This used to be our song

Dear friends,

1. I was hit by the big stick of sick and spent most of yesterday looking at The Monkey from one watery, barely open eye. While I am grateful that my marvelous AS medicine gives me the use of my legs, it also repays that kindess with near-constant cold/flu fun. Gotta love side effects! At least it's not lymphoma.

I watched the Oscars from my sick bed. It was duller than usual, though I did like the Errol Morris interviewing the nominees intro. I'm convinced that man steals souls. The director-cut themed montages sprinkled throughout the night were a'ight but not as good as I expected. The Pilobolus interpretation of Snakes on a Plane amused but otherwise I thought it seemed like the producers were trying to add good taste to a program that works best as a cheesefest. The best original songs were dreary. Every single one was a snooze. I felt bad for Beyoncé 'cause she was clearly trying to show she could sing just as fiercely as Jennifer Hudson but instead it sounded like an over-melismatic nervous breakdown. Eddie Murphy was right not to participate in the Dreamgirls singalong given that the new songs ain't all that anyway and he knew he wouldn't win. Don't get me wrong, I adore Alan Arkin, his appearance in ANY film is a guaranteed delight**, but his work in Little Miss Sunshine was the kind of thing he does in his sleep. Knowing they were going to do their annual supporting category psych-out, I thought that that they would at least give it to someone who hustled. But then again, I can't remember any of the other male supporting nominees. This was probably the cause. Academy-wide memory loss.

Outfits-wise, I LOATHED J-Hud's Oscar de la Renta gold bolero jacket over dress ensemble, it was fugly and unflattering. That whole look was very disappointing, 'cause Hudson's been working her thing at all the awards shows so I was really expecting something prettier than a brown dress that looked like it was made out of nylon. I thought my girl Kate Winslet* looked washed out in that mint dress and not as lovely as she usually does. Helen Mirren was my favorite but she always is. Emily Blunt was a knockout too, she managed to make sequins look un-Vegas. I thought Nicole Kidman was gorgeous, if a bit mummified, in that red column bow number. I also liked Reese Witherspoon, loved the way that trim in various blue and purple hues moved.

Wow, I really am a girl.

I was really too sick to even do my dead people montage score card, though I think Don Knotts won the most applause. I have mad respect for Clint Eastwood for translating Ennio Morricone's acceptance speech. I was touched by Morricone's emotional response and forgave him for putting me through an atrocious Celine Dion number. Then again, The Man with the Harmonica! Who am I kidding? Morricone can do whatever he wants.

Ooh, I just remembered. Why was Elisabeth Shue dressed for an office cocktail party? I saw her on the red carpet during the preshow, posing like it was Balenciaga. It's the freakin' Oscars. Borrow a dress or something. Don't wear a knee-length, shapeless and sleeveless thing from Marshall's. That's just disrespectful to all of us watching it at home in our sweatpants. Geez.

2. In another entry in music from imaginary films, Her Pretty Face by The Apples in Stereo is a favorite make-believe soundtrack selection. It would be in my romantic comedy, used in the boy's mental montage of how cute the girl he digs (but hasn't won over yet) is. It's a shimmering little number, with crisply strummed guitar and Hilarie Sidney's soprano breathlessly expressing regret.

Normally I despise literal song use in films, for example Respect played after you tell someone off or How Can You Mend a Broken Heart when hearts are broken, so seeing a pretty face while this song plays might seem like overkill. However, there is so much rueful melancholy in this tune, that even those who aren't paying attention to the lyrics could feel something was amiss and those who are listening would know that saying that "Her pretty face is all you know" implies that you don't know anything about her at all.

I'll put up the MP3 link tomorrow, for now You Send It will have to do.

Her Pretty Face/The Apples in Stereo (mp3)
Her Pretty Face/Apples in Stereo (YST link)

Buy Her Wallpaper Reverie by The Apples in Stereo

Love, D

* Though Winslet does look fine in this photo.

** "Serpentine Shel!"