Background | Credit Cate | Image Gallery | The Cate Library |
3-4-2000OSCAR POST PARTY
he 2000 Oscars are already now but a somewhat dim memory in the past. They certainly are much more exciting when Cate is a nominee, but, it was
T fun to see her present, and this year's show had a verve that has often been missing of late.
We wish Cate had had more to do, however, she elegantly presented alongside a rather scrawny-looking Jude Law, a best supporting actor nominee for his work in "The Talented Mr. Ripley," who joined Cate in giving the Oscar for best live-action short film to "My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples in New York," which Barbara Schock and Tamara Tiehel accepted.
On the Oscar Fashion front, the Los Angeles Times noted:
...But black dresses are great foils that let a person's character shine. Chloe Sevigny, with her signature red lips and a belted V-neck by Yves Saint Laurent, was a standout in a sea of beads and baubles. And black dresses are great backdrops for interesting jewelry: Witness Drew Barrymore's multi-strand green necklace and Cate Blanchett's mix of new and vintage Indian jewels and black Jean-Paul Gaultier sheath.
In a related Times article, it was observed, "Other notable Oscar jewels: Cate Blanchett's $150,000 Indian mogul gold ceremonial hand pieces by Cynthia Bach; Salma Hayek's $5-million pink oval diamond ring; Julianne Moore's $675,000 yellow and white diamond earrings from Harry Winston; Ashley Judd's $105,000, 6.5-carat yellow diamond ring from Martin Katz; and Charlize Theron's Art Deco diamond clips from Fred Leighton."
Cate was also mentioned in relation to Oscar winner Hilary Swank:
When Swank was nominated for the Oscar last month, she was on the set of "The Gift," in which she plays a battered wife married to Keanu Reeves. She called the role "very, very supporting"--the plot revolves around Cate Blanchett, who plays a psychic called upon to find a missing woman (Katie Holmes). Nevertheless, she was thrilled to work on a script by Billy Bob Thornton, be directed by Sam Raimi and benefit from the wisdom of two recent Oscar nominees: Blanchett and Greg Kinnear. "That was actually really nice, to be with Cate and Greg," she said. Their advice? "Just enjoy every moment. And breathe."
But, we digress. Back to Oscar fashion...Cate made E! Online's "Oscar 2000 Best & Worst" list under "Best Back-End Deal-- Aussie Cate Blanchett's dress, which scooped so low one could almost see Down Under." Uhhh, okay.
Then finally, we would leave the fashion focus with this overall observation and/or recap from Julia Robson, Deputy Fashion Editor for the Telegraph UK:
Flesh fails to flatter in battle of designer labels
WHO wore what on Oscar night has, in fashion terms, become a case of whose label is that, exactly? Personal taste or style is not what the ceremony is all about. The battle for best-dressed is fought out furiously by the world's leading designers, whose aim is to get their creations on to the stars and the most celebrated "catwalk" in the world, the red carpet of the Shrine Exposition Centre.
This should mean that everyone is a winner. After all, who would not look great in any one of the big four labels - Versace, Giorgio Armani, Valentino or John Galliano? As it turned out, the answer was "Too many". Current fashion dictates that flesh is fabulous, meaning that backless, strapless, bias-cut, thigh-slashed dresses with cleavages cut to the navel are hot. But hot they are not when worn sans brassière if your measurements do not rival Liz Hurley's.
Chloe Sevigny's Yves Saint Laurent dress made her rounded shoulders and tiny bust appear slightly dumpy. Gwyneth Paltrow's pale beige Calvin Klein frock, gaping open to reveal acres of rib cage, did not flatter her figure. Even Cameron Diaz's shockingly sheer, black Versace dress failed to get the flashbulbs popping, for similar reasons.
Indeed, although black was the unrivalled colour of the night, in excess it made the likes of Drew Barrymore, Angelina Jolie (in Versace silk jersey) and even Cher (Bob Mackie), more covered than usual, resemble Hallowe'en "goths".
Those who dared to wear colour, in particular antique gold, silver or red, shone like true stars. This notably included the Oscar winner Hilary Swank, whose strapless, billowing ballgown was designed by Randolph Duke, and Nicole Kidman, whose antique gold lamé gown, cut on the bias with a very low back, was designed by John Galliano for Christian Dior.
Pauletta Washington (wife of Denzel) and Jane Fonda chose corseted, strapless yet well-boned, oyster/gold satin ballgowns, which looked modern, elegant and classy. In contrast, Selma Hayek's silvery white satin prom gown and frothy net shawl looked little-girl-lost.
Uma Thurman looked stunning in a red plissé dress, split to the thigh in this season's favourite fabric, chiffon, by the Italian designer Alberta Ferretti. Red was also the choice of Lucy Liu, whose one-shouldered Versace number, in several shades of vermilion, was vamp material. Gloria Estefan and Elle Macpherson (in Valentino), both in red, also cleverly used corseting to keep their cleavages in situ. Giorgio Armani perhaps pulled off the greatest coup, notching up an impressive list of leading ladies, including Annette Bening, who looked incredibly chic in a black, multi-layer tulle gown with a tulle and rhinestone wrap, despite being due to give birth at any moment. Her fashion accessory was her obstetrician.
Exceptions to the designer rule included Winona Ryder in vintage Forties black gown trimmed with cream; Sadie Frost, who chose a "sincere chic" peach dress bought from Portobello Road; and Judi Dench and Lindy Hemming (who won an Oscar for costume design on Topsy-Turvy), who wore chic, ethnic ensembles from Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla's Knightsbridge boutique.
Hairdos were kept neat and Thirties style, either bobbed, cropped or fastened into ladylike chignons. Jewellery dripped from most décolletages and even some backs. Ethnic beads and Indian-style gems were popular. Cate Blanchett's Jean Paul Gaultier dress incorporated chunky gilt chains and gems into the "builder's cleavage" back of the frock.
But the one accessory that made Oscar night really sparkle can be put down to the British shoe label, Jimmy Choo. Swank, Daryl Hannah, Jolie and Ryder were among more than 40 actresses who wore his signature spike heels, hand dyed and studded with Swarovski crystals.
So, we guess that about covers it, no pun intended. We would also invite you to check out our Oscar 2000 Image Gallery where you may see many more pics of our divine Cate, along with a number of exclusive video captures courtesy of our own Darling Lillie. Amongst the collection is a great picture of Gwyneth trying to squeeze the talent right out of Cate, to no avail. Take a peek @ Oscar 2000.
THE GIFT
he following piece comes to us by way of our pal Harry at Ain't It Cool News. Harry has the dubious honor of publishing many of "Moriarty"'s scoops, and Dean and I can attest to the fact that one must always take Moriarty's ramblings with a grain of salt...or in Dean's case, something with a much higher alcoholic content.
T In any case, we thought Cate fans might be interested in these observations, as Moriarty takes a gander at the screenplay for "The Gift", and offers far more details than we've come across in the past:
RAIMI'S GOT A PRESENT FOR US
...and it's a moody little Southern gothic called THE GIFT, written by Billy Bob Thorton and Tom Epperson. When we were first reporting about Raimi's attachment to SPIDER-MAN, I was irritated that he was making some little picture first. I'm familiar with the past screenwriting work that Thorton and Epperson have done together. I'm a big fan of ONE FALSE MOVE, and I thought A FAMILY THING was deeply underrated. Still, all I wanted was Raimi and the superhero film. When I finally sat down to read THE GIFT, I could think of a million reasons why I didn't care.
Now, I can think of a million reasons I can't wait. This is a film that has a distinct tone, a strange mixture of suspense and character work. The central character, a widowed mother named Annie played by Cate Blanchett, has had powerful psychic visions since childhood. Left with three children to raise on her own and no means of support, she opens her gift up to the community, serving to give advice and to steer people through difficult times.
When the film opens, she is dealing with one woman in particular (Hilary Swank) whose husband Donnie Ray (the Keanu Reeves role) is a vicious abuser, a man who sleeps around openly and who isn't afraid to attack anyone he sees as a threat or a problem. Annie keeps telling the woman to leave, which makes her a target for Donnie Ray's rage. That rage begins to spill over to her kids, and Annie genuinely doesn't know how she's going to handle her problems.
At the same time, she's dealing with a sort of ongoing low grade flirtation between herself and the principal (Greg Kinnear) of her oldest son's school. He's engaged to a rich girl in town, though, so all their chemistry ultimately leads nowhere. Annie doesn't even want to date, despite being needled on by her best friend. When she does make the effort to attend the local country club one night, she spies the rich girl having sex with someone other than her fiancé. She keeps the info to herself, though. She doesn't want to get involved.
When the rich girl vanishes, though, Annie ends up deeply involved. The police have no leads, no way of knowing where she went or what happened to her, and have to turn to Swank to help. Even worse, the prosecutor of the case (Gary Cole) turns out to be the man that Annie saw the girl with the night of the murder. When Donnie Ray is arrested for the murder, Annie is visited by horrific visions of the truth, and what she sees puts her in danger and threatens to turn her gift into a nightmare as all sorts of secrets come to the surface and several lives are changed forever.
As I read the script, I couldn't help but picture the way Sam Raimi will approach the material. In case you don't remember, I named A SIMPLE PLAN the best film of 1998, and I am rabid to see Raimi test himself with material that is different than anything he's done in the past.
As much as SPIDER-MAN represents a major commercial step forward, this could be another confident artistic step forward. Images from films like NIGHT OF THE HUNTER and CAPE FEAR flashed through my head, films soaked in atmosphere. That's what this is, a movie that is thick with little details, the kinds of touches that make a town live and breathe on the page. Raimi's got a lot of talented actors attached to his film, and even if I'm not sure Keanu can play a hardcore Southern wife beatin' good ol' boy, I'm willing to give Sam the benefit of the doubt. If anyone can make this script work, it's him, and I'm dying to see him try.
So Blanchetteers, that certainly sounds intriguing, not that we need much more stimuli to get antsy waiting for "The Gift"!!
We also want to alert you to be on the lookout for The Talented Mr. Ripley, coming to home video Stateside on June 27.
Otherwise, you know the drill...when all else fails, PLAY A VOLTA!!. See ya next time Blanchetteers!
