Somewhere in Middle America

oscar fashion trends

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I spied these three trends on the red carpet last night:

  1. Dresses with poofy/frilly/drapey bottoms
  2. Oversized earrings
  3. Bedhead

What were your favorite looks? Least favorites? Personally, I hated all of the messy, frizzy updos. And I didn’t think Sandra Bullock successfully pulled off those bright pink lips. Maybe she should have stuck with a more classic red.

(images via People.com)

olympic highfliers

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Besides men’s figure skating, I’ve enjoyed watching anything have to do with snowboarding this Olympics – specifically, anything having to do with men on snowboards (see Shaun White, above), including snowboard cross and half-pipe. Don’t worry ladies, I’m not totally prejudice. I was rooting for my girl Julia Mancuso during the women’s ski events. (I may be the only American who is not a Lindsey Vonn fan. She just seems like such a diva. And, as someone commented on Twitter, she looks like a Seventeen magazine cover model from the 80s. Not sure that’s a compliment.)

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What haven’t I been enjoying? Ice dancing! The costumes themselves almost make the “sport” unwatchable – and I’m not really convinced ice dancing is truly a sport. It’s definitely more of a performance, isn’t it? What do you think?

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The pics in this post are from a photo essay by Ryan McGinley, The Highfliers, which beautifully captures some of our favorite Olympians up in the air, doing what the do best – including Mollytic’s favorite, Johnny Weir (below).

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(via you are my fav)

the theatrics and athletics of men’s figure skating

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Shame on me for not paying any attention to the U.S. men’s figure skating team before last night’s short program–especially the theatrical Johnny Weir. Thankfully Mollytics’s enthusiasm for the self-proclaimed Russophile is contagious. I wasn’t sure what to expect from his performance, as I had never seem him skate previously — I thought he was going to perform to Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” — and I found him to be graceful, strong and artistic. Boo to those who say he isn’t as much of an athlete as the tall, dark and handsome Evan Lysacek. Here’s a secret: you HAVE to be athletic to pull off the jumps and spins that ALL of the figure skaters do.

Some of the tweets I read about @johnnygweir during the men’s first competition were disheartening. His fans truly that homophobia impacts how he is perceived by the commentators and, maybe, the judges. Sure, his pink corset and single shoulder tassel were a bit effeminate, but were Evan Lysacek’s ruffles and wrist feathers any more masculine? (Sorry, Vera Wang.) Did Johnny not execute his program nearly flawlessly? Yet all the commentators could talk about was his costume and his off-the-ice antics. They ignored the fact that he, too, is competing for a medal. Boo, again.

Per Mollytics, I followed Marissa’s live blogging during the men’s short program and look forward to her (and her mom’s) thoughts during the long program. And just so we’re on the same page, I would be happy if Evan were to win the gold medal. I just think that Johnny deserves to be taken more seriously. Go Team U.S.A.!

Click here for a great piece on the theatrics of men’s figure skating.

(image source)

see you in vancouver

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In the summer of 2008, J was on his first deployment, and I was spellbound by the Summer Olympics in Beijing. I watched all of Michael Phelps’s events and as much gymnastics as I could fit into my day. And don’t get me started on the Opening Ceremony. Could it have been any more spectacular?

Tonight the Winter Olympics kick off in Vancouver, and I’m curious to see how their version of the Opening Ceremony. I doubt it will be as lavish as it was in Beijing but that doesn’t mean it still won’t be enchanting. Will you be watching?

(image source)

the third annual farewell tour

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What makes you laugh? In addition to “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” reruns of “Whose Line is it Anyway?” are guaranteed to brighten my mood. The improvisational comedy show was hosted by Drew Carey and ran for 6 seasons on ABC. Did you watch it? When my husband is out of town on business I’ll sometimes fall asleep to old episodes airing on cable; I know I’ll have happy dreams.

On Sunday, May 9, two of the show’s stars, Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, will be performing at the Holland Performing Arts Center. Their improv show, “The Third Annual Farewell Tour,” is like a live version of “Whose Line is it Anyway?” Audience participation? Check! Wit and hilarity? Check! Me, laughing my ass off? Check… I hope!

(image source)