Oscar fashion goes bold. Thank Lady Gaga!

Taking a tip from music stars Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj, Hollywood's A-list actresses are expected to turn up on Oscar's red carpet in many bold, futuristic designs, fashion experts predict.

The eye toward the future marks a turnaround from recent years in which styles at Hollywood's biggest awards shows have featured vintage gowns, subdued designs and colours, and less jewelry in a nod to the world's economic woes.

But with consumer confidence up, Hollywood's top female actresses will be wearing distinctive gowns highlighted by draping and accented shoulders and sleeves. Expect a wide array of colours, from pale shades and skin tones to bold purples, oranges, midnight blues and classic black.

Designer Marc Bouwer said this year's futuristic fashions are influenced by some of the "out-there" costumes of pop music superstars like Lady Gaga, Minaj and now Britney Spears as seen in her latest video, "Hold It Against Me."

"Artists are starting to dress much more crazy, more out there and it has a ripple effect on fashion," said Bouwer. 

"While you won't see a Lady Gaga outfit necessarily on the Oscar red carpet, you will see more architectural styles -- an expanded shoulder, a pronounced sleeve. The stronger power woman has emerged, and you cannot ignore that trend."

Styles on the red carpet ahead of the world's top film honors are expected to be similar to those debuting last month at Hollywood's Golden Globe Awards.

At that show, "Glee" star Lea Michelle dazzled fashionistas in a pink asymmetrical Oscar de la Renta gown, and other actresses such as Nicole Kidman, Michelle Williams and Scarlet Johansson turned up in skin tones and pale shades of rose.

Jewelry is back

This year Bouwer, who famously dressed Angelina Jolie in a white satin halter dress for the 2007 Oscars, is working with nominees including "The Fighter" star Melissa Leo on the trend he calls, "futuristic architectural minimalism."

It is a look that he and others said not only takes into consideration the dress, but accessories that come with it.

"We're going to see statement pieces," said Greg Kwiat of Kwiat Diamonds. His jewels previously were worn at the Oscars by past nominees such as Anna Kendrick and Natalie Portman.

"A bracelet, a necklace. There will be everything from classic diamonds to lots of colours like yellow gold or aquamarine," Kwiat said.

If the dresses and jewels are bold, then the hair has to be simple and "not so overly complicated" according to celebrity hair stylist Anthony Morrison.

"Whether the hair is up or down, it's more about having a finished look, not frizzy or disheveled," he said. "We've been using a lot of smoothing products to make sure hair is glossy, shiny and polished."

Hair colour is also expected to be big and bold this year.

"The colour is going to look amazing," Morrison said. "Rich brunettes, gorgeous reds and perfect blondes. Everybody will enhance whatever colour they have."

Colour enhancement is likely to be seen in many gowns, as well, along with classic black and ivory found at black-tie events. Allen B. Schwartz, creative director of A.B.S. by Allen Schwartz said to expect bold greens, purples, corrals, oranges and midnight navy.

"Colour is usually about positive energy," he said. "We all know what's gone on with people struggling because of the economy. Everyone has started off the year with a renewed energy for a better time (and) colour is about being happy."

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Elton John, Lady Gaga among pop stars snubbed in Oscar best song category

The consolation for Elton John, Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley, Chris Cornell, Zooey Deschanel and other superstar pop, rock and country musicians who got snubbed in the best song Academy Award nominations announced Tuesday is that they’re in pretty stellar company.

With just two songs earning nominations —“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” and “Real in Rio” from “Rio” -- the list of also-rans includes a bounty of heavyweight performers and songwriters.

Yet they didn’t score enough points with Academy voters to make the final nomination list. Voters had 39 songs to sort through this year, for which they were asked to assign a score to each on a scale of 6 to 10 points, after viewing clips from each film that included the eligible song.

FULL COVERAGE: The Oscar nominees

Only songs that received an average of 8.25 points or more could be nominated, with a maximum of five songs in the category, and no more than two songs from the same film.

Among the songs that fell short of that score were two Elton John songs from “Gnomeo and Juliet”: “Love Builds a Garden” and his duet with Lady Gaga, “Hello Hello.” Mary J. Blige’s “Living Proof” from “The Help” and Elvis Costello’s “Sparkling Day” from “One Day” were under consideration, along with Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell’s “The Keeper” from “Machine Gun Preacher,” Deschanel’s “So Long” from “Winnie the Pooh” and Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am’s “Hot Wings,” also from “Rio.”

One of the most powerful songs to appear in a movie last year was J. Ralph’s “Hell and Back,” sung by Willie Nelson. But because it appeared in a documentary, director Danfung Dennis’ “Hell and Back Again” about the war in Afghanistan, it was a longshot for a nomination.

Country musicians with songs in mainstream hits didn't fare any better: Zac Brown was one of the writers of “Where the River Goes” from the remake of “Footloose,” and Brad Paisley was eligible, with co-writer Robbie Williams, for “Collision of Worlds,” from “Cars 2.”

And even being an Academy Award veteran was no guarantee of a nomination this year: Eight-time Oscar winner and 19-time nominee Alan Menken didn’t make the cut with “Star Spangled Man” from “Captain America.”

As others have noted, if this year’s Oscar telecast runs late, it won’t be because of a surfeit of nominated song performances.

Lady GaGa Named On The Oscars 'Best Song' Longlist

She's picked up a mention for Elton John duet, Hello Hello...

09:28, Tuesday, 20 December 2011

Lady GaGa has been named on The Oscars2012 longlist in the Best Song category.

The Marry The Night singer is mentioned in the list of 39 songs hoping for a nomination, with her Gnomeo and Juliet duet, Hello Hello, with Elton John in the race for a place in the final list.

Elton's solo track Love Builds A Garden also features, while Mary J. Blige has received a nod for The Help's Living Proof.

Robbie Williams and Brad Paisley's Cars 2 collaboration Collision of Worlds will also go head-to-head with Will.I.Am's track Hot Wings from the movie Rio and Zooey Deschanel's So Long, taken from Winnie the Pooh.

Madonna has missed out on a place in the longlist as her song Masterpiece from flick W.E.featured too far into the movie's end credits - with the rules stating it must be a lead song to received a nomination.

Out of the 39 tracks appearing on the longlist, only five will secure a nod and make the shortlist in the Best Song category.

However, if not one song receives enough votes from members of the Academy, there could be no category at all.

The voting process begins on 5th January, while the full 2012 Oscars nominations will be announced live on 24th January 2012, at 5.30am PT at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theatre.