I’m so curious to hear your thoughts…. What did you think of last night’s 2011 Academy Awards Ceremony?  And even more, what did you think of the fashion choices on Oscar Night?  The kids and I voted, and here are our choices…..

Best Dressed

Reese Witherspoon- did you see Reese getting out of the car in her garb.  Well, when we did, we all thought, “What a movie star.”  And so, we all picked Reese.  She looked classically beautiful with the black and white dress by Giorgio Armani Prive.  I thought her hair was a nice complement as well.  As I continued to look at the dress, though, I did think that she looked a bit Barbie’ish – and I giggled today when I heard many of the reporters say the same.

Honorable Mention

• Gwyneth Paltrow (see photo above) – I was unsure about this dress by Calvin Klein when I first saw it.  But as I looked at it more and more, over time, this almost became my favorite dress.  The shiny gold/silver sleek dress combined with her golden, poker straight hair made for an incredible look.
• Halle Berry- I haven’t seen Halle look this good at an awards ceremony in a long time.  The color and design of the Marchesa dress complemented her skin tone and shape perfectly.  We all thought she looked fabulous.
• Scarlett Johansson- what happened with Gwyneth’s dress and look is the exact opposite of what happened with Scarlett’s.  When I first saw Scarlett, I loved her Dolce & Gabbana dress – the different color, the cut-out in the back and the slim fit of the dress.  And then, the more I saw it, the less I liked it – though I do still like it.  In terms of her hair, I loved the casual, sexy look though I know others were not as complimentary of her hair style.
• Marisa Tomei – We thought Marisa’s black Charles James dress from Lily et Cie was adorable, sassy and cute.  We especially loved the top of it.
• Jennifer Lawrence (see photo) – this was one of the first dresses we saw, and it sat on our favorite list for a long time.  This red Calvin Klein dress was the perfect mix of sexy, stylish and classic all in one.

Florence Welch – this was another hand’s down for us…Florence’s Valentino Couture dress was not appealing, especially the washed-out color and whimsical style.  And her hair was quite unkempt looking.  Sorry, Florence, but we weren’t fans.

Some other thoughts….

I think Mila Kunis would have looked great if her dress didn’t draw so much attention to the center-area of her breasts (if you catch my drift).  Similarly, I thought the dress that Jennifer Hudson chose focused way too much on her cleavage, which I thought ultimately detracted from her overall look.  Penelope Cruzlooked pretty darn good for just having had a baby, but again, I think I would have de-emphasized the breast area a bit.

I thought Nicole Kidman‘s hair looked like a 12-year-old had pulled it back into a ponytail.  And so the dress just went downhill from there.  And I was not a big fan of the looks of Michelle Williams or Hilary Swank though I know others thought they both looked stunning.

Hailee Steinfeld looked so stylish and adorable in her age appropriate dress, and my daughters remarked several times that they thought she looked so pretty. Not surprisingly, they seem to love seeing teenagers at award ceremonies.  And Natalie Portman looked beautiful in her burgundy, maternity gown, which is not an always easy feat to pull off – and I say that from experience.

Don’t you love how I am addressing all of these celebrities like I know them on a first name basis?  Oh geez…..  Anyway, what do you think of our choices?  And what were yours for Best and Worst Dressed?  I can’t wait to hear…..

There is a new restaurant in the burbs, specifically in Lincoln, MA, and since this doesn’t happen all the time, I wanted to share all of the details with you.  Aka Bistro, which features French cuisine and Japanese sashimi, has opened in Lincoln at 145 Lincoln Road.  But truth be told, it’s actually not so new – it opened in spring 2010 – and I’m not sure how I missed it.  Anyway, we went there last night for dinner, and I am so excited to have this kind of restaurant so close – nice, warm and cozy atmosphere, delicious food and reasonable prices – that I wanted to tell you all about it right away.

First, the two owners are steeped in Boston restaurant experience.  Executive Chef/Owner Chris Chung was most recently Executive Chef at Ken Oringer’s Back Bay sashimi bar, Uni.  And General Manager/Owner Christian Touche worked for the Eliot Suite Hotel in Boston on such ventures as Clio and Uni as well.  Second, the food is fabulous.  Last night, I ordered the black olive and tomato tart as an appetizer and the scallops as an entree, and they were so tasty.  My dinner companions ordered the escargots, salmon, mussels with fries, and calamari, and everyone was equally as impressed with the food as I was.  The restaurant is open for lunch Monday – Friday, for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, and for dinner every evening except Sunday night.  And finally, Aka Bistro is easy to get to, especially since it’s a hop, skip and a jump from the Lincoln Station Depot (which originates from North Station).  Have you had a chance to try Aka Bistro yet?  If not, put it on your “to do” list…. And the restaurant is participating in Boston’s Restaurant Week from March 6-11 and March 13-18 so maybe that’s your time to try it?

And finally – but just as importantly – the Oscars are finally here.  I can’t wait.  “Live from the Red Carpet” starts at 6 p.m. (eastern standard time) on E! Entertainment Television, and I can’t wait to see the dresses and garbs that all of the celebrities will wear.  Who will be Best Dressed?  Who will be Worst Dressed?  The kids and I are going to vote on these two categories, and we’ll share our thoughts with you tomorrow.  Maybe we’ll be on the same page as The Fashion Police??!!  To me, “Live from the Red Carpet” is more exciting than the actual award ceremony, but I’m curious to hear your thoughts on who will win Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Movie – these are the awards that interest me the most.  How about you?

Let’s catch up tomorrow and share notes on how the evening went…..

Home Sweet Home…it’s so true.  No matter how excited I am to go away on vacation, I am always exited to come back home.  The kids and I had so much fun on vacation in Naples, but I did miss the animals (our golden retriever, Carly, and three cats), my beau Adam, my Starbucks iced tea (the tea just didn’t taste the same down there – my kids think I am crazy for feeling that way, but it’s true) and my bed (we had some major musical beds given that there were 10 of us in a three-bedroom condo for several days).  And so it was good to return home to all of the people, places, animals and things I missed.  That being said, it was a little rough to leave the 80-degree, sunny weather in Naples and come back to the cold, yucky rain storm of the Northeast.  Not to mention that our traveling today was less than ideal as it was filled with delays and bouncy, often nausea-producing plane rides.  But it truly is good to be back. 

On the real estate front, there was some activity in Weston this week…one new listing that came on the market last Friday and then a land listing that sold* today…but just wait until next week.  Assuming the freezing rain and wind gusts subside, we should see some new listings and an increase in showing activity.   And this improved activity should continue throughout March and into April and May - our Spring market will have arrived?! 

In the meantime, though, enjoy this last weekend of school vacation week.  And for those of you who went away this week and are traveling home, welcome back to your home sweet home…..

* Sold means pending/under agreement and not yet closed.

We’re almost there – just two more episodes until we learn which Bachelorette the Bachelor will choose to be the love of his life (though there is “The Women Tell All” which airs the week before the finale).  But in the meantime, here is a short and sweet recap from last night’s Bachelor episode:

• The Bachelor’s first hometown visit is to Seattle, WA to see Chantal.  When they go to visit Chantal’s parents at their macmansion, Brad and Chantal’s dad find that they have “uncanny similarities.”  And Brad readily admits to his big-time respect for Chantal’s dad.  Given this, I think she’s safe for another week.  Do you?
• Then The Bachelor visits Ashley in the most Northeastern town in the United States – Madawaska, Maine.  Brad loves her family and feels so comfortable with them.  And meanwhile, Ashley runs around like an energizer bunny.  Maybe it’s what she had for lunch – poutin, which she describes as french fries, cheese and gravy.
• Then Brad journeys to Chico, CA where he goes to visit Shawntel at her family’s funeral parlor business.  Although Brad admits that he feels a bit creeped out, he does get up on one of the embalming tables.  When they go to meet Shawntel’s family, the father lays a huge guilt-trip on Shawntel, basically saying that their plan for the family business will be ruined if she leaves Chico.  Shawntel’s dad ultimately gives his blessing if Brad chooses Shawntel, but the damage has already been done and the guilt message has already been delivered loud and clear.  Going forward – if it doesn’t work out with Brad – I’m thinking Shawntel better fall in love with someone in the Chico area or she could have some real family issues on her hands.
• Finally Brad visits Emily in Charlotte, NC, and he meets Emily’s daughter, Ricki.  It takes a while and some concerted effort, but Brad ultimately wins over Ricki – probably with the cool butterfly kite.  Once Ricki has gone to bed, Brad is anxious about kissing Emily in the house because Ricki could wake up and come down at any time.  It’s Emily who throws caution to the wind and makes Brad kiss her at the front door on his way out.  His final words are, “Kissing this woman is so perfect.”  She is definitely getting a rose – that’s for sure.
• The final rose ceremony is held in New York, which I thought was a bit odd, but once I found out that their next destination is to South Africa, it made more sense.  In terms of who did not receive a rose, let’s just say that Shawntel is no longer with us – as one might say…..  (Actually my step father came up with that line, which I thought was very apropos.)  Can I just say, though, that Shawntel is incredibly gracious?  She didn’t pout or cop an attitude; she actually had a very adult conversation with Brad and handled herself so well.  She is one cool chick.

So join me next Monday as the three finalists – Chantal, Ashley and Emily – travel to South Africa for their individual overnight dates.  From the previews, it looks like Emily might say “no” to the sharing of an overnight room?  Any more ideas on who will get the final rose?  I have my thoughts, and I would love to hear yours…..