2010 Oscar Red Carpet

Watching the Oscar arrivals and had to share some of the photos with you. First, though, take a look at the photos from the Oscar nominees luncheon:

Drew Barrymore

I found some adorable pictures of Drew so I wanted to share them today. No movie coming out or anything like that, I have just always loved her positive attitude, especially after all she has been through!

Here is some bio info on Drew and then the pics. Hope you have a fabulous weekend friends!

--Drew Blythe Barrymore was born on February 22, 1975 in Los Angeles, California. Being a "Barrymore" meant that Drew's roots ran deeply into a family of well-known actors and actresses.

--Drew Barrymore's acting career really took off when she starred in Steven Spielberg's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" film in 1982. She was just seven years old when she played the part of "Gertie". In the spotlight, Drew Barrymore was an adorable child star who had her whole life of success ahead of her. She even had the honor of becoming the youngest host of "Saturday Night Live" at seven.

--But her private life was a disaster. Drew Barrymore was a child who was out of control. Unfortunately, along with the acting genes, Drew inherited some addictions as well. Her childhood was a mixture of sex, drugs and alcohol. According to filmspot.com, she 's quoted as saying her favorite book when she was eight years old was "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex - But Were Afraid to Ask." By the time there were eleven candles on her birthday cake, Drew had addiction problems. Her mother Jaid put her in rehab in 1988.

--A little known fact about Drew Barrymore is that she quit high school when she was in the eleventh grade. And, Drew legally divorced her mother and became legally emanipated when she was seventeen.

--In 2004, Drew Barrymore was honored with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

--Drew Barrymore has made People Magazine's "100 Most Beautiful People in the World" list four times so far. In 2007, she made it to the number one spot.

The Great Gatsby

It's that time of year again for my 11th graders to learn all about F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby is definitely my favorite novel to teach. Fitzgerald's gift of language is amazing, and I love the 1974 version of the film.

Here are some pics from the film, and of course some trivia. What do you think of the novel and/or film?

--Originally, Truman Capote was the screenwriter, and his draft included making Nick a homosexual and Jordan Baker a vindictive lesbian. Capote was fired, and Francis Ford Coppola finished his draft in three weeks.

-- The rights for the novel were purchased by producer Robert Evans in 1971 so that his wife at the time, Ali MacGraw, could play the part of Daisy. A shooting script wasn't ready yet, and MacGraw agreed to star in The Getaway (1972) as filler. During the production of The Getaway (1972) MacGraw fell in love with co-star Steve McQueen and left Evans for him. Mia Farrow was then picked to play Daisy.

--Mia Farrow was pregnant during filming and the director filmed around that by including close up shots of Farrow, and having her wear a lot of flowing costumes.

--Patsy Kensit who plays the very young daughter of Mia Farrow's character in this movie, later portrayed Mia Farrow herself in Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (1995) (TV) which included a re-enactment of the filming of this picture.

--Many of the male extras in the party scenes were recruited from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island because military officers already wore the clean-cut hairstyles that were worn by men in the period of the film.

--According to Robert Evans in his memoirs Warren Beatty was approached to play Gatsby but wanted to direct the film and suggested Evans play the role himself. Jack Nicholson was offered but rejected the role because he didn't believe Ali MacGraw to be appropriate casting for Daisy (she was later replaced with Mia Farrow) and Steve McQueen was also considered and rejected for the role.

--According to Robert Evans the final 5 names considered for the role of Daisy Buchanan were Mia Farrow, Faye Dunaway, Candice Bergen, Katharine Ross and Lois Chiles. Farrow eventually beat off Bergen for the role and Chiles was given the smaller role of Jordan Baker.

--Francis Ford Coppola lived in "West Egg," aka Great Neck, former home of F. Scott Fitzgerald, at the time of writing the screenplay for The Great Gatsby (1974).

--Supposedly Natalie Wood was an early contender for the role of Daisy but she allegedly became furious when the producers insisted on a screen test since the actress hadn't been in a movie for over 5 years. She balked and negotiations ended.

Dancing With the Stars...

Buzz Aldrin


Niecy Nash


Pam Anderson


Nicole Scherzinger


Jake Pavelka


Aiden Turner


Erin Andrews


Evan Lysacek


Shannen Doherty


Chad Ochocinco


Kate Gosselin

Ok, so I don't really watch this show, but am always fascinated at who signs on to play. When this show first started, I thought, "how sad, their careers are over and they have to resort to dancing game shows." Now it seems that some well known stars want to get on the show. Here is this season's line up. What do you think?

1. Kate Gosselin (yuck)
2. Chad Ochocinco (reason to watch right there) from the Cincinnati Bengals
3. Shannen (trainwreck) Doherty
4. Evan Lysacek men's figure skater who women love
5. Erin Andrews ESPN reporter
6. Aiden Turner of All My Children
7. Jake Pavelka of The Bachelor
8. Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls
9. Pam Anderson (yes! This should be good)
10. Niecy Nash of Reno 911
11. Buzz Aldrin famed Astronaut

Well, what's the word. I'm in!