And the Oscar goes to...

On Sunday, February 26th the much deserved statuette will be awarded to a lucky production designer, set decorator and costume designer at the 84th Academy Awards presentation or as I like to call it, Hollywood's Super Bowl Sunday.

In the event you need a recap for the nominations for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction, be sure to check out my articles Behind the Scenes: Oscar's Best Costume Nominees for Fox News Magazine and Oscar's Preview: The Year's Best Sets for Architectural Digest.

While Hugo appears to be the favorite for Art Direction and W.E. for Costume, I think The Artist may take home the lion's share of awards.

Costume Designer and nominee Mark Bridge's designs and sketches
for Peppy above and below in The Artist

Production Designer Laurence Bennett's homage to
the twenties classic Our Dancing Daughters in The Artist

Los Angeles designer Waldo Fernandez created this year's Architectural Digest Greenroom (where the winners go to relax and not sure if the losers make an appearance). I particularly love the hand-painted book jackets of film images from Rocky and Butterfield 8 created from the Academy of Motion Picture Archives by Juniper Books. For the 99 percent of us who will not be backstage, you can catch a glimpse here.

Best of luck to all the nominees and happy Oscar weekend!!!

P.S. Many thanks to all of you who attended my lecture at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art last night. What a great event and very impressed with your city and loved all the Arthur Elrod houses.

Photo Credits: Architectural Digest, Weinstein Company

Viva Las Vegas

For those of you attending the Las Vegas Design Market (or just happen to be there at the blackjack table and need a break), I will be speaking on Designs on Film on Wednesday, February lst at 2:00 p.m. with a book signing to follow. There are some wonderful speakers and events -- designers Clodagh, Jamie Drake and Anthony Barratta just to name a few -- and you can check it out here. I will let you know how I do at craps -- wonder if I can place some bets on the Oscars? And something tells me that Elvis song will be stuck in my head for the duration of the trip.

Elvis and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas

The Oceans 11 gang at the Bellagio

Update on Uggie the Dog: He is retiring after his strenuous scene stealing moments in The Artist. My friends at the Weinstein Company shared the following -- Born in Florida, Uggie is nine years old and "re-homed after he was too wild and high-energy for his first owners to be a single companion dog." He was soon adopted by an animal trainer and began his film career. He traveled with the "Incredible Dogs Show" performing stunts on a skateboard (apparently a crowd pleaser at a recent Today Show stint) and even shot a commercial in South Africa.

His film credits include Water for Elephants, Mr. Fix-It and Disney's Life is Ruff. He has recently announced his retirement and going out on a high note with Cannes Film Festival and Golden Globe appearances (I predict the adoptions of Jack Russell Terriers will triple after the Oscars). Apparently Uggie sleeps indoors in the master bedroom with his family on his days off and lives in a multi-dog and cat household. I am seriously in love and he will be missed. 

Sharing the screen with Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon in Water for Elephants

Uggie in The Artist

Will he get his AARP card now? And SAG benefits?

Photo Credits: Warner Brothers, The Weinstein Company, Twentieth Century Fox

Give the Dog a Bone

Since he has already won the (unofficial) Cannes Palm Dog award maybe the Oscar for Best Actor is not that far fetched. The canine in question is Uggie, the adorable Jack Russell terrier who steals the scenes in the melodrama/musical/comedy/silent pic The Artist (Weinstein Company).

Uggie with co-star Jean Dujardin

According to The Wrap, there is a movement afoot to nominate this season's sidekick who plays the faithful four-legged companion to silent film star George Valentin (played by actor Jean Dujardin). An Oscar campaign has been mounted on the website Consider Uggie and the little guy even has his on twitter and Facebook campaign to support the cause. Can't blame a dog for trying. And as the campaign points out, Uggie is eight years old and you know what they say about age in Hollywood...it's either now or never.

"I'm ready for my close-up Mr. Demille"

 Apparently his Oscar winning performance was fueled not by method acting but sausages from Dujardin's pocket. (Note: he shared the role with two other Jack Russells but did the majority of the scenes). Perhaps he took his acting cues from another famous screen terrier, Asta from The Thin Man series. One can only imagine the acceptance speech.

Bow tied and ready on the red carpet at Cannes

Asta with Myrna Loy and William Powell in The Thin Man 

Good luck Uggie and remember the old adage -- anything can happen in Hollywood. Just remember all the little dogs you left behind at the kennel and don't relieve yourself in the limo.

Thanks to all of you who came to my lecture at the Corcoran in DC and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. Spielberg was filming his new biopic Lincoln in the Richmond area where I was staying and look forward to seeing how they turned the Capital into the Lincoln White House. Based on Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals, the film stars Daniel Day Lewis (who is in complete method mode and living by candlelight while there), Sally Fields as Mary Todd Lincoln and James Spader, David Straithairn and Tommy Lee Jones in supporting roles.

Daniel Day Lewis in character

Photo Credits: The Weinstein Company

Silence is Golden: Spotlight on The Artist

Like Scotch, silent films for many are an acquired taste. It's a genre from a bygone era where the success of the film depended upon a great film score and believable performances as body language, expression and the ability not to overact is crucial. And like an Avedon portrait, the settings and costumes often look better in black and white.

Enter The Weinstein Company's latest entry in the genre, The Artist.

The Artist is the story of silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) and the advent of the "talkies" in 1927 that marks the proverbial death knell for his career. His life intertwines with the young ingenue Peppy Miller (Bernice Bejo and wife of the film's director Michael Havanavicus) who plays a dancer hell bent on stardom. The French romance film is a great story of the rise and decline of stardom in early Hollywood and won Dujardin the Best Actor Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. (Even the Jack Russell terrier Uggy won the Palm Dog Award for best canine performance!). Viewers will also recognize actors John Goodman, Malcolm McDowell, James Cromwell, and Penelope Ann Miller in supporting roles.

Bernice Bejo

Jean Dujardin

The actors at the Cannes Film Festival

Havanavicus studied silent films of the twenties and thought the genre would make a great movie, as they are tailor made for melodramas. He also wrote the screenplay in four months, researching archival photographs and drawing inspiration from the careers and films of actors Douglas Fairbanks, Greta Garbo. Gloria Swanson and Joan Crawford. It's a gutsy gamble and from the glowing reviews so far, it looks like one that will pay off.

Costume designer Mark Bridges dressed the actors and up to 200 extras in vintage costumes, both real and copies. Milliners were called upon to re-block and dust off vintage hats that spent decades in hatboxes. Vintage buffs will note that the garments were found at an array of Hollywood costume shops such as the Motion Picture Costume Company, Western Costume Company and Palace Costume Company.

Penelope Ann Miller

Bejo with Malcolm McDowell as the butler

There are literally generations who have never seen a silent film and hope they give this one a chance. And look at it this way, at least you won't have to worry about missing a line of dialogue due to the inconsiderate jerks talking and chomping on popcorn behind you.

The film opens in the U.S. on November 20th and internationally through December (it is already in theaters in France).

Join me on Tuesday, November 15th when I am a guest on Interior Design Chat. I will be taking questions on what design in films and television (and anything else you would like to ask!) Click the link to their website for details.

Photo Credits: The Weinstein Company