Image Matters

This event is considered by many to be a precursor to what will come in Oscar’s nominations… a tension filled event with many hopeful anticipating that when the evening is over presenters will have called their name and the globe will be theirs.

While the evening was reminiscent of the days when glamour ruled the red carpet, most of the men looked sharp and elegant and the majority of the ladies were stunning. Plastic surgery is a profession to be in, today.

Glamour is back and living in Hollywood and the stars here shined brightly in our town tonight. In this town where money rules, a different side of Hollywood showed up tonight as the winners accepted their awards and touched our hearts most profoundly, thanking their families and those that no longer are living but are watching from heavens doors. Hollywood with heart.

The Foreign Press Golden Globe Awards started with last year’s winner as a presenter and this year’s nominee, looking cute in a brown strapless cocktail dress by Carolina Herrera… not her usual glamour, but as always-the fabulous Rene Zellweger.

Hilary Swank looked beautiful in a chic brown Calvin Klein superb creation as the recipient of best actress award. Stunning!!!

Congratulations to Teri Hatcher of Desperate Housewives who looked stunning in her beautiful Donna Karan silver gown, while she shined with pride and natural beauty. The dress, on a scale of 1-5, I give it 3, too busy, had too much going on.

And the ensemble of Desperate Housewives, the sexiest cast, each and every one looked breathtakingly GORGEOUS. Kudos, ladies!

This year, Aviator’s Cate Blanchett made it to the top of the BEST list, looking absolutely fabulous in a 1930s-style Jean-Paul Gaultier lavender gown. Now, that is what I call class, once again recalling the glamour of the years gone by.

The bad girl of Desperate Housewives, Eva Longoria, sashayed in a black, bustier cocktail dress with delicate eyelet hemline by one of my favorite masters, Mr. Oscar de la Renta. Girl you are the BEST!!

Samuel Jackson oozes with confidence and grace as he steps with anticipation to the microphone in a brown tuxedo, perfectly fitting to the body that just seems filled with self-assurance and sex-appeal.

Clint Eastwood reflective of the days of glamour and elegance, taking to the stage as the best director, schmoozing with Usher, while looking like a shiny million bucks. What a classy and an attractive man. Just ask Meredith Viera, who flirted with him shamelessly when he guested on The View recently.

The Best dressed couple of the night! Hilary Swank, after winning for her role in Million Dollar Baby as the lens captures a most intimate moment shared with her husband Chad Lowe whom she called, “My everything.” Very cool.

Robin Williams, the Cecil B. DeMille Award Winner, whom we all know is an amazingly brilliant and versatile actor, but after tonight he showed yet another side of himself. What a kind heart beats in this outrageous man. One of the most moving moments of the night, and there were many, came at end of his acceptance speech… “I dedicate this award to the memory of a friend of mine. Chris Reeve, I miss you.” Looking to Heaven and quoting Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Williams said: “May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest, sweet prince. Thank you and good night.”

Just ok dressed couple. My countryman, ER’s Goran Visnjic with his lovely wife Ivana Vrdoljak, looked unnatural, resembling mannequins in a display window. He is a such hunk. Goran what is with that haircut? And Ivana, no bra doesn’t work my dear, get those girls up.

The worst dressed couple: Clive Owen with Sarah-Jane Fento. It is rare that one person makes the worst dressed list twice in the same night. Sadly the very handsome and talented Clive Owen, made it in both worst dreesed male and as couple, Clive, you can’t tie your own tie? I won’t even touch her dress, it speaks for itself; who is missing a tablecloth?

A ganster incognito, the odd fellow Johnny Depp keeps the conversation alive as he shows up in character, I think, and makes it again on the list of the Worst dressed.

ER’s Mekhi Phifer in a black suit paired with a lavender striped shirt, huge bulky watch, accompanied with too much jewelry, looked more like a well-dressed pimp than a Dr. he portrays on ER.

   

Star Jones Reynolds leads the parade of the Worst dressed, while successfully sabotaging all the hard work getting her new svelte figure and just to cover it with this mummified gown which makes her look like the late Mae West. And who ever tells you how to dress: FIRE THEM. More is not better. Next time leave some of your jewelry in your safe deposit instead. This dress was designed for a flat chested, tall and skinny woman and not for a sexy and voluptuous lady like you.

As clearly can be seen in this 1962 similar design by Oleg Cassini, for Mrs. Kennedy, designed for dinner at the White House honoring Nobel Prize winners of the Western Hemisphere.

Paula Abdul, why, why, why and again why do you do same things over and over again. Fire whoever is responsible for this masquerade. The breasts look like sourdough over flowing the dress; too tight and whole image is overdone for a such petite woman… All this just to be once again on the worst dressed list. Why do women who work so hard to look great sabotage their image???

Closer’s Natalie Portman, the winner of the best supporting actress, chose and failed tremendously in the outdated flapper gown, which overpowers her small statue.

Diane Keaton, Globes presenter, never fails to disappoint the critics as she shows up in an unflattering menswear jacket, worn over a floor-length tulle skirt. What… she couldn’t decide to go as man or a woman? Drag queen gone bad.

Lisa Marie Presley, what a disaster. I simply hated this Elvira look alike concoction of yard goods. Globes presenter Lisa Marie Presley walked in the wrong store and confused Golden Globes Awards for Halloween? Way too much of everything, from hair to shoes, choker, gown and cape.

One of my favorite comics, Megan Mullally: Worst of everything, starting with a sloppy hairstyle. It seemed she wore a nightgown with a man’s shirt tied over it. You think she would take more time to dress going to the car wash then she did for this elegant affair.

The worst crime, and someone should be arrested for this, was the cruel joke of the stunningly beautiful Charlize Theron in a John Galliano for Christian Dior gown… for this hair cut and most unflattering black hair color.

The trend was tieless, unbuttoned shirts resembling the seventies and black was the theme for the evening. Nominees wore black, the presenters wore black, the MCs wore black, and the ushers wore black. The night was drab and boring, so were the costumes with the exception of a few courageous souls who dared to look uniquely individual by wearing color. What an idea!

The evening started with the worst hairstyle belonging to the head of the handsome Malcolm-Jamal Warner unfortunately his hair looked like a birds nest and a tuxedo made him look more like a monk then a star.

Ellen Degeneres, winner of the favorite daytime talk show host, in her ever so manly black on black tuxedo looked more masculine then Prince, who looked very girly man in a white hooded outfit borrowed from Jlo’s closet. We wouldn’t expect anything ordinary from this talented entertainer, he is so loved, and the outfit was overlooked for the pleasure of seeing him back on stage. Too bad he didn’t honor us with a song.

No matter what color is her hair, what she wears, how skinny she is or not, she is one and only, magical, quirky, and ever so brilliantly talented Renee Zellweger and the people choice agreed. She won.

Will and Grace’s Sean Hayes, stop chewing gum in public, you look like a total dork. Was alcohol contributor to his odd behavior or did he stay in character? His show won as TV favorite comedy.

Marg Helgenberger, body to die for and dress barely to stay awake for, hairstyle sloppy. Great tush!!! Congratulations on wining and defying the law of gravity.

Presenter, Leah Remini, should have left her dress on the rack where she claimed she got it from and come naked. That dress was more then awful, it was dreadful, she looked like a middle-aged suburban housewife going to a Bar Mitzvah.

Matt LeBlanc, winner of favorite male TV, looking sexier then Joe in an unbuttoned shirt and killer fitting 3-button suit. I wish he wore a tie, after all it was honoring those who chose him, the people.

Will Smith, at lest someone danced to his own tune and wore a brown tux, black shirt with brown charmeuse silk tie. While it is bit too much of a dark color, this man would look sexy if he wore nothing, I mean a sack. His image is stunning, his body is stunning, so is his wife.

To Extreme Makeovers Home Edition, congratulations on winning the favorite makeover reality show and my condolences on your wardrobe makeovers. Who ever dressed that darling boy Ty Pennington; the design team leader/carpenter should be spanked with 2×4!

Tom Selleck, as a presenter, looked sinister in his black colored facial hair. Tom, after the age of 50, hair color should be a shade or two lighter then your natural color, as a darker color ages a person, even a timelessly gorgeous man like you. Soften up darling; smile; even when the Democrats win, be gracious Tom.

Sheryl Crow makes 40 look 20. That women is beautiful, but next time call me so you won’t get caught wearing that ridicules belt and shoes for such a special occasion like accepting a deserving award. Your outfit should be fitted to your body. On scale of 1-10: body 20; outfit 5.

Martin Sheen, what a class act, presenter of the favorite movie, regally and with conviction called on the war situation and the people listened and chose Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 for Favorite Movie. Congratulations to the people of America, they are listening. Mr. President, open your heart, listen to the voices of your people and bring our soldiers home to their families.

Newlyweds Jessica Simpson, and that hunk of a husband of hers, Nick Lachey hit the jackpot again and won the favorite realty show. Didn’t like her hair do and her bronzed face looked over done and sabotaged her natural beauty. He can’t do no wrong, he is sooooooooo very sexy, oozed with charm and in my book the best dressed male for the night.

Talk about the odd fellow, Johnny Depp won the most popular male actor and gave his thanks somewhere from the lands unknown in a most bizarre outfit of the evening, looking like a Professor Doolittle, from my Fair Lady and Sherlock Holmes all in one. Bizarre.

The evening blissfully ended with the best dressed female of the night, Rene Russo, dressed in a breathtaking red ball gown and hair in an up swip, looked better then ever, presented her buddy Mel Gibson for The Passion of the Christ for Favorite Movie Drama and ever so deserving and gracious Mel with little humor and that darn frog in his throat kept coming up, as he thanking those who hold the power, the people.

And I missed Desperate Housewives for this.

Why do we, we the people, have a such a huge thirst for realty shows? Every day more and more television waves are exposing across the world the private lives we in the past as a society wouldn’t dream of divulging. Today, you never know whose face will be looking at and trying to decipher what is their intent, their purpose of putting themselves at the mercy of media exposure.

I think reality shows are popular because we love champions, we love winners, and specially at this very difficult time in our society, we as a humanity, are looking for heroes, human generosity, something that is real, something that is not generated from a political platform or a theatrical trained performance, no script, just an ordinary Joe American who can win just by who they are, by their own courage and commitments. Today, more then ever before, we need the heroes to remind us that there is honesty and decency in this world.

For over a decade we have been bombarded with reality television and have become addicted to watching real life imitating life. I am no exception. My choice of addictions are my favorite, “The Apprentice,” “Survivor” and one that moves me to tears and tugs even at my husband’s heart strings, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” The last one made us sob for the family of a widower, father of eight children - a great home makeover for this deserving family.

Remember, the middle-aged, pudgy, bearded a vocational and clinical mentor for troubled teens from the Survivor, Mr. Rupert Boneham? The whole country rooted for him to win, he is the guy next door.

Most of the shows I watch pertain to some sort of makeover, so it is not surprising that I would watch Fox’s latest reality venture, “The Swan”, and with great suffering.

The premise of the show is to take “average looking” women and put them through a rigorous three month total body makeover that includes diet, exercise, and plastic surgery in an effort to transform them into beauty pageant contestants.

Now let me preface that I am in support of any form self improvement as long as it is safe, comes from a healthy place and builds the self-confidence of that individual. While most of the work is of amazing quality, the end result of the makeovers look like gorgeous drag queens, with horrid looking hair extensions and evening gowns that have nothing to do with who those women are, or their life style.

Each episode features two women, sequestered from family and friends and forbidden to see themselves in a mirror for the duration of the process. Just after an emotional reveal, one of the women is told she is still not beautiful enough to continue on to the actual pageant.

The Swan hasn’t failed week after week to make number one of the worst list of the reality shows. I personally don’t know any of the amazing cast of professionals, except for the dearest man on the face of this earth, the professional and very endearing Dr. Randal Haworth, who is my doctor and many of my clients have been his very satisfied patients. I am so sorry to see him connected with this show, the man is a magnificent surgeon and, ladies, he is easy on the eyes.

Finally, The Swan mercifully is drowning in the sea of bad reviews. Last week Entertainment Weekly came up with their list for the best and the worst and once again the Swan made the list of the worst realty shows. Sadly, I agree.

To those courageous women of The Swan, the participants I salute; to the writers and producers of the show, wake up and smell the coffee, the reality is your ship is sinking faster than the Titanic. It is pompous without a reason for the pomp and circumstances. The message is not to be the best of who you are but who you are not. It pained me watching those poor women marching like horses down the stage at the last competition; again my profound respect and accolades to them. And these are the kind of shows that makes me as an image consultant cringe with embarrassment and amazement that there are people who put junk like that on the air.