My 2013 Oscar Nominations Coverage

Well, the longest day of the year has officially come and gone.  Yep, Oscar Nominations Day is always   a fun, but tough day to get through. This year, I woke up at 1:30am so I could get to the theatre in time to set up at 3am.  By 4am, I was happily eating bacon and a Jamba Juice in preparation for the big announcements. (By the way, Jamba Juice and Coffee Bean sponsored the beverages this morning.  That's a first and it was totally appreciated.)

No heels until showtime.  A girl has to be comfy at 4am.

As always, the nominations came at a fast and furious pace for a total of 8 minutes.  Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone were completely charming and I am excited for Seth's hosting gig.  Then the nominations came and wow!..... there some major snubs.

Here's my article on the Snubs and Surprises for SheKnows.

It's great catching up with old friends.  Megan Telles from ABC Las Vegas.

This year, after giving my video assessment with The Academy's nominations, I was lucky enough to interview legendary film critic Leonard Maltin and the executive producers for this year's show, Neil Meron and Craig Zadan.  The producing duo gave me some great inside scoop on what to expect for this year's show.

Here's my video coverage for Starpulse.

And my pal Luz Peña from MundoFOX

Finally, my favorite thing to write is the behind the scenes scoop that you miss while watching the nominations on TV.

So, here's what you missed this morning with my Top 5 for SheKnows.

The dress was $74.99 retail, but I used Ebates to get additional money off.

The Dress:

This was the winning dress! Congrats to Robin who picked this "Luck Be a Lady" dress from Modcloth.  It fit like a glove and the PR team from Modcloth agreed after they saw my photo on Twitter.  Robin gets a $25 gift certificate to the store of her choice. (By the way, I added a thicker belt versus the skinny belt the dress came with to slim down my waistline on camera.)

As for the Shabby Apple dress, Jennifer picked a beautiful dress for me.  However, the one that was sent to me was not the champagne color, it was gray.  The lining of the dress didn't match up with the lace, so it was poorly constructed.  I was pretty disappointed in the overall quality.  So, Jennifer has great taste, I just wish the Shabby Apple dress was exactly the same as what we saw online. The good news is that Jennifer can relish in the fact that she won the popular vote.  Her pick received 58% of the vote.


Finally, I had fun with James Molnar of Gold Knight Blog who assessed the Oscar Nominations in a fan chat for Spreecast.  Do you agree with our picks?

 My awesome cameraman, AJ, who did a great job shooting all of the videos today.

Hanging with Oscar

The Finalists: Oscar Nominations Dress

It's year 3 of my Oscar Nominations Dress Challenge! Is your dress among the finalists?  Here are this year's two finalists chosen for very different reasons:

1.  Dress 1:  Shabby Apple
     This is a shape that I don't normally choose, but I like the elegance of it.  It's simple yet perfect for the tradition of the Oscar nominations.  My only concern is if this color will wash me out on camera, but like Jennifer said when she submitted this dress, "I know you want bright colors, but I love the lightness and texture on this- maybe have some deep red lipstick in hand? A la old Hollywood."

2.  Dress 2:  ModCloth

ModCloth was a runner-up in 2011, but the fit was a bit off.  Let's hope this year I got it right.  The color is great for camera and it has a bit of Mad Men glamour that is perfect for the sophistication of the event that morning.  As Robin also mentioned when she submitted this dress on Facebook, "They have wonderful good looks - really affordable too!"

Both dresses should arrive next week just in time for the Oscar Nominations.  Which one is your favorite?  

Vote below and be sure to see the dress I choose on Thursday, January 10! Winner receives a $25 gift certificate to the store of their choice. Good luck!

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The Dress Challenge: The Finalists

After much deliberation and searching at the dresses you picked, we have two finalists!  I think you might be surprised at one of the choices because it doesn't exactly fit all of the criteria, but I think it could be a perfect choice with a cute little jacket or sweater. There would have been three finalists, but we can thank Bloomingdale's for running out of inventory.  The winner will be announced on Oscar Nomination Day:  Tuesday, January 25th.  In the meantime, take a look at the two finalists:

From Andrea:   Dress by ModCloth (a favorite of mine), $162.99
I know there isn't a lot of color here, but the possibilities for accessorizing are endless all the way down to my shoes. It's a blank slate, so I think it makes the outfit a bit playful and fun. 

From Lula:  Banana Republic, $150
I think this cut and color are terrific for camera and I cannot wait to try it on.  I am hoping the ruffles add the touch of drama that I want to this dress without being overwhelming.  

The Runner-Up:

From Krystyn AND Kimberly:  Cynthia Steffe, Bloomingdale's, $110.25

This would have been a finalist, however, the dress is out of stock at Bloomingdale's. Boo! This would have been a strong contender. 

The Dress Challenge: A First Look

Thank you for rising to The Dress Challenge.  I am so happy that many of you are excited and shopping online for my big event.  I want to show you some of the entries that I have so far. It is not all of them, but it certainly gives you an idea of what is catching my eye. I will showcase a few dresses the next couple of days to show off what great taste in fashion you all have. Keep them coming, I am having a blast with your choices.

Take a look at some of my virtual wardrobe:

From Andrea:   Dress by ModCloth (a favorite of mine), $162.99
Not a ton of color for camera, but this is so feminine.  I would get a lot of wear out of this. 

From Robin:  Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Nordstrom, $124.
Love this color, classic design, might want to shorten to show a little more leg.

From Lula:  Banana Republic, $150

This one hits almost everything I am looking for: color, a little leg, yet classic.  

If you want to enter your choice for my on-camera wardrobe for Nominations Day, here are the rules.  Remember, there is a $25 gift certificate at the store of your choice at stake!