Ah, Hollywood!

Oh, how I adore the Red Carpet at the Oscars (and, of course, the Oscars themselves)! On a cold, dark February evening, the beauty and warmth and glamour and glitz brighten up our lives for a few, sometimes long, hours. This year's Oscars were no exception, and, at least at my house, they were especially welcome during this never-ending winter and depressing economy that makes all of us wish we were on a long, extended vacation somewhere warm and yummy.

The dresses this year were really something else. The jewelry and the hair and the bags and the shoes (when you could see them) were fab-u-lous! And all those beautiful, classic tuxes just added an extra shot of gorgeous to the evening. Though I must say that Mickey Rourke would have looked ridiculous dressed up like James Bond. Jean Paul Gaultier did right by The Wrestler.

A lot has been said about the actual Oscar ceremony. I think Hugh Jackman did a fantastic, entertaining job. No stupid, forced jokes, just a fun, light-hearted presentation. Perfect! And the jazz club ambience was so very classy. Loved it! The musical and dance montage, however, was random and out of place and shouldn't be repeated. Ever.

I didn't finish watching the Oscars til last night, but I furiously scribbled notes while I watched it live. During the viewing last night via DVR I got a bit lazy, so my notes are not as detailed. However, now that I have seen every single dress, I am ready to unleash my opinions (including my take on Reese Witherspoon's dress, which has received quite a blog-lashing).

The Hits

Amy Adams: Loved the necklace! Her Carolina Herrera gown was glamorous and understated at the same time, a difficult feat to pull off.

Frieda Pinto: John Galliano's jewel-toned blue dress looked gorgeous on her.

Viola Davis: She looked classy and classic.

Taraji Henson: What a yummy necklace! And the dress was lovely too.

Heidi Klum: Could her heels have been higher?! But the dress with the origami folds and slit up-to-there was modern all the way. And, of course, great choice in jewelry. Man, she has got style!

SJP: Fabulous, as always! She looked light as air in that confection from Dior Haute Couture.

Marisa Tomei: Wow, the pleating on that Versace dress, right down to the train. Took my breath away.

Anne Hathaway: Another one who can really do no wrong (I forgive her for that awful black and white Valentino with the giant bow from a few years ago). Her dress was so sparkly and sleek and elegant.

Marion Cotillard: I wrote "WOW! What a dramatic dress!" Indeed, it was a perfect Red Carpet dress.

Angelina Jolie: Black, simple, classic, perfect on her.

Penelope Cruz: A lovely confection from Balmain. The fact that it was vintage made it even better.

Kate Winslet: Gorgeous YSL dress, but I wasn't so much a fan of the helmet hair.

Jennifer Aniston: The color was perfect on her, and though it was a really glamorous dress, it was not overdone and she looked like herself.

Nicole Kidman: Looked like Chanel, but whoever designed it did a bang up job. Looked perfect on her.

Halle Berry: I couldn't see much of the dress's detail, but the bodice looked really intricate. Loved her hair.

Reese Witherspoon: I liked this dress. It was different, and I like different.

The Misses

Melissa Leo: I had never heard of her, nor of the movie for which she was nominated, but her hair stylist must have been an electric socket, and the color on her dress--ugh!

Miley Cyrus: That dress was way too grown up for her. Plus it looked really heavy (and she admitted it was).

Vanessa Hudgens: Don't like the mermaid silhouette.

Natalie Portman: Looked like she was going to the prom.

Beyonce: Just plain ugly.

Jessica Biel: A big eh. Not a fan of the no-color dress, but her hair was so natural-looking yet glamorous that she scores a few points.

Evan Rachel Wood: Another no-color dress, though it was pretty. But I think her make-up was too harsh.