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Fashion First: Acne's Pre-fall 2012 Lookbook

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Acne's Pre-Fall 2012 collection is all about proportions. The Stockholm collective has created a mix of cropped tops, wide belts, boxy jackets, fitted trousers and micro-minis to pair with clunky, transparent rain boots. It's a perfect collection to weather all seasons. For a more girl-about-downtown look, pair these separates with their chain belt -- which is less Chanel and more bike messenger chic. 


The Affordable Art Fair -- Photos of Our Favorite Pieces

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The art world was all about LA last week, between the Art Los Angeles Contemporary fair at a Santa Monica Airport hangar, the Pacific Standard Time Performance and Public Art Festival (which continues around the city through the 29th), and of course, all the related parties and afterparties (check out our gallery on the Hole's sick warehouse bash). One of the more anticipated events was the kickoff for the main fair, Judy Chicago's re-staging of her 1968 spectacle using 25 tons of dry ice, glow-lit at dusk and dissipating over the weekend, but alas, someone ran a light and totalled our car on the way there (welcome to LA), but check out ALAC's official pics here. Once our nerves and whiplash abided, we got back on the road and checked out the inaugural edition of The Affordable Art Fair, "affordable" in this case, defined as under $10,000 (it's all relative, right?). Above, a photo gallery with details and prices of some of our fave "bargains."

Eli Manning v. Tom Brady: A Head-to-Head Analysis

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After exciting wins last night, it looks like Super Bowl XLVI will be a revisiting of the 2008 Giants-Patriots match-up. While many news outlets are analyzing the teams' stats and odds, we here at PAPERMAG decided to take a different approach and analyze the two franchises' leading men, Eli Manning and Tom Brady. However subjective it may be, we're weighing in on their tastes, interests and photos (based on interviews and articles about the gents) and predicting if not who will win the Super Bowl then at least who will win this head-to-head. Feel free to chime in with your opinions in the comments section below and let us know if you agree or disagree with our assessments.


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Favorite TV Show:

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Manning: Seinfeld

Brady: Dexter

Advantage: Manning. While these are both admirable selections, we gotta hand it to the kid from NOLA to go with a classic about neurotic New Yorkers. Though New York is Manning's adopted city, we can't picture him modeling the behaviors of this Upper West Side foursome, which, in some ways, makes it even better that he likes the show so much. Obviously we wouldn't ever want Brady to imitate Dexter but for a stylish metrosexual, saying your favorite show is Dexter on Showtime is not all that surprising nor against type.

Favorite Music:

Motley Crue v. U2.pngManning: '80s hair bands like Mötley Crüe, Poison, Boston, Skid Row, Warrant

Brady: U2, Jack Johnson, Coldplay and Jay-Z.

Advantage: Brady. Though we're tempted to give this to Manning and his hair metal preferences, Brady gets points for cuteness because his list includes a set of BFF couples: Gwynnie and Chris and Bey and Jay.  Plus, frankly, Jay-Z trumps all of these picks.


Favorite Food

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Manning: Olives

Brady: Onion rings

Advantage: Brady. Olives are only acceptable in a salad or martini (or picking at a relish plate before Thanksgiving at your grandma's house) but onion rings, on the other hand, are definitely crave-worthy.


Surprising Fact:

Screen shot 2012-01-23 at 1.39.59 PM.pngManning: He enjoys going antiquing with his wife, a hobby he picked up as a young boy walking around Magazine St. in New Orleans with his mother while his older brothers had sports games.

Brady: He's never had a cup of coffee in his life.

Advantage: Manning. It's pretty cute that as a little kid getting constantly dragged to his older brothers' games, Eli opted instead to go poke around antique shops with his mom. And, moreover, that the hobby continued into adulthood. 


"Normal Bodies" Shirtless Shots

Shirtless.pngManning: He's tan, he's smiling sheepishly and he has no six-pack in sight. 

Brady: His famously hunky bod looks pretty "regular guy" in this NFL scouting photo from 2000, which also makes sense given that he had only recently come out of four years of college football plus keg parties at University of Michigan.

Advantage: Tie.  We were originally going to give this one to Manning because he's smiling in the photo but let's face it, even with "Average Joe" pecs, you'd still have dated either one of them in college.


"Fugly Face"

fugly face.pngManning: His scowl is a mix between an intimidation look and soap opera-style "smell the fart" acting.

Brady: If it's even possible to make Brady look fug, we guess this is it. In the blush of "new daddy-hood" it looks like he has the teensiest bit of a double chin in this shot, which compliments the bearishness of the long hair and beard.

Advantage: Manning. This photo is too priceless.

AND THE WINNER IS: MANNING, by a hair, 4-3.  But it's sort of a backhanded compliment given that Manning's scrunched up mug was what sealed the deal in the end. 

And there you have it.  Just remember, if Manning outdoes Brady and the Giants win on February 5th, you read something about it here first!







Two's a Trend: Gabe Delahaye in Music Videos

Girls That Look Like Skrillex + Reese Witherspoon as Margaret Keane = Eight Items or Less

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1 Girls That Look Like Skrillex.

2. The new Ai Wei Wei documentary, Never Sorry, received a standing ovation at Sundance last night. The film's New York director Alison Klayman (one of our 10 Sundance breakouts to watch) spent several years filming the Chinese artist who, unfortunately, couldn't attend the premiere due to a still-imposed travel ban. [LA Times]

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3. Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Reynolds are set to star in a bio-pic on "big-eye" painter Margaret Keane (that's her work above) and her husband Walter. For some reason the artist allowed her husband to put his name on her works and eventually had to go to court to prove they were actually hers. [Variety]

4. Swizz Beatz isn't sure what a CEO's job is and, in fact, he's not even sure if he had that title at Megaupload. Meanwhile, the artist/producer is lawyered-up and ready if the FBI comes calling in the Kim Dotcom piracy bust. [Guardian]

5. Florence + The Machine start a 15-city US tour on April 14 in California. The NYC stop is May 8th at Radio City Music Hall. Tickets go on sale with TicketMaster on January 27th.

6. Read the big New Yorker feature on NYC hotel and nightlife guru Eric Goode (Area, Maritime Hotel, Bowery Hotel), but don't expect any insider gossip. It's all about the Testudines.

7. YouTube now streams over 4 billion videos per day. [Reuters]

8. Emmanuel Perrotin Gallery opens a new branch in Hong Kong with a big KAWS show in May. [Financial Times] 


Hairstylist Sarah Potempa Catches the Perfect Wave

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Hairstylist Sarah Potempa just might have answered our prayers for perfect, wavy curls that look loose and natural and not like, say, Alana from Toddlers and Tiaras (not that we don't love her dearly, honey boo boo!) Potempa's new tool, the Beachwaver Rotating Curling Iron, is custom-designed to create the sexy, beachy curls we've long dreamed of but can never quite get. Also, it spins on its own, which is perfect for lazy people! We can't wait to try this innovative iron, now available on QVC.

15 Celebrity Couples We Never Want to See Break Up

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With the sad (though slightly ambiguous) news that Heidi and Seal were divorcing officially separating, our hopes were dashed once more that a seemingly non-jerky celebrity couple might actually make it. But seriously, they seemed pretty solid! And like people we'd want to be friends with! (We had the chance to see them at Heidi's famous Halloween bash this year and, to us, they truly seemed like two apes in love.) Even if S&H become another Hollywood casualty, we're still optimistic about these next fifteen duos on our list. If any of them split up, however, we're officially giving up on marriage. (Forgive us the hyperbole, but we're still feeling a little raw from Kim and Thurston's split.)


00asab3t.jpgWill Arnett and Amy Poehler 



Ice-T-and-Coco.jpg Coco and Ice-T


jon_hamm_jennifer_westfeldt1.jpgJon Hamm and Jennifer Westfeldt


73683492rm016.jpgRita Wilson and Tom Hanks



ellen_degeneres-portia-de-rossi.jpg Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres



IMG_0221.jpgIna Garten and Jeffrey



danny-devito-gal.jpgDanny DeVito and Rhea Perlman


simon-doonan-jonathan-adler.jpgSimon Doonan and Jonathan Adler


beyonce1.jpgBeyonce and Jay-Z


ted-and-mary1.jpgTed Danson and Mary Steenburgen


barack-obama-kisses-his-wife-michelle.jpgBarack and Michelle Obama



felicity_huffman.jpg William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman


MediaCouples003.jpg Mary Matalin and James Carville


Neil+Patrick+Harris+David+Burtka+AMC+Hosts+1RGik6Ihqcwl.jpgNeil Patrick Harris and David Burtka


Jerry+Stiller+Anne+Meara+Stiller+Universal+XnntNSm8JDAl.jpgAnne Meara and Jerry Stiller




Photo of the Day: Drip Drip

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IMG_6585.2.JPGAttendees of OHWOW's L.A. reception for Daniel Arsham's "the fall, the ball, and the wall," check themselves out in a mirror flanked by a dripping wall, one of Arsham's several "structural interventions" featured in the show. Photo by Douglas Neill.

Disney's Joy Division T-Shirt Is Already Sold Out, Of Course

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Given how litigious Disney is when it comes to appropriation of their beloved, wholesome characters intended for children and weird adults, it's a bit surprising that they're now hawking a Joy Division-"inspired" (i.e. totally ripped off, but juuuust different enough to avoid a law suit) Mickey Mouse t-shirt on Disneystore.com. Sure, Joy Division were a very important, very talented group (and likely huge Disney fans), but are you telling us that the President of Disney Merch HQ doesn't realize that the band named itself after a literary slang term for women in concentration camps who were forced to prostitute themselves for Nazi officers? Yes, that's probably what you're telling us. The shirt features similar waves from the cover of the band's classic album, Unknown Pleasures, designed by Peter Saville, and it's already sold out. Plan on seeing these babies going for $240.95 instead of Disney's price of $24.95 by Wednesday. [Via TheDailySwarm]

Below: A close-up on the Mickey-Division design as well as the original cover of Unknown Pleasures.

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Melissa McCarthy Nommed!

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While a lot of us (in particular Melena Ryzek over at the New York Times) were really rooting for a Bridesmaids best picture nom, it wasn't to be. But! It was nominated for best screenplay AND we were so so so pleased to see that B'maids star Melissa McCarthy received a best supporting actress nod for her turn as Megan. The heat from her undercarriage must be on full blast right now. Congrats, Melissa! 

Read about PAPER's current cover star Kristen Wiig, who wrote and starred in the film.

Tips for Today: A-Trak + Dannijo + "Dirty Words in the Dictionary"

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Screen-shot-2011-06-09-at-11.40.14-AM.pngToca Tuesdays with Special Guest A-Trak

Tonight's installment of underground hip-hop icon DJ Tony Touch and DJ June's Tuesday night dance fest features special guest, Fool's Gold founder, renowned DJ, producer and mastermind behind the Duck Sauce hit "Barbara Streisand," A-Trak.

Sutra, 16 First Ave. 10 p.m. Free.

Dannijo Pre-Valentine's Day Sample Sale

This may be the shortest sample sale in sample sale history. For two hours only, starting today at 6 p.m., the super-chic New York-based jewelry line Dannijo will host a pre-Valentine's Day sample sale, with items starting as low as $10.

423 W. 14th St., Suite 3R. 6-8 p.m.

"Dirty Words in the Dictionary" with Jesse Sheidlower at WORD.

Jesse Sheidlower, an editor at the Oxford English Dictionary and author of 2009's The F-Word (which documents the history of, well, the F-Word), stops by WORD tonight. He'll be giving an exciting, behind the scenes look (it's exciting to us, OK?) of the making of the OED, and discussing how some dirty words make it in there, and others don't.

WORD Brooklyn, 126 Franklin St., Greenpoint, Brooklyn. 7 p.m. Free. Facebook RSVP requested.

Andy Samberg and Rashida Jones Cuddle at Sundance

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Photographer and Paper contributor Henny Garfunkel has been shooting portraits of celebrities at Sundance and other film festivals for nearly 20 years (check our her great shots from the Toronto Film Festival here), and, rest assured, she's running herself ragged in Park City right now getting Papermag lots of fabulous photos of pretty people promoting movies. (The local Fox affiliate has also taken note and did a little story on her. You are indeed "Uniquely Utah," Henny!)  We'll have a big photo gallery of Henny's pics up later in the week, but, in the meantime, here's a little sneak peek featuring Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg, photographed promoting Celeste and Jesse Forever, and looking all kinds of cute.

The Morning Funnies: Brokelandia + Cory Feldman + "His Schlong"

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1. Here, on Dancing on Ice, Cory Feldman pays tribute to Stand By Me co-star River Phoenix by dancing like Michael Jackson. "During the choreography I thought of River a lot. It was very heartwarming for me." Huh. [via Perez Hilton]


2. "His schlong" was an actual was an actual answer on Family Feud. [BuzzFeed]



3. Brokelyn.com spoofs Portlandia's "Did you Read It?" sketch with "Did You Eat It?"

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4. Barbie pays tribute to famous works of art. [via The Hairpin]


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5. From the weird collabs department: Bonnie Prince Billy has teamed up with Kona Coffee on limited edition Bonny Billy Blend coffee beans. Each bag is $20, and is available on the Drag City website. [via Steregum]

Portlandia Recap! Episode Three: "Cool Wedding" (Plus St. Vincent Covering Pearl Jam)

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Portlandia-mania hit New York City this past weekend like a torrential hipster hurricane, with two live shows (at Williamsburg Hall of Music and Bowery Ballroom), and a panel discussion with Fred and Carrie at Midtown's Paley Center on Saturday afternoon. If you weren't at the Bowery show, and haven't caught the video of St. Vincent (who was an unannounced surprise guest) covering Pearl Jam's "Black," it's worth checking out.


Watching Annie Clark give her all to that song brings to mind a mid-'90s legend, where Courtney Love, while touring with Lollapalooza, bet Stephen Malkmus that she could finish the Times Sunday crossword before he could, and the loser would have to "cover a Pearl Jam song without irony." Malkmus won the bet, but no Pearl Jam cover was ever performed. It seemed like an irony-free Pearl Jam cover was an impossible task, but St. Vincent proves it can be pulled off!

But I digress. The dream of the '90s is still alive in Portland, and in the midst of all this hullabaloo, a new Portlandia episode aired on Friday night! "Cool Wedding," was not as sharp as last Friday's "One Moore Episode" (the claws really came out last week, and the satire shredded) but Fred and Carrie still delivered the goods. The cold-open sketch, which played on the cult of Apple computers, nailed how dependent iPhone users are on their smartphones, to the point of absurdity.


The title sketch/runner focused on the "cool wedding" between Spyke and Irys, Portlandia's recurring bike-messenger punks. In the first segment of the runner, Spyke and Irys meet with their wedding planner, and their description of what they want their wedding to be was one of the highlights of the episode. "There's a 60 percent divorce rate. We want that at the forefront of peoples' minds," Irys tells their wedding planner. "But we want it to be fun," Spyke adds.


I'll be honest: Sometimes I peek at other Portlandia recaps if they go up before mine, and I was surprised that the "You go first!" sketch was roundly hated in the recap community. To me, this sketch was the episode's peak and embodied everything that Fred and Carrie succeed at comically. The gist of the sketch was that Fred and Carrie are in separate cars and keep insisting that the other go first at an intersection. When neither one of them will go, the sketch heightens to the point of insanity. The reason I love this bit so much is that the rapid-fire escalation of the joke, visual gags and clever word play reveal Fred and Carrie to be the direct descendants of Abbott and Costello.

"Cool Wedding" had two prominent guest stars, but neither really added much to their respective sketches. 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer played a puka-shell wearing dude who forgets his reusable bag at a grocery store, to the shock and horror of Fred and Carrie. And Academy Award-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo played an author named Nelofar Jamshidi (I'm assuming that's an anagram?) who promotes her book, A Stone's Throw Away From Freedom, at the Women and Women First Bookstore.


The episode tied up neatly with a call-back to Spyke and Irys, who at this point in the episode have broken up and decide to divide their friends in a kickball-style draft. As they pick their friends one at a time from bleachers in a high school gymnasium, it was fun to pick out familiar faces (Rebecca Cole of Wild Flag and director Lance Bangs -- who's also Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney's husband -- made cameos). It was one of the frequent moments in Portlandia when you feel like you're watching a bunch of friends putting on a silly play for their own amusement.  

Download "Cool Weddding" on iTunes here!

"Stairway to Heaven" in Penn Station -- MyBlockNYC's Video of the Week

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The fine folks at MyBlockNYC, a new interactive mapping project, are picking their favorite MyBlock videos to show on PAPERMAG every Tuesday. Here's this week's.

TITLE: "Stairway to Heaven"
LOCATION: Penn Station
MYBLOCK USER: Yoshi
DESCRIPTION: Grand Central might have a fancy clam house, but Penn Station's got character! And soul! And a Stairway to Heaven.

Brad Pitt Vs. George Clooney: May the Best Man Win an Inevitable Oscars Prank War

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brad_pitt_george_clooney_2011_a_l.jpgAfter George Clooney recently went onstage at the Golden Globes carrying a cane -- a playful jab at his buddy, Brad Pitt, who came to the awards ceremony with the accessory after undergoing knee surgery -- Pitt appears to be plotting his revenge. The duo, well-known for their handsome-guy bromance and love of backslapping pranks, have pulled quite a few jokes that would make a frat boy blush (which also sort of makes us wonder if they're both major d-bags. Devastatingly handsome, humanitarian major d-bags, of course). Though Pitt claims he won't be making his retaliation prank to the this year's Oscars (for which both recently received nominations), you never know. Which is why amid all of the awards season mania focusing on winners, losers and best dressed-ness, we will be keeping an eye on all leads and developments surrounding The Sexiest Men Alive Oscars Prank War 2012 and updating you accordingly.

In the meantime, here's a look at some of Pitt and Clooney's best gags, both against one another and against some of their unsuspecting co-stars. Those guys!

BRAD PITT VS. GEORGE CLOONEY:

-During the filming of Ocean's Twelve, Pitt sent a memo to the Italian crew that they should refer to Clooney as Danny, his character's name, and not "look him in the eye."  The humble actor was mortified and plotted his revenge (see below).

-Along with Matt Damon, Pitt hired a male stripper to pose as a journalist and strip down to his skivvies before professing his love for Clooney during a press conference.


GEORGE CLOONEY V. BRAD PITT:

-As a way to get Pitt back during the Ocean's Twelve saga, Clooney slapped a sticker on Pitt's car reading "Small Penis on Board." The unsuspecting Pitt thought people were honking and waving at him in his car just because he's, well, Brad Pitt.

-Though technically a prank against the paparazzi, we're including this anecdote because it involves Pitt and Angelina Jolie's supposed wedding: after rumors flew that Clooney was hosting their nuptials at his Lake Como villa, he one-upped the paps by setting up tables on his lawn, tricking hundreds of photographers (some in helicopters!) to congregate outside his home for two weeks for no reason.

MISCELLANEOUS CLOONEY-PITT PRANKS:

-While Matt Damon was preparing for a movie role at Clooney's villa and trying to lose weight, the prankster secretly had a tailor take in Damon's pants little by little, a classic example of the patient "slow moving prank."  Before long, Damon became frustrated at his apparent weight gain to Clooney's amusement.

-Amid Y2K mania (remember that?) Pitt and friends flew down to Mexico to celebrate New Year's but unbeknownst to them, the actor had bribed government officials to shut down the power and phone lines before arresting one of the cohort on drug charges. Sheesh.

-Clooney used to steal friends' cameras and snap peen shots (ahh the days before camera phones and Twitpics...) with eyeglasses on his nether regions.  Apparently he called this gag "Mr. Face."

-On the set of Moneyball, Pitt absconded with co-star Jonah Hill's golf cart and, at various times, flipped it over, took the wheels off, wrapped it in pink car wrap, covered it in flowers, and rigged it to play "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go."


A$AP Rocky's "Wassup" Is Our Music Video of the Day

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While he counts those "Pesos" from his major-label record deal, A$AP Rocky is back with this clip for the Clams Casino produced track "Wassup."  With the amount of bling being flaunted here, you might think that the Harlem rapper has already blown all his money on wine, women and dogs.  Don't worry, it's only a bad dream.  When Rocky wakes up, he's still got to finish that album.  Also, check out the cover of the latest issue of Complex magazine featuring Rocky and Jeremy Scott in a parody of the classic shot of Warhol and Basquiat.

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Nick Jonas on Broadway + Bros Blowin' Shotties = Today's Eight Items or Less

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smoking-on-stoop.jpg1. A chart explaining how to get Twitter followers.

2. P. Diddy is Revolt-ing!  He's launching a cable music channel called "Revolt" on 12/12/12.

3. Photog Slava Mogutin spices up this VICE magazine "fashion" shoot with a bunch of hot "Bros Blowin' Shotties." (See image above.)

4. Watch out Facebook.  LEGO launched their own social media platform, ReBrick.

5. Nick Jonas joins the cast of Broadway's revival of How To Succeed..., taking over for Darren Criss, starting tonight.

6. New York club Cielo (18 Little West 12th St.) celebrates their ninth anniversary on Saturday, January 28, with DJs Cassy, Nic Matar and Willie Graff.  $20 advance tickets are here.

7. New York-based art collective, The Fantastic Nobodies, will debut a live performance of "My Name Is Mud" on Friday, January 27, 9 p.m. at Andrew Edlin Gallery (134 Tenth Ave.).  It's "part avant-garde theater, part freak show and part examination room." That sounds like Mr. Mickey's bedroom. Zing!

8. The Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway) will unveil their new museum shop on April. The 4,150 square-foot space was designed by Visbeen Associates Inc.

Acne's A/W 2012 Men's Collection offers sweet alternatives

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Lots of men in black featured in Acne's 2012 A/W runway show in Paris, but this collection also layered on the sweetness. The caramel and burgundy color palette was decadent and delicious, so were the pops of army green and teal mohair. We truly believe that a man's ability to wear his heart on his sleeve is admirable, but hearts on his sweater is just plain brave.  

Michael Musto's 5 Craziest Oscar Wins, Losses and Upsets of All Time

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oscar-upsets.jpgPart of the fun of tuning into the Oscar nominee announcements every year is righteously screaming at the TV because X-deeply-worthy-actor/actress/movie didn't get a nod. (For us, it was Kristen Wiig being snubbed for Best Actress in Bridesmaids and Bill Cunningham New York getting shafted for Best Documentary Feature. Boo!) All of this, however, got us thinking about the biggest Oscar upsets, surprises and travesties over the years, which, in turn, got us thinking about Michael Musto, who is, in our book, the foremost expert on Oscars history. Below, he breaks down the craziest Oscars wins and losses of all time and weighs in on this year's nominees.


 


213882.jpgJUDY HOLLIDAY BEATS OUT GLORIA SWANSON AND BETTE DAVIS FOR BEST ACTRESS

In 1951, Judy Holliday won best actress for Born Yesterday. This was the year of the ultimate gay diva battle between Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard playing a grand-guginol gargoyle and Bette Davis as Margo Channing in All About Eve playing a grand-guginol gargoyle. This was a battle royale equal to King Kong vs. Godzilla. Gloria had won all of the awards up to that point and she was expected to bag the Oscar. I think Gloria and Bette ended up cancelling each other out, which was combined with the fact that Anne Baxter was also nominated in that category for All About Eve and may have taken some of the votes away, so Judy just snuck in there. This is one of the most traumatizing events in gay history. But I have to say I watched Born Yesterday again last year, and Judy was really transcendent. It wasn't really highway robbery that she won, but it was a surprise that has stood the test of time.


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GRACE KELLY TAKES DOWN A HOSPITALIZED JUDY GARLAND FOR BEST ACTRESS

The second biggest gay upset in Oscar history was in 1954, when Judy Garland was nominated for A Star is Born. She was actually giving birth to Joey Luft the night of the Oscars, so a camera crew had gathered around her to film her acceptance speech from her hospital bed. The winner, however, was Grace Kelly for The Country Girl. Are you noticing a trend here? It's always the younger, prettier actress who wins -- it's still the case today except for the year Helen Mirren won for The Queen. Grace Kelly had drabbed herself down for The Country Girl and proved she really had the chops, but most people thought she couldn't compare to Judy's incredible, luminous performance in A Star is Born. The problem, however, was that A Star Is Born was kind of a mess -- it was badly edited and just sort of all over the place -- and it didn't make much money. So Grace won and Judy sat there while the camera crew unplugged and left without saying a word. Poor Judy the loser.



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MARISA TOMEI GETS THE LAST LAUGH

In 1993, they announced Best Supporting Actress as Marisa Tomei for My Cousin Vinny. This was one of the biggest shocks of all time. Not just in the Oscars but in history. She was up against four really grand divas with hoity-toity accents, where as Marisa was featuring sort of a pre-Jersey Shore demeanor in My Cousin Vinny. She was a gum-popping Guidette and beat out Judy Davis, Joan Plowright, Vanessa Redgrave and Miranda Richardson. Conspiracy theories started immediately that they had read the wrong name, or that something really fishy had happened. But, like Judy Holliday, in retrospect, I don't think its horrible that she won. And she acquitted herself really well. She got two other nominations after that for In the Bedroom and The Wrestler, so she had the last laugh after that, proving herself to be a real Academy Award-type of actress. But, it really....people's jaws just dropped when she won. That had to have been rough for her.

sideways_l.jpg PAUL GIAMATTI STONE-COLD SNUBBED

Sideways, by Alexander Payne, was up for Best Picture in 2004, as well as a million other categories including Best Supporting Actor and Actress. The heart and soul of the movie, though, was Paul Giamatti, who was strangely snubbed for a Best Actor nomination. There was such a backlash when that happened and he got such sympathy from the media for having been left out. How could you have Sideways nominated for Best Picture and not nominate Paul Giamatti for Best Actor? It was almost criminal! You wanted to lock people up! That was the year Jamie Foxx won, and he deserved it, but I think they could have dumped Johnny Depp for Finding Neverland from the nominees and made a place for Paul.

THE HORROR: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN PASSED OVER FOR CRASH  

crash-movie4.jpgBut the biggest horror of all time was in 2006 when Crash won for best picture. I actually think Crash was a really fine film, but everyone was expecting Brokeback Mountain to win. It had won all of the awards so far at the Oscars and Ang Lee had even won Best Director earlier that night. So it was extremely bizarre when they announced Crash for Best Picture. Immediately, the media started delving into how this could have happened and the reality is that some of the Academy voters, when they knew it was a 'gay movie,' didn't even watch the screeners that were sent. Some even admitted, 'Oh, I saw what it was about and I didn't even want to watch it!' It's really sad that a movie like Crash, which is about bigotry, only won because of bigotry.

SO WHO WAS ROBBED WITH THIS YEAR'S NOMINATIONS?

I was upset that Tilda Swinton was left out for Best Actress for We Need to Talk About Kevin. It wasn't your typical sort of Best Actress role -- there wasn't a lot of screaming and histrionics and the Academy likes that. But she was so great in it and the whole movie was so amazing and darkly funny. I thought she deserved a spot.

I was also surprised that Albert Brooks didn't get in for Best Supporting Actor for Drive and a lot of people are surprised that Leonardo DiCaprio didn't get anything for J.Edgar. But, if you recall, he was snubbed for Titanic, which was nominated for everything under the sun in 1998. The Academy has some problem with him and I don't know what it is.
 
ANY NOMINATIONS THIS YEAR THAT REALLY SHOULDN'T HAVE MADE THE CUT?

I predicted War Horse would be nominated because it's an old-fashioned kind of Oscar-Nomination Film and could have been made by John Ford in the '30s. Extremely Glenn Close, as I call it, started good. I was actually moved by parts of it. And then it just became unbearable. But Stephen Daltry's movie always get nominated. Max von Sydow was so annoying and I'm also tired of people using Aspergers as their excuse for everything.

Crash image via ThatWasJunk.com


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