Dear 13-Year-Old Me

Greetings from the future! The first thing you should take from this message, postmarked 10 years from where you're currently sitting (at DCHS, probably in some coach's history class watching 'Pearl Harbor' for the thirtieth time,) is that you are alive 10 years from now. Despite what you're thinking will happen, or possibly even hoping will happen, you do live through high school, and even college. You live through it. That is important.

In about two months, you will go to your friend Kristen's 11th birthday party. There, she will expose you to a type of music you've heretofore never heard of or possibly even imagined. Today, March 04 2003, is the day that a band called Evanescence will release their second album (but first hit album) called 'Fallen.' Since you are currently still listening to mostly Christian 'pop' music, you will go on unaware of this new development until around May, when Kristen will let you listen to one of Evanescence's songs at her party. Something in you will awaken, and you will remember the moment you first hear the haunting, melancholy strains of 'My Immortal' long after the moment has passed. It will be a startling realization of all that is in the world, of all the different types of music and artists and passions that are available to you. You will latch onto this music and ride it through some of your most dismal moments. You will feel that the music perfectly describes your feelings and emotions, and it will- even though it will also express the feelings of everyone around you. This you won't understand for a while- youthful narcissism has convinced you that you are somehow unique and that no one around you fully gets what you're feeling, when it reality, they're all listening to Evanescence for the same reasons you are.

Here, it is the year 2013. Much has changed about you. You're older, obviously, and you have to wear glasses now. (You'll notice that the blackboard gets fuzzy at distances when you're 16.) Your hair is still not silky and Jennifer Aniston-y, though you'll get used to it as you get older. Your braces have been off for quite some time, and your top teeth have shifted a bit. (A note on that- when you're 17, you'll have a chance to reach what has up until now been your life long dream- you'll get to go to New York City. While you are there, don't leave your retainer in the hotel. You'll regret it for life.)

At 23, your tastes have changed quite a bit, and the world has changed quite a bit. In your time, the biggest music artists in the world are rappers, and the dances you'll go to will play almost exclusively hip hop music to dance to. The music that is considered 'artsy' right now is very dark, both in color and tone, and is heavily about death, tragedy, and suffering. In 10 years, the majority of those artists will all but disappear from the music scene, and the face of popular music will shift dramatically from this:

To this:

I know the change seems alarming now, with all the bright colors and sunny energy, but don't worry. Disco isn't (completely) back, though it did have a prominent resurgence in the Gaga era (you'll understand that later.) But, Me, a lot has changed. For example, Hot Topic- you currently know this store as the place where Mom won't let you shop as much as you want to, the place with all the cool goth clothes where people who are 'different' and 'tough' shop. You know, people like this:

However, believe it or not, that will change as well. By the time you are out of college, that style of dress will be as dated and 'pathetic' as bell bottoms and scrunchies. In 2013 standards, a Hot Topic shopper looks like this:

This, Me, is a Hipster. Goths evolved into 'emo's' which evolved into Hipsters. You will miss this fad, but only slightly.

You see? Life has changed quite a lot since you first discover Evanescence, and somehow, inadvertantly, yourself. I don't say this to frighten you- life is change, and in this instance, it is a good thing. You've changed yourself, and as Adult You, on the other side of the pain you're just beginning to feel, I can tell you that it does get better.

Me, I want to tell you the truth about some things. You were born with a great need to be loved and accepted, possibly more so than some people. You read ardently (you always will) you're intelligent, and you're ambitious, but due to your raising, you're also very sheltered and naive. You first learned that last year, when you moved to that preparatory school and realized that most people don't like you, and first started to realize that something is wrong with you. Your grades collapsed that year, infuriating your parents. They won't ever fully understand exactly what happened to you there, or how it changed you for life, but that's ok. They don't have to understand it. Right now, you're living in a new town, in a place you will spend all of your middle school and some of your high school years. This has been a hard move for them, and just like they won't ever know exactly what you're going through, you'll never fully understand their hardships. Everyone is hurting right now.

In this new town, you will continue to develop a need for love that you feel is never fully met. You will be mocked, ostracized, isolated, and rejected, and it will hurt you deeply. Despite all your efforts to the contrary, you are an easily hurt individual, and while you may not remember exactly what everyone said, you will remember the feeling of isolation and shame that you feel. I'd like to say that as you get older you get tougher. That's not really true. You just get a lot better at hiding it or dealing with it.

At this moment, you wear all your emotions on your sleeve. You feel great pain, great suffering, great anger, and great joy with equal enthusiasm. When you are angry, you rage. When you are happy, you're ecstatic. You lack a filter or any insight. This is not uncommon; teenagers never have any insight into their own moods and actions. This lack of restraint makes you a great actress and performer. You will have many starring roles in school plays, and even one in a local theater. It will be one of your proudest accomplishment, and you will meet one of your lifelong friends this way. Others will say that you are talented. Mostly, you are just uninhibited. This will change.

However, there will come a time when life will step in and you will be forced to find some other way to deal with your emotions. Your family will send you a message that you will interpret to mean that you are alone, and you will begin harming yourself to rid yourself of the anxiety that you are beginning to feel. This is not uncommon- your generation will do this frequently ,and there will come a time when you find it embarassing and cliche. However, that isn't to say that you will have an easy time stopping it. You will struggle with it throughout your life, and as you grow and turn more inward, it will become more of a crutch to you than ever before.

You will spend your life looking for someone to be your Other, to convince you that you are not completely alone in the world. The first one- one you will meet very soon, will be a cause of great pain to you. He will be mentally and physically abusive, but on a scale just large enough to cause pain, but not big enough to cause any certainty in your brain. You will spend the next decade wondering exactly how big an impact he left. He will be your first addiction- addicted to approval, addicted to earning the love and affection of others. You will wonder if you really were abused, or if your brain- known to be imaginative- has crafted much of the pain of its own accord. He will teach you not to trust your own thoughts and memories. You will struggle with this for life.

The next one will cause a great rift between you and your family. You will lose your virginity to him, and you will spend years drifting between believing firmly that he is your Other, and feeling a desperate need to get away from him. He is not like the first; he is not abusive or cruel. He is merely neglectful, and most importantly, not meant for you. Your need to be part of something will not allow you to leave him quickly. You will spend years developing an acute anxiety, and during this time, you will turn to various things to medicate yourself- self harm, alcohol (yes, Me, alcohol,), partying, sex, and other means.

You will eventually get therapy for all these things, your senior year of college. You will actually go to a therapist, and your family will not know. You will go to her because you are having something of a mental breakdown, and your anxiety will have reached crisis level. There, for 6 months, she will help you begin to unravel your pain, starting with the immediate future, and going all the way back to middle school. It is only then that you begin to realize exactly what has brought you to where you are, and you will be able to set about making changes to make yourself better. You will deal with anxiety to some extent your whole life, and you will lose your ability to act because you never had talent, and now you have lost even your inhibition. You will become an introvert who would rather keep her thoughts to herself and pick them over carefully than broadcast them to the world.

Have I frightened you? It isn't my intention. The bad part is over. Here's the good part- you will have a very successful life. You will graduate from high school, and then from college. You will take trips to all those places you dream of right now- New York City, Chicago, and Greece. You will see The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. You will see Wicked in Chicago. You will get to work in Walt Disney World (twice!) and while you won't get to play Belle, you'll get to 'be' her in some small extent. You will read books and see movies and go places. You will make great friends that you'll keep for a lifetime.

In fact, look over across the room. You know Stephanie, the impossibly skinny girl with big brown eyes who never says a word? You haven't talked to her yet, but next year, you will meet her in a computer class, and though you've never heard her say a word, you will strike up a conversation. You will start a friendship that will last the rest of your life. In fact, in February of 2013, you will have the honor and privilege of being in the delivery room when she delivers her daughter. She has changed a lot since that time too.

And in college, you will be randomly assigned to a roommate, and you will fall in best-friend love with her. You will meet in her a sort of kindred spirit the likes of which you've never known, and she will stay your best friend forever. You will become such a part of each other that people around the university won't even call your names seperately, but strung together- you're pretty much one person.

However, the best part is that on April 17, 2011, your 22nd birthday, you will meet the love of your life. He will be your Other, and you will feel it instantly. He will be your everything, and you will be his. You will be inseperable from the beginning, and on December 8th, 2012, you will marry him, and Stephanie and your college roommate will be your bridesmaids. You will have accomplished your dearest goals- to be loved completely, to be accepted, and to feel good in your own skin. You will.

In your twenties, you will be infinitely happier than you are now. However, you will learn from this pain. Everything that you do wrong, all the pain you feel, and all the misfired relationships you have in the next 10 years will lead you to where you most want to be. You can do it. Hang in there. You will be loved soon, and one day, this pain will make sense to you.

Best, and with great love,

Me (2013)





 

 



The Best and Worst of the Oscars, 2013

 

 

Well folks, it was an interesting year to say the least. While the Academy Awards (or, I'm sorry, they've decided that title is too stuffy for today's 'hip, modern culture,' so 'The Oscars') is normally a stodgy affair of self congratulation on behalf of beautiful wealthy people everywhere, last night's event was something of a debacle. As with all debacles, it had some highlights, and some extraordinarily low points. Something tells me that those who loved it really loved it, and those who hated it (and those people are definitely there) are going to recall it as The Worst Oscar Telecast in History... Except for That Year James Franco Hosted. And that, my friends, is saying something.

 

 

BEST: Christoph Waltz' Speech

In the first award for the evening, Christoph Waltz took home his second Best Supporting Actor award for his role in a Quentin Tarantino film, this time for his role in 'Django, Unchained.' (The first was for his part in 'Inglorious Basterds.') Ever the humble artist, Christoph promptly took the stage and named off his fellow nominees (Robert DeNiro, Tommy Lee Jones, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Alan Arkin) and bowed to them. He praised their work and how honored he was to be mentioned amongst their names. This is fairly standard, but Christoph's speech was so sincere and so humble that it was refreshing to hear, and it started the awards off on a very pleasant note.

 

WORST: Many of Seth McFarlane's Jokes

The Academy has no one to blame but itself for this one. McFarlane, best known for being the creator of and major voice talent of Family Guy, and the recent comedy smash 'Ted,' has made a living making meta jokes about boobs, farts, and being offensive to generally everything and everybody, and he brought every bit of that to the Oscar stage. As a big fan of Family Guy, I can say that every joke aligned perfectly- every line McFarlane uttered could very well have been one of his cutaways, including his miserably long intro with William Shatner. Not to say that it wasn't funny- lots of the bits were funny. However, in true McFarlane form, they were also sexist, racist, misogynistic, and spiteful, and they created an overall sense of awkwardness that never really went away. But with McFarlane, what can you expect? To the Academy: if you want someone to make Billy Crystal-style jokes that aren't super funny, but don't bother anyone, bring Billy Crystal back next year. You can take the man out of Family Guy, but you can't take Family Guy out of the man.

 

 

BEST: The Music (Specifically Adele)



There was a theme this year- music, and there was an awful lot of it in the (painfully long) telecast, but at least the music was generally very good. Adele, nominated for Best Original Song for 'Skyfall' from the new James Bond film of the same name (and ultimately, the winner of that award,) stole the show when she belted out her soulful ballad with ease and elegance. She received a standing ovation, and lighthearted and irreverant as always, seemed to be having a great time. She's halfway to the coveted EGOT Triumph, meaning she's on her way to having been awarded an Emmy, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, and a Tony. She's got her Globe and her Oscar- Emmy and Tony can't be far behind.

 

WORST: The Boob Song

Oh, the horrifying awkwardness of this song. McFarlane started the evening by setting the entire room against him in a Song-and- Dance number (Seth loves those) all about seeing actresses' boobs in movies, rattling off names and films while singing (inexplicably) with the Los Angeles Gay Men's Choir. Many of the women mentioned were sitting in the room, and their expressions ranged from horror to straight up rage.

 

Let's go left to right, shall we? Jennifer Lawrence was briefly mentioned for being one of the only women in Hollywood, apparently, whose boobs we have not seen (and judging by her reaction, she's quite proud of that fact.) Charlize Theron, on the other hand, seems not so much embarrassed as vindictive (I'd bet money she keyed McFarlane's car after the show.) However, the award for Most Awkward Reaction definitely goes to Naomi Watts, whose facial expression ranged from shock to disbelief to utter humiliation within a span of just a few seconds. It's ok to show your boobs in Hollywood- apparently, you're just crossing a line when you sing about it on live television in front of 7 million people.

 

BEST: Daniel Day Lewis

The most method-y of method actors, Daniel Day-Lewis made history last night when he accepted his third award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, becoming the first actor in Hollywood to ever do so. Normally a serious, gracious, and thoughtful person, he delivered what could really be called the first real joke of the evening. He received his award from fellow acting legend Meryl Streep, and quipped offhandedly that he was originally set to play Margaret Thatcher, and that Meryl was set to play Lincoln, and he would have really liked to see that version. The audience roard at this- it was a joke that was inoffensive, self-deprecating, and done with courtesy. Who could have thought? However, my favorite moment was when he acknowledged his wife of 16 years (and his method work) by saying, "My beautiful wife has been married to quite a lot of different men since she married me. Fortunately, she is the perfect mate and true love of all of them." Aww!

 

WORST: Anne Hathaway

Before awards season, Anne Hathaway was generally considered one of the more likable actresses in Hollywood. She's bubbly, cute, and an undeniably talented performer. When she won her Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Les Miserables, no one doubted that she'd earned it. The only concern was her speech- what babbling, pretentiously-cute thing was she going to say? Thus far, she's made herself quite the punchline through the season, from referring to her Golden Globe as a 'lovely blunt object to fend off self doubt,' was bad enough, so what was she going to do now? Thankfully, she (or her publicist) seems to have gotten wind of the general dislike (or Hatha-Hate, as the internet in its wit has deemed it), and she toned it down. However, she had to start off with a simpering, syrupy remark. As she received her award, she said quietly, "It came true!" Thanks, Anne. You dreamed a dream, we get it. Stop trying to be so cutesy and quirky. You don't do 'humble and bashful' very well, it seems fakey. Don't try so hard. You should be more easy going,  more sincere, more like....

 

BEST: Jennifer Lawrence

Oh, Jennifer Lawrence. Everyone loves you, because you are so gosh darn easy to love. Though she has been racking up awards left and right throughout this season, she has remained irreverant, humble, and hilarious. There is zero pretense about her- she doesn't pretend to be world-weary and wise, like many other actors in her position. She makes no qualm about being utterly delighted by everything, and her natural presence has the world rooting for her. She started the evening by catching up with some of the pre-awards banter and when a journalist asked her how she was feeling, she replied candidly, "Hungry. I've been so busy I didn't have time for a sandwich today. Is there food here?" If that werent' enough, she further endeared herself to the public when she climbed the stairs to receive her Best Actress award for her work in Silver Linings Playbook... and promptly fell on her face. The huge dress she was wearing was hazardous after all, and for a moment she just lay there on the stairs, and the whole could hear her thought process as she lay there: "....damn." When Hugh Jackman and Bradley Cooper rushed over to help her, she jumped up without their help, as if she were thinking, "I got it, I got it, damn it. I was just laying there because I fail at life." The audience rose to their feet when she finally accepted her award, and the happy and honest 22-year old quipped, "Thank you, but I know you're all only standing because you feel sorry for me because I fell." She then delivered an adorably starstruck-and-yet-sincere speech, including making a point to wish fellow nominee Emmanuelle Riva a happy birthday, and then danced off the stage, taking the hearts of the world with her. And speaking of dancing....

 

BEST: Les Miserables Ensemble

 

Keeping with the theme of music, the whole cast of Les Miserables took the stage to sing a brief medley of the films most memorable tunes, and they brought down the house. Hugh Jackman started with the original song 'Suddenly,' and then the rest of the cast joined in for a rousing, beautiful rendition of the musical's tour-de-force mid number, "One Day More." While musical numbers are quite common at award shows, particularly the Oscars, it is very rare for one to be this big or this good, and the cast completely delivered. Powerful, moving, and extraordinarilly well done, this big production number was one to remember, and the most enjoyable moment of the whole affair.

 

I'm already looking forward to next year!

 

The 2013 Academy Awards Fashion- The Good, the Bad, and the WTF.

The GOOD

This beautiful, sparkling apricot gown Jessica Chastain wore down the red carpet literally took my breath away! It suits her skintone and gorgeous red hair (with Rita Hayworth waves) perfectly, and since she was one of the first to arrive, she set the standard for the rest of the attendees for the rest of the night. This helps me forget about her terrible pale blue Globes gown. (We just won't mention that one again.)

I'm normally not a fan of Kelly Osbourne and her pseudo-punk/'classy' style and weird purplish-gray hair, but this black dress with sparkling diamond accents is incredible. Fabulous. 

Amy Adams, you are perfect. It is official. Normally, I am not a fan of floofy or pale blue/gray colors, but you make both of them look amazing. This is possibly the most memorable gown of the night.

Sally Field, you put women half your age to shame. She is beautiful, and this scarlet gown was beautiful, flattering, age appropriate and as perfect as she is.

Usually when you say the words 'sleek' and 'sexy,' Jennifer Hudson isn't the first person to come to mind, but tonight, she owned this slinky, royal blue number. It fit her perfectly and she looked confident and sexy and classy. Amazing. (See 'The Bad' section to see an example of royal blue gone bad.) 

 Jane Fonda is in her 70s, and looks better than I do at 23. Either I fail at life, or Jane Fonda and her fine self is just too incredible for words. This bright yellow, structured-but-feminine class act is just too amazing.

Another fabulous older woman (and former winner) who ruled the carpet was Marcia Gay Harden, who rocked this stylish red masterpiece and utterly owned it. Take that, 20-somethings!

If you're going to rock a pixie cut on the red carpet, don't look to Anne Hathaway for how to do it. (See the 'The Bad' section.) You follow Charlize Theron's guide and wear a pure white gown that looks as if it were crafted by God himself, and then make your pixie cut look chic, expensive, and badass.

Jennifer Aniston can make outfits that I would normally hate some of my favorites, and this orangey red gown is a perfect example. It's a little bridesmaid-ish to me, but she looks so chic and fun and classy that I can't help loving it. 

Adele is a fan of black dresses with quarter sleeves (she wears them EVERYWHERE, to EVERYTHING) but damn if she doesn't make them look amazing. When you're as famous and as awesome as she is, you stick with what works, and this sparkly dress definitely works.

Jennifer Garner is one of my personal style icons. She has an Audrey Hepburn quality to her- chic, simple, elegant, and sophisticated. A lot of the women on the carpet are wearing very trendy dresses that are going to look dated in a few years, but Jennifer is a very simple person who knows what works and works it hard.

All hail, the Oscar Goddess has arrived! Looking expensive, badass, clean, structured, and generally awesome, Halle Berry has retained her impeccably unique sense of style and set another standard for herself. (How does she manage to look THIS awesome every single year?)

The Bad

Reese Witherspoon can normally do no wrong on the red carpet, but this look is definitely a flop for me. The color of the gown is beautiful, but the strange cut and frumpy pile of fabric at the end does Reese's fabulous figure no favors. Not exactly a disaster, but not a great choice either.

Samantha Barks attended her first red carpet with the same enthusiasm as if she were heading to the high school prom. While I'm always a fan of an LBD, this black dress seems so JCPenney's- cheap, dull, and boring as crap. Try again next year, Sam. And with more enthusiasm, please. 

Olivia Munn. No.

I scan this column gown, and all I can focus on is Anne Hathaway's nipples. And then it immediately shifts to her Justin Bieber haircut. And then I'm just disappointed. She looks like Justin Bieber in a bib. With boobs. Not good. (Also, I want her to eat something.)

I just have no words for this gown. Salma Hayek seems to be trying to channel Audrey Hepburn from My Fair Lady, but the bland velvet gown and gold, chokey-looking collar and the high bun.... I just have no words. Wait, I take it back- I can think of one word. Ugly.

Fortunately for Nicole Kidman, her best accessory of the night (Keith Urban) saved her. She is a beautiful woman, you can't deny, but this heavy-looking, metallic bronze-and-black dress looks very dated and a little trashy.

The WTF 

Frankly, I don't know who this is, or why she was at the awards, but I have a guess that it's a porn star who thought this was the AVN awards and dressed accordingly. Girl, this is the Academy Awards. Put those things away. 

Jennifer Lawrence, as far as I am concerned, you are the coolest person ever and I simultaneously envy how awesome you are and kind of have a crush on you, but this voluminous... thing you're wearing is bizarre. In fact, it's the exact same gown you wore to the Globes, but whitish pink instead of reddish-pink. I still think you're the coolest person ever, but try to break the rut a bit.

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. A thousand times NO. Melissa McCarthy, what are you doing? It looks like you made a gown out of your sweatpants! Your stretchy period-bloat sweatpants! As a plus size woman myself, I appreciate when a plus size woman can look just as sexy and fabulous as the skinny girls, and this.... is just not it. 

You know, Naomi Watts may be the only person in the WTF category who is WTF for the best way possible. I think she looks incredible (as normal) and this dress is extremely interesting. But she is making it work in such a badass way- she looks chic, expensive, beautiful, and yet very interesting with that odd half sleeve, boob-cup... thing. But she works it, so go her.

Why Kristen Stewart earned an invite to the most prestigious night in Hollywood is a bit beyond me, but she looked as baffled as I am. Lots of people are raving about her dress, and I must admit that 75% of it is great. It's the odd tulle fluffs on the bottom that are throwing me off. She looks a bit like there was more of her dress, but it go stuck in a door and ripped part of the way off, and she just decided to keep going. Not a disaster, I suppose, but it makes me all 'WTF' nonetheless.

2012- Back: A Reflection on Past Oscars

It's Oscars Day! :) I'm super excited about watching the 85th Annual Academy Awards tonight, mostly to see the winners, but also partially because I can't wait to see what host Seth McFarlane is going to say. So since I'm feeling Oscarsy, I thought I'd look back at the winners of the last few years, starting with the year 2000, because... why not? I'm excited.

 

2000

Best Picture: American Beauty

Best Actor: Kevin Spacey (American Beauty)

Best Actress: Hilary Swank (Boys Don't Cry)
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Caine (The Cider House Rules)
Best Supporting Actress: Angelina Jolie (Girl, Interrupted)

 2001

Best Picture: Gladiator
Best Actor: Russell Crowe (Gladiator)
Best Actress: Julia Roberts (Erin Brockavich)
Best Supporting Actor: Benicio del Toro (Traffic)
Best Supporting Actress: Marcia Gay Harden (Pollack)

2002

Best Picture: A Beautiful Mind

Best Actor: Denzel Washington (Training Day)
Best Actress: Halle Berry (Monster's Ball)
Best Supporting Actor: Jim Broadbent (Iris)
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Connolly (A Beautiful Mind)

 

2003

Best Picture: Chicago
Best Actor: Adrien Brody (The Pianist)
Best Actress: Nicole Kidman (The Hours)
Best Supporting Actor: Chris Cooper (Adaptation)
Best Supporting Actress: Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago)

2004

Best Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Actor: Sean Penn (Mystic River)
Best Actress: Charlize Theron (Monster)
Best Supporting Actor: Tim Robbins (Mystic River)
Best Supporting Actress: Renee Zellweger (Cold Mountain)

 

 2005

Best Picture: Million Dollar Baby
Best Actor: Jamie Foxx (Ray)
Best Actress: Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby)
Best Supporting Actor: Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby)
Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett (The Aviator)

2006

Best Picture: Crash

Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line)
Best Supporting Actor: George Clooney (Syriana)
Best Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardner)

2007

Best Picture: The Departed
Best Actor: Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
Best Actress: Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)

2008

Best Picture: No Country for Old Men
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Best Actress: Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)
Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)

2009

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actor: Sean Penn (Milk)
Best Actress: Kate Winslet (The Reader)
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger- Posthumous (The Dark Knight)
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)

2010

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)
Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique (Precious)

2011

Best Picture: The King's Speech
Best Actor: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)

2012

Best Picture: The Artist
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Best Actress: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer (The Help

Can't wait to see who wins tonight! :)