve seen so far looks promising.

I’m disappointed that Big Fish wasn’t nominated — I REALLY had a good time watching the beautiful 1930s/40s/50s costumes on all of the extras in the flashback/tall tale scenes.

In the “who I’m excited to see on the red carpet” category, the people I’m usually excited to see aren’t nominated, so I hope a few of them show up anyway! I WILL be excited to see Johnny Depp and Jude Law, but that’s more in the “yummy” category than in the “good dress” category.

Speaking of which — Golden Globes fashions!

Beautiful: Maria Bello (40s evening look! excellent), Elisha Cuthbert (beautiful 50s look), Cate Blanchett (anything she wears is gorgeous, but that color!), Brittany Murphy (classic Hollywood), Christina Ricci (excellent cut and fit, beautifully simple), Gwen Stefani (the beautiful retro look she always does, but in a simple, sophisticated dress).

Ew: Jennifer Lopez (bad droopy bustline and too high waistline), Nicole Kidman (HUH? gold lame is just wrong. Next time, at least match the tacky gold in your dress to the tacky gold in your headband), Paris Hilton (at the Target after-party, and dressed appropriately).

A sternum is not cleavage: Jennifer Aniston, Alison Janney (I like her! I do! I’m just not excited about her sternum!).

Okay — so who do you want to win best costume design? Who should have been nominated but wasn’t? And what did you think of the Golden Globes fashions?