Oscar fashion 2014: my top 5

Best Actress winner Cate Blanchett in Giorgio Armani.
The only thing missing is a pop of red on the lips.

The Oscars is a girly girl's Super Bowl. We watch that Red Carpet with hawk-like eyes, never missing the play by play on who wore what and how they wore it. With equal parts envy and fascination, we gaze at those otherworldly dresses and the women who so confidently wear them.

Some years, we are inspired by sheer artistry (Zac Posen and Givenchy, for instance). Other years we gasp at timeless looks like Michelle Williams' breathtaking Vera Wang gown or Julia Roberts' vintage Valentino. And then there are those Red Carpet moments when we get our minds blown, like when Bjork wore that swan dress in 2001 (I think we're all still scratching our heads on that one-- but you've got to give her credit for taking such a delightful risk).

Unfortunately, last night's Oscars left much to be desired. There was a lot of nude, sheer, beading and peplum but nothing that really knocked my socks off. Even Lady Gaga seemed rather tame in Atelier Versace. 

Nevertheless, here are my favorite looks from last night (including Cate Blanchett's above):

Sandra Bullock looked absolutely divine in Alexander McQueen.

Best Supporting Actress winner Lupita Nyong'o
is a princess in this frosted blue Prada gown.

The unexpected cape/sleeves on this Versace
dress earns Kate Hudson bonus points.

Karen O exudes Red Carpet cool in this sleek Camilla Staerk number. 

And my five least favorite looks...

A girlfriend of mine pretty much summed up Elsa Pataky's
Elie Saab gown: "It literally looked like she was carting
a massive egg around under her dress!"

Anna Kendrick's J. Mendel gown looked straight out of David's Bridal.

Anna should have stuck with this sexy Versace dress
(which she wore to the Vanity Fair party later that night).

I love Sally Hawkins but I did not love her Valentino gown.

I wasn't a fan of the breastplate and belt on
Anne Hathaway's Gucci halter dress. 

Liza, you'll be forever fabulous but this shapeless
cobalt blue pantsuit isn't helping. 

Last year's Red Carpet was awesome.

The year before? Not so much.

Portrait of an artist

Sometimes a simple sketch can capture a thousand things. I feel like this one of my brother-in-law does just that. As an animator, Andres spends his days doing his favorite thing: drawing. With pencils and a sketchpad, he creates beautiful worlds and quirky characters and tells timeless stories of love and loss.

Check out this 5-minute animated short which Andres wrote, directed and animated during his senior year at CalArts. It's one of my favorites.

Illustration by Andres' friend and Cartoon Network colleague Kent Osborne. 

Links feb27

read/read/listen    

• This 4-year-old fashionista creates her own version of famous Red Carpet looks. If only we could be as crafty and charismatic as her. (BuzzFeed)

• The story of Guatemalan entrepreneur and philanthropist Haydee del Cid Abel, illustrated by students at the non-profit IMA School for Girls. (IMA USA)

• Thank God Arizona governor Jan Brewer got it right. (The New York Times)

• Sheryl Sandberg's organization, Lean In, is changing the way we see women in the workplace and at home. (A Cup of Jo)

• Mozart, you dirty little birdie. (Mental Floss)

From my table to yours: chicken soup

After a long winter and having a house full of sick people, I've become pretty good at making chicken soup from scratch. I think in the past month I've made a large pot of it four different times.

My recipe comes from a lot of trial and error, experimenting and intuition. But most of all it comes from the heart. Next time you need comfort food, slurp a big bowl of it. Enjoy and be well! 

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good-for-you chicken soup

what you'll need:

• organic whole chicken
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped (I like to peel the outer layer of celery before I chop it)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
• handful chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 6 cups (48 oz) boiling water
• 4 tsp bouillon (my favorite is Better Than Bouillon organic vegetable base)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

what to do:

• in a large soup pot add olive oil and garlic, onion, carrots and celery and saute on medium-high heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add red and green peppers. Mix all the veggies together and saute for another 2-3 minutes. 
• Add wild rice and stir together until rice is slightly browned (a few minutes). Add stewed tomatoes and fresh parsley. Add salt and pepper. Mix together.

• place chicken in pot (on top of veggies), breast side up.
• season chicken (as pictured) with salt, pepper, oregano, basil and cumin. Meanwhile boil water in teapot.
• pour boiling water over chicken. Add bouillon and stir.
• bring to boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through).

• when your chicken is fully cooked, it should pull apart easily with a fork. (Tip: I like to let my soup cool for one hour, then transfer the chicken to a platter and pull apart the meat with my hands. It's so much easier and efficient than using a fork and knife.)
• Mix all your cooked ingredients together and your soup should look something like this.

I like to squeeze fresh lemon juice into my finished bowl of soup. And a warm piece of French bread is the perfect accompaniment. 

Here's to good health!


Did you know there is actual science behind the benefits of chicken soup? Read about it here.

Like fusion? Kimchi tacos and Korean-inspired latkes!

Rihanna's Lisa Bonet moment

Rihanna is having a Lisa Bonet moment on the March cover of Vogue and I am loving it. 


I loved and I hated Adele's March 2012 Vogue cover.