Golden Globe fashion 2012

Cupcake Chowder presents:

4th annual best dressed at the Golden Globes

The award for best dressed this year goes to Charlize Theron! The Golden Globe nominated actress turned heads in a soft blush Dior Haute Cotoure gown. I loved everything from her sparkly headband to her Mais Oui ankle strap heels. Her entire look was absolutely incredible! First runner-up goes to Golden Globe presenter Salma Hayek in gold and black Gucci. Salma totally rocked this metallic dress with her beautiful curves, soft curls, and chandelier earrings. This is the best that Salma Hayek has looked in a long time!
Second runner-up goes to British actress Kate Beckinsale. Kate looked incredible in a strapless Roberto Cavalli gown. Kate is consistently one of my favorites for awards shows, and while I love her sparkly bangles, I definitely think she should have worn different shoes.The Miss Congeniality Award goes to Golden Globe nominated actress Evan Rachel Wood. I loved the shimmery details on her midnight green Gucci Premiere mermaid dress. Not many people could pull off this look, but Evan Rachel Wood nails it! Who was your favorite red carpet diva?

Literary Map of UK

In case you get lost the next time you are in England...

Emma Watson - Harry Potter Premieres

2 premieres - 2 dresses, and
Emma Watson rocks them both!

Is there anything Emma Watson can't do? She's an actress, a college student, and a model (she is currently under contract with Lancôme and Burberry). I have a feeling that this girl may have the longest career of the original Harry Potter trio.At the New York Premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 wearing an edgy bronze colored corset dress by Bottega Veneta. I love that she took daring all the way by doing dramatic eyes and sleek hair.
Love it, like it, or hate it?At the London Premiere of HP 7.2, Emma dons a soft gray Oscar de la Renta gown. I love the full tulle skirt paired with a beaded bodice. The dress also works with a white Antonio Berardi jacket. Emma looks simply stunning for her last Harry Potter premiere.

But enough about my opinion.
What do you think?

Utah Shakespeare Festival 2011

It was exciting for my husband and I to come back to the Utah Shakespeare Festival for our third year in a row. It is becoming a tradition I look forward to every summer, and while we can't afford to see all of the productions, everything we do attend at the Festival is pretty incredible.

2011 marked the Festival's 50th year! To commemorate the occasion, several rare copies of Shakespeare works were loaned from the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. It was awesome to see a first edition Complete Works of Shakespeare - dated 1623, as well as first edition copies of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo & Juliet. A Midsummer Night's Dream
From the beautiful costumes (King Oberon's was a particular favorite), to the rich dialogue, and the hilarious slapstick antics, A Midsummer Night's Dream was hands-down my favorite play this year. Directed by festival founder Fred C. Adams, it was clear from the seamless production that he knew this play forwards and backwards. I love how the three separate stories come together: the mischievous fairies, the four young lovers, and the troupe of actors rehearsing a play. Kymberly Mellen as Titania and Betsy Mugavero as Hermia were particular favorites. If you only see one play this year, it should be Shakespeare's popular comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream. "Lord, what fools these mortals be!" Noises Off!
This was my first time seeing Noises Off!, the popular stage comedy written by Michael Frayn. I wasn't quite sure what to expect going in, especially because the synopsis was pretty vague. Needless to say, it was one of the most hilarious and well-executed plays I have ever seen! Noises Off! tells the story of a play within a play. Act I is the play being rehearsed on stage, with the actors stumbling through their parts. During Act II the set is flipped around and we get a behind-the-scenes view of what is happening to the actors between takes. Love affairs gone awry, alcoholic actors, and missing contact lenses are just a few of the humorous things you can expect to happen. By Act III the set is turned back around again and everything has completely deteriorated - both on and off the stage. If you love not just funny, but laugh-your-head-off comedy, you must see Noises Off!
Romeo & Juliet
Romeo & Juliet is probably my all-time favorite Shakespeare tragedy, so I was very excited to see the Festival's production this year. I love the story of star crossed lovers, who, through a series of unfortunate circumstances meet an untimely end. But Romeo & Juliet is not merely a beautifully written tragedy, but a moral lesson on the power of love and hate. It was fun to see the play performed in the Adam's Theater (an outdoor theater similar to "The Globe"), with all of the characters dressed in Elizabethan costumes. Some of the standout performances were Magan Wiles (who was an exceptional Juliet), and Matt Mueller who practically stole the show as the fiery Mercutio. Romeo & Juliet was wonderful Shakespeare drama from beginning to end. "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!"

If you have the opportunity to attend the Festival this year, I hope you will. However, next year's lineup promises to be just as good. With productions of Hamlet, Titus Andronicus, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Scapin, Mary Stuart, Stones In His Pocket, The Drowsy Chaperone, and To Kill a Mockingbird, 2012 may just be the best year yet. Happy viewing!

*Photos by Karl Hugh, Utah Shakespeare Festival 2011.

MTV Movie Award fashion 2011

Cupcake Chowder presents:
1st annual best dressed at the MTV Movie Awards

The award for best dressed goes to nominee Emma Watson. Emma has become one of my favorites to watch during red carpet events because she consistently takes risks and consistently looks awesome. Tonight she rocked this white silk Marchesa mini with silver Brian Atwood heels. Perfection!First runner-up belongs to newcomer Hailee Steinfeld in a black Louis Vuitton pantsuit. I thought she looked relaxed and beautiful, and I loved everything from her hair, to her colorful Ellie Patrick clutch, to her sexy peep-toe shoes. Well done Hailee!Second runner-up goes to Twilight actress Kristen Stewart. This is the best Kristen has ever looked at an event! She is rocking a red, safety-pin covered Balmain mini-dress. My biggest frustration with Stewart is that she always appears so uncomfortable and self-conscious at these award shows. If someone would tell her to stand up straight and smile more often, she might have gotten my pick for best dressed.The Miss Congeniality Award goes to nominee and comedienne Emma Stone. I thought she looked so fresh and fun in this Bottega Venetta multi-colored fringe dress. I especially liked the black bow tied at the waist, but I wasn't a huge fan of the matching orange purse and heels. However, the dress was darling, and I thought it matched Emma's personality perfectly.
Honorable Mention goes to presenter Mila Kunis. I liked that she did something a little different tonight by pairing a flashy Balmain miniskirt with a simple black Balmain top. I thought she looked young and hip, and it's definitely an outfit I could see someone wearing off the red carpet. I also liked her sleek hair and dark eye make-up. Mila was undeniably sexy from head to toe.

Who was your favorite red carpet diva?

*Photos courtesy of Getty Images & Wireimage.

Wills & Kate

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

ee cummings