Fantine Finally Gets A Break, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    After several centuries of occupying the position as the most beleaguered and tragic character in Western Literature, Fantine was finally given a break last night, when Anne Hathaway received the Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress of 2012 for her indelible portrayal of her in the film version of the musical. "Les Miserables."

                                      This was one of those awards that just could not be beat.  Like when Jennifer Jones won for Bernadette; how do you win over someone playing one of history's most well known saints?
Same here; with Anne portraying, again, as stated, one of Literature's most tragic figures, there was just no way she was not going to win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        Not to mention her on the mark rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream," one of the most performed songs ever (only BARBRA seems not to have touched it!!!!!!).  I cannot tell you how many renditions of this song I have heard in my time, but Anne's was fresh, heartbreaking, and the way it was filmed captured the tragedy of Fantine.

                                        Suffice it to say, I was thrilled!  And didn't Anne look just stunning in her Oscar gown????????

                                         Congratulations to this former Jerseyite (Milburn, home of the Paper Mill Playhouse, where, if you look closely, you can spot pictures of a very young Anne, when she  started out there in their Children's Performance Program!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

                                             Once Anne won, and I could relax, without question, the undisputed highlight of the evening was Shirley Bassey's (now 76) rendering of her classic Sixties hit, "Goldfinger!!!!!"  Girls, I am telling you, when that intro music started, the lights came up, and Shirley sauntered to the stage in that shimmering gown, billions of people worldwide went wild, and who can blame them????????  Sassy Bassey is still just as brassy; not having heard the song in years, it was a treat, but to see its vocal originator perform it live was thrilling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                 Contrast she with Barbra Streisand!!!!!!!!!!  Oy vei, BARBRA, what were you doing???????  I have never heard La Strident so vocally OFF; I knew, as soon as Marvin Hamlisch's picture appeared, that she was going to do "The Way We Were," but, Babs, honey, you should have quit before you were halfway done!!!!!!!!!!!!  And she thinks she is going to play Mama Rose in "Gypsy??????" Not from the way she sounded last night.  I cannot tell my girls how shocking and illusion bursting it was to see this performer display more than a modicum of........human weakness!!!!!!!!!  I'd always thought such a thing was impossible, on her part!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    On to more pleasant topics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Didn't Amy Adams look simply adorable, in her Princess gown???????  She has lost that baby weight, so now our perky Amy is back! The rumor is she is planning a sequel to "Enchanted," and her outfit looks like she was modeling one of the film's outfits already.  I should have mentioned, when discussing Anne, that, in any other year, Amy would have won for her chilling performance as a cult leader's manipulative wife in "The Master."  But even Amy knew you just can't beat Fantine!  As she doubly knows--she was considered, but turned down, for the part!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                      Meryl Streep was Class and Perfection Itself, when she appeared!!!!!!!!!  But, then, when isn't she???????????????

                                                        Now, we can get on to the crap--and there was lots of it!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                         Let's start with Seth MacFarlane!!!!!!!!!! After last night, they will drum him out of Hollywood, but quick. His tasteless song about seeing all the boobs of the leading ladies out there belongs in a drunken college boys' fraternity house, not a front line occasion, like the Academy Awards.  And did he think people who have never seen (or remembered) "The Sound Of Music," past its iconic opening moment when Julie Andrews does The Twirl, would get his joke about it?????????  He WAS  funny with Sally Field, in "The Flying Nun," sketch, but she stole the scene from him, when she said, "Shut up, I know they're going to give it to Anne!"  How gracious of Sally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                           Good thing, because that clip of her in "Lincoln" seemed like she was channeling Sybil while looking like a combination of a Munchkin and Mother Ginger from "The Nutcracker!"
Not your finest hour, Sally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                Poor Jennifer Lawrence!!!!!!!!!!  The greatest moment of her life, and she will be remembered forever for taking a tumble!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                  And Jennifer Aniston!!!!!!!!!!  Like, honey, couldn't you at least have combed your hair??????????  It was so limp and pallid looking!!!!!!!!!!!  My stylist would never let me go out looking like that--even to do food shopping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                    Kristen Stewart--what the hell was that all about???????  Arriving on crutches at the Red Carpet, coming out onstage towering over Daniel Radcliffe (not her fault; everyone does!!!!!!!!!!!) but looking like she got just rolled out of bed.  She and Helena Bonham Carter must have the same hair dresser, because when it came time for the "Les Mis" tribute, I thought, at first, Carter was in costume for Madame Thernardier!!!!!!!!!  When I realized she wasn't, it confirms my opinion that she rolled out of bed, looking as she did on the set, during the entire shoot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                       I will close with another indisputable highlight--and that was Charlize Theron dancing!!!!!!!!!! In that gown, and with those moves, it was like the return of the Golden Age, with Cyd Charisse or Juliet Prowse!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Who knew Charlize could dance????????? She should do more of it!!!!!!!!!!!!  Go Charlize!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                          Of course the damn thing went till Midnight!  And by the time we got home and to bed, I was too wound up to go to sleep. I last heard our voice clock announce "1:30 AM."

                                                                             I feel like I have flown in on the Red Eye!!!!!!!  You know where I am going straight to when I get home tonight, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!