My favourite season: Awards
The celebs are back on the red carpets en masse, and I am thrilled - and this year, it's an Irish invasion!
Ahh, awards season. This is the time of year when nerds like me truly get our kicks. Since the autumn, the likely frontrunners have been campaigning their little hearts out like local politicians, schmoozing Hollywood’s movers and shakers via magazine interviews, cute hosting gigs and TV chat show appearances, and even suddenly finding themselves in brand new high profile relationships!
And by golly by gosh, it has WERKED for the Irish this year! A record 14 nominations across the board, from crew to cast to the movies themselves, I was proud as punch yesterday despite suffering desperately from food poisoning (which is why this week’s newsletter is late).
A lot of lay people don’t understand the mechanics involved in winning an Oscar. It’s not as easy as performing well in the hope that your work will be noticed and honoured with a gold man statuette. There’s a whole industry, an entire machine, behind every nomination gleaned. I enjoyed this piece on The Journal by
about just how An Cailin Ciuin got noticed enough to get nominated.But back to the season in general. I’m not in it for the fashion. I’m only kind of in it for the movies. I’m really in it for the stars. If they look amazing, and the films are brilliant, even better!
And this year we are utterly spoilt with a fabulously interesting roster of stars. The Oscar race is not yet decided, as it so obviously has been in the past. There are curve balls, snubs, and most excitingly, a whole host of sexy Irish people on every list! Woo!
So let’s get down to my very scientific analysis, shall we?
The Newbies
Having FIVE out of twenty actors in the Oscars categories be Irish is absolutely insane. Remember how thrilled we all were for Saoirse-rhymes-with-Inertia and Mr Fassbender? Now look a us!! And while all are newbies to the Oscars roster, Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell and Kerry Condon are long established. Our bbz Barry Keoghan and Paul Mescal are the ones truly everyone is buzzing about because they’re only youngflas, and both of their performances were out of this world. They’ve come a long way from Ballyhaunis and shooting cats on telly.
Another newb is Austin Butler, nominated for Best Actor for Elvis. Part of his campaign has been talking about how his “friend” saw his potential to play the arse out of the title role, and really pushed him towards it. That “friend” is actually his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens, whom he dated for eight years.
Here is a picture of his current girlfriend, Kaia Gerber (nepo baby of Cindy Crawford) meeting his ex in 2007.
But Vanessa is FINE WITH IT. FINE!!!!
The Renegades
These stars don’t play by the rules. They give funny speeches ripping the piss, they boycott events they don’t agree with, and they’re all just thrilled to be back in the spotlight after years in the Hollywood desert. We love them.
Because The Oscars only celebrates film, we’ll only be seeing our TV faves at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on February 26th. But if The Academy doesn’t tap Jennifer Coolidge to present an award this year, they are severely missing a trick.
Brendan Fraser is back with a bang and a lot of feelings, and we’re just thrilled to see George Of The Jungle getting his dues. He had a tough time in the industry and thought he was donezo.
Ditto Ke Huy Quan, who’d been a child star in The Goonies, but found work had totally dried up. Then came Everything Everywhere All At Once, and his star has not just risen, it’s totally stellar.
The Glam
I am quite literally obsessed with Anya Taylor Joy’s face. Like a cartoon come to life, perfectly imperfect and always glammed to perfection.
Ditto the ageless queen Sheryl Lee Ralph. If you haven’t watched Abbott Elementary, do it now! Short and sweet, on Disney+. She is the ma from Moesha and Sister Act 2, and the woman hasn’t aged a day. Plus she’s having so much FUN on the red carpet.
The Lads
Mens red carpet fashion used to be SO BORING. Penguin suits all round. And while there’s nothing wrong with a classic, well-tailored tux (and I think a lot of dudes will go for a regular black one for the Oscars), I am loving all the rides experimenting and being ridey. Current faves include:
Top Gun: Maverick ride Glen Powell. His tux is actually very very very very dark navy.
Andrew Garfield, whom I have never previously fancied but he is looking buff these days! Watch him flirting with Amelia off Chicken Shop Date, it’s gas.
Donald Glover off Atlanta (did you know he’s also the rapper Childish Gambino?) and Jay Ellis from Top Gun: Maverick and Insecure - again, if you haven’t watched that show it’s on Sky/NOW and it is BRILLO. Donald essentially wore a silk pyjamas set under a double breasted jacket to the Globes and looked like he’d walked straight out of the Seventies - in a good way.
So there you have it. I’m hoping to actually BE in Los Angeles while the SAGs are on (if everything lines up correctly, universe pls) and I’ll defo defo be staying up for The Oscars this year so do follow me on Insta and Twitter @vickinotaro if you’re in to that sort of thing!
Until next week x