When the Oscar nominations come out every year, the biggest controversies usually revolve around the people who got snubbed, not those who actually got the nominations. This year, one of the biggest snubs was Michael Fassbender for Shame. He was nominated for a Critics’ Choice award and a Golden Globe, among others, but the Academy completely ignored him. Why? The LA Times thinks that Michael Fassbender’s penis ruined his chance at an Oscar. Really. It’s pretty well known that the Academy is a little stuffy, and they tend to be put off by racy scenes. So they may have overlooked Fassbender’s performance because of his full frontal nude scene.

Let’s face it – Michael Fassbender’s penis is a real problem. Here are a few more things that it has ruined. Read More »

Kate Middleton is annoying some millionaires.

Cynthia Nixon has gone bald for a role.

Steven Tyler flirted with an American Idol contestant. Shocking.

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Madonna makes a poor fashion choice.

Jimmy Fallon sued for hiring … a woman?

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It’s ok to fight the jiggle.

The time has come! After hours upon hours in dark movie theaters, countless boxes of Sour Patch Kids and probably 17 Rachel Zoe red carpet dress meltdowns (literally), The 83rd Annual Academy Awards are finally here! And we couldn’t be more excited – for the couture, for the Best Film category, and for the delicious Thai food we just had delivered (Love you, fresh rolls!).

And we’re gonna sit here all night long, liveblogging it all with you. (Partly because we love this show and partly because we’re too lazy to get off the couch to do anything else.) From the awkwardly forced banter between Giuliana Rancic and Ryan Seacrest on E! Live from the Red Carpet to the last winner’s long winded and exasperated acceptance speech, we’ll be sharing our thoughts, screams and fashion critiques.

Got something YOU wanna say? Join in one the fun (and get featured right here) by hopping on Twitter and tweeting @ccliveblog or using the hashtag, #ccoscars. Like drinking beer and taking showers, we really don’t like to liveblog alone, so come chat with us. The more the merrier…and the less pathetic we feel.

(Oh, and if you were too cheap/busy to see all of this year’s nominated movies, check out our Oscars Cheat Sheet so you’re not left out at the party.)

Well girls it’s that time again.

Tomorrow night you’ll pop your popcorn and plop down on the couch to see yet another award show. The Oscars. The Academy Awards. The best of the best in award shows. (Or at least they seem to think so.) But with all the hype surrounding award shows lately I can’t help but think a regular night at the Oscars might not hold up that well against some of the drama we’ve had surrounding our award shows lately.

Embarrassed celebrities?
Outraged actors?

How can the Oscars compete with that? Well, I have a few ideas…

1. Get Ricky Gervais to host. I know James Franco and Anne Hathaway already have this gig covered but I think it would be great if Ricky Gervais at least got the chance to speak. I mean the man’s been a social pariah since the Golden Globes and I think it’s time he and Hollywood bury the hatchet. Sure, the celebs may not be ready for another round of Ricky’s hard hitting humor but I most definitely am. These celebs need to learn to take a joke and the only way they’re going to get a thicker skin is if they’re exposed to the abuse over and over again. What…too harsh?

2. Someone needs to pull a Kanye. I think it would work best if this were to take place during the winner of Best Picture’s acceptance speech. Let’s say The Social Network wins. Someone should step up just as Scott Rudin is thanking the academy and declare that they’re going to let him finish but Inception is the best film of all time, and could Christopher Nolan please tell him if the whole thing was a dream or not now? Because it’s been driving him crazy for months and he needs answers! And so do I. Read More »

I look really young? What clothes would make me more mature?

Celeb photos without the airbrushing

A gal’s guide to breaking up

Usher travels with a WHAT on tour?!

Win money in an online Oscars ballot. (no entry fee!)

Um, no wonder we have a body image problem in this country

Since when are they dating??

Thread magazine launches their newest issue (and we’re in it!)

You may not know by now, but I’m a movie nerd. In fact, I have seen all of the films nominated for Best Picture this year at the Academy Awards. Which brings us to why we’re here: I’m going to help those of you who didn’t want to spend a million dollars at the theater last year, but still want to impress at your Oscar party guests. (Read all of Meredith’s reviews here)

I’m going to give you a synopsis that’s shorter than a tweet, a list of major nominations, and a fun fact to impress your friends with during the commercial breaks. And I’ll tell you the films you should place your bets on…but don’t come after me if you don’t win your pool!

Note: I’m only going through the films that were also nominated for Best Picture so keep in mind that Javier Bardem, Jeremy Renner, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Williams, and Jacki Weaver are also all nominated for acting awards. Read More »

Busting the 8-hour sleep myth

10 movies the Oscars made famous

Hahaha, this one night stand game is awesome

Huge winter clearance sale on boots!

What happens to the statue after J. Biebs hits puberty

A perfect dainty bracelet for your wrist

Can drinking diet soda help me lose weight?

Who is responsible for impure thoughts?

Jennifer Aniston chops off her hair

[You may be wondering why, since I usually write about new releases, I have chosen to review Blue Valentine (which was released in late December most places) this week. Well, despite being out for a month, Blue Valentine remains a water cooler topic. The subject is no longer the MPAA’s original decision to give Blue Valentine an NC-17 rating (read my thoughts on that here), but instead it is Michelle Williams' nomination for Best Actress; more notably, it is her nomination compared to Ryan Gosling who did not receive a nomination for his performance. Aside from that, it is an Oscar-nominated film, which means that if you look hard enough, you can probably find a showing in your area.]

Blue Valentine is the story of a young couple in the process of falling into, and subsequently out of, love. The film masterfully goes back and forth between the two times, providing an amazing juxtaposition. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play the couple and they deserve so much credit for their work in this film. Their performances make the audience see a transformation, while only truly acting infatuation and whatever the opposite of infatuation is.

When I was debating whether or not to see the film, specifically to see it alone, my friend told me I should and had an interesting comment. He said, “It’s the kind of movie that you don’t want to talk about after.” I was sold. And now I know exactly what he was talking about. The film is beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, and perfectly depressing. Read More »

[Sarabeth here, back with some more jams to add to your iTunes library! Every Wednesday, I'm bringing you music suggestions - could be something new, old, hugely popular or fairly unknown -  to awesome-ify your  collection.]

Anybody else out there already having to read volumes upon volumes for their classes? WTF? It’s only the second week back, professors! Can’t a girl catch a little post-break break?

Le sigh.

Good thing there’s music to save the day. I figured I’d help everyone out there get back into the swing of things and offer up an album that’s great to do homework to when you want some background noise but the How I Met Your Mother marathons are too distracting. It also just so happens to be one of the Oscar nominees for best original score: The Social Network Soundrack.

About the Artist:
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame teamed up with Atticus Ross to score the film The Social Network. Reznor originally turned down the gig, but eventually came around. Smart move, buddy. Reznor is from Pennsylvania and dropped out of college after a year to pursue his musical career. Ross is an English composer who moved to the United States in 2000 and has also worked on Book of Eli. Read More »