Sex and the City 2

Like almost all females I went to see Sex and the City II this weekend. It was my birthday this weekend, so my best girlies and I headed to the theater Friday night, cosmos hidden in our purses, to take in the ladies of SATC.

I know, I have read the reviews and I have seen the media criticism, but I really enjoyed the movie! People, this is not Schindler's List.

It had everything I expected and wanted.....

1. Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte were back to them being themselves. 2. The other characters like Big, Smith, Stanton, etc. were in it just enough, but not annoyingly. 3. The clothes were out of this world. 4. Do we even have to discuss the shoes, purses, and jewelery??????? 5. I laughed. A lot. But, most important to me...6. The sets were amazing

Carrie and John Preston's (As they are known in this movie) apartment was like another character in the movie. They have moved 12 Floors down from their dream Penthouse showcased in the last movie. Supposedly Carrie has spent the last 2 years decorating and ordering furniture."She" has done a good job. In reality, Lydia Marks is to be complimented for the gorgeous set design.

I am overly obsessed with the tile back splash in the Kitchen. As the movie ended, my friends started to gab about the movie and I blurted out, "did you see the tile in Carrie and Big's Kitchen?" Blank stares, then right back to convos about the clothes, shoes, hair, jewelry....

My absolute favorite part of the apartment is their bedroom. I just love the pattern on pattern in this space. In design I have noticed a movement away from the clean, crisp modern of a few years ago and this illustrates it perfectly. Love, love, love the wallpaper, especially cut into the picture moulding. And you can barely see it from this angle, but the patterned headboard is perfection on the wallpaper.

If you have seen the movie, you know that this sofa plays a big role in the story. The navy jewel toned fabric is scrumptious. And I love how the tray on the cocktail table is staged with all of the books and those succulents. But the piece d'resistance in this scene is the lapis pouf on which Carrie is perched. Love the whimsy of it.

The most fantastic sets are from their trip to Abu Dhabi. I just love this scene when they first enter their $ 22,000 per night suite at their hotel. It is so over the top in all the right ways. Just look at that pale pink and bright green with all the gold. (And those outfits!!!!)

I am so glad I was able to find a shot of this chandelier because it was one of my favs from their suite. Anywhere else this would look gaudy, but here....perfect.

I loved this scene about as much as I was drooling over the decor. The room is so sophisticated and glamorous.

Not really a set, but I just love everything about this scene. The clothes, the decadence, the tents, the laughs.

Such a great nightclub set. Terrible song choice though. I really thought they missed on the opportunity for a great, memorable song moment. Sort of lame. But I love the design.

Ahhhh, Carrie's old apartment returns in SATC2. It becomes a respite for several of the characters and I was reminded how much I loved her renovated space. I am still in love with those blue walls and I like how her love of blue was "carried" (sorry, I had to do it) subtly from this apartment into her new place.

And her closet.....

Cheers,

BBS



all images found on Google Image and are property of Warner Bros.

Oscar Bliss

I am still coming down from my Academy Award Night high.

It really is my favorite holiday next to Christmas. I enjoy the entire event start to finish. Embarrassingly I even watch the pre-red carpet coverage, which is sad because it is just the E-channel "reporters" telling each other how good they look that evening.

I always, by choice, watch all by myself. The thought of having to listen to chatter and comments from the peanut gallery is too much. Though I do enjoy texting with my friends throughout the show about the dress choices and speeches.

All I need for Oscar night are my pj's, Oliver, some sort of take-out ordered en mass for lots of seconds, and a cozy blanket . This year I strongly believe an unlikely character stole the show. Not Neil Patrick Harris, although I thought his dance number was fantastic. And that sequin blazer....perfection! And no, not Alec and Steven.
I feel the stage stole the show. It was a perfect blend of Old Hollywood sexiness meets a clean and modern edge. I loved it!

I became obsessed with how it turned and changed. The floor was new this year and it glimmered in all white. It was reflective and glitzy. Also new were the 3 circular revolving platforms that worked in combination with the always changing backdrops and staircases that moved in and out.

The metal fretwork was so dramatic and while I looked desperately to no avail for a photo of it, I loved, loved, loved the lampshade backdrop. It was a screen of hundreds of illuminated lamp shades that dropped down as a background. It sounds bizarre describing it, but it had the most wonderful warm effect.

David Rockwell returned as the set designer for the 2nd consecutive year. He is a man of many trades; architect, designer, set designer. He designed the actual Kodak Theater, where the Oscars are held, a few years back. He has done W hotels and Nobu restaurants across the world and has offices in NYC, Madrid, and Dubai.

He repeated some things from last years Oscars, but with subtle changes. One dame making a repeat performance was "Crystal" as Rockwell nicknamed the 100,000 Swarovski crystal curtain. For this year he added 16" of topaz crystals to the end of each strand. It put a finishing smokey touch on the already fabulous curtain

Another repeat was the Supper-Club like seating in the lower part of the theater. This involves removing all of the existing seats from the lower half of the theater and replacing them with the new layout. It made the usually cavernous feeling 3,400 seat Kodak feel more intimate. Much more like a cabaret!

The stage was always changing throughout the awards and it aided in moving things along. Rockwell acknowledges that he made changes to allow for the fact that two comedians were hosting. The timing was faster and the stage needed to accommodate that.

Above is another example of the metal fretwork used in the scenery behind Jeff Bridges, winner of Best Actor for Crazy Heart. (He was fantastic if you haven't seen the movie.)

Next to the lovely "Crystal" this little detail was my favorite part. The way the steps illuminated to show the interconnecting circles. Just beautiful.

I hope you enjoyed the show as much as I did and I am already counting down the days until next year. 363....

Cheers,

BBS



image of Neil Patrick Harris from Washington Post, Set mock-up AMPAS, image of dance from Washington Post, image of Metal Fretwork from Al Seib/LA Times, Stage mock-up AMPAS, Image of Jeff Bridges Michael Yada/AMPAS, image of Chritoph Waltz from Washington Post, and image of stage Al Seib/LA Times.