Critically-acclaimed thespian Jessica Gomes lead the sexy Australian charge down the red carpet at the 3rd Annual AACTA International Awards held in Hollywood yesterday, where Australia’s spirit animal Cate Blanchett chucked a Cate Blanchett and won best international lead actress for her performance in Woody Allen’s thinly-veiled retelling of A Streetcar Named Desire, Blue Jasmine.
“I’m Australian, so I guess it was a done deal,” Blanchett said. “All I had to do was show up,” she continued, smiling and embarrassing all the high-intensity flashbulbs in the room.
Below are some other Australians and Internationals who showed up and won biggish at the fledgling underdog of Awards Season, the stakes of which will be raised considerably by tomorrow’s Golden Globes. What a time to be alive.
Blanchette DuBois never puts a foot wrong, evinced here in an aptly-hued Michael Kors ensemble replete with Roger Vivier shoes and frozen unicorn tears.
Sure, why not? Jessica Gomes wears sexy Dion Lee, I think, and looks her characteristically amazing, ethnically-ambiguous self.
Now begins the segment of the evening we’ll call, ‘A Tall Glass Of Water; CC: Thirsty Ladies.’ Best international lead actor winner and guy I saw once in Istanbul, Chiwetel Ejiofor looks serene in a smart charcoal getup.
Saddle Club and McLeod’s Daughters stablehand Brett Tucker looks great in navy, accessorised with stubble as finely nuanced as his performance as Einherjar Guard in Thor 2.
Near exhausting my capacity for ways to describe well-dressed dudes, The Fass takes out best international supporting actor, best beard and worst visible stitching on the crotch for dem jeans. We all saw Shame; we get it, Mick, we get it.
Steve McQueen looks chic as sin in black and white.
Scoring a nod for the best international screenplay for his work with Eric Warren Singer on American Hustle, David O. Russell pulls out the ole Russell’s favourite three piece suit combo, one that’ll get a good work out this season. David and his vest stand in for absent best international supporting actress, Jennifer Lawrence, whose presence is sorely missed in every room, every where, save for the one she occupies at any given moment.
Alfonso Cuarón’s single windsor is losing the fight to Gravity here (sorry, not sorry). He won best film and director for his work on the film aforementioned in that terrible pun. Plus, his wife is called Sheherazade Goldsmith, which is the richest sounding name ever.
Shine bright like a dahmon, Jacki!
Miranda Otto is in a Frankenstein movie directed by Stuart Beattie and starring Aaron Eckhart and Bill Nighy, out January 24th. It’s too bright in this room to see her dress.
Also in I, Frankenstein, Dexter’s resident lady killer Yvonne Strahovski looks real pretty, very festive in this intricately beaded and embroidered slip and nice pumps.
Here she is again with AACTA President and legendary legend Geoffrey Rush, who has reverted to his default modes of being both ‘stoked’ and ‘the best’.
Rounding out a consistently pleasant – albeit demure – red carpet with something completely different is Grant Bowler and Kate Buchwald. She wears what looks like a bandeau top underneath the flayed skin of the werewolf Bowler played on True Blood. :S
Photos: Mike Windle, Imeh Akpanudosen via Getty
