Last night Hubby and I hung out with George Clooney (ha, kind of) — we attended VH1’s Critics’ Choice Movie Awards (part of my membership perks for being a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association). I got all gussied up (heels, big hair, too much jewelry). It was exactly what I needed at almost 7 months pregnant.
So yeah — Clooney, Pitt and all the Hollywood usuals showed up to either present or accept an award. (Read about what I thought of some of the speeches on BlogHer.). As for the ceremony, here’s what you didn’t see:
I may have accidentally bumped my belly into Diane Kruger during the cocktail hour. I drank nothing that had the ability to give me any kind of buzz. I ate waaaaay too much dessert (practically the whole tray) as compensation for not being allowed to enjoy adult beverages. I had to vacate my seat during the first commercial break to make way for a bunch of half-naked actors in their underwear to do a funny bit in the show for the broadcast audience (was it funny? don’t know). I read Martin Scorsese’s speech in my head as it ran on the teleprompter… as he was reading it out loud in front of all of us. I had all my colleagues and friends either coming up to me saying “wow, congratulations!” or offer confused looks of “what are you doing here pregnant and in heels?” It was fun… I think? (YES, it was. But a different kind of fun than past awards shows I’ve covered and/or attended.)
My seat goes to… the woman in the black robe!
Prompter far left, Scorsese far right!
This night, I tasted a severe case of life-is-different-now-as-a-soon-to-be-mom-of-two-working-in-entertainment-media. I looked fabulous but felt out of place. I was having a nice time with my husband, but we had a toddler to get home to soon enough. Trying to network felt awkward as the only thing anyone really wanted to ask me about was either my toddler or my expecting belly — very sweet, but when you’re trying to stay relevant and land another job, that topic doesn’t really accomplish anything. Ebbs and flows of life, I guess.
What was surprisingly more fun — and funnier than those naked people who kicked me out of my seat — was what happened at my house when we finally got home at the end of the night. My one-and-a-half year old was jacked up on her big spaghetti dinner, NOT asleep, and giving a major acceptance speech to her animal friends in her room.
“RAR RAR RAR RAR OY OY OY OY GOYTEE GOYTEE GOYTEE RAR!” That is an exact quote.
Shouting, big gestures and dramatic carrying-on lasted for about 30 minutes. I sat on the ground in her room (in my heels, big hair and still too much jewelry) and marveled at the scene. I actually laughed more during this than I did at the actual awards. Yikes. So here it is — mommyhood is in fact pulling to understand a new meaning of ‘fabulousness.’ I was just in a room full of the world’s most hottest, prestigious and legendary stars and filmmakers, and for some reason this was what put the cherry on my day. This is what gave me real joy — a toddler, dressed as a little animal, on a nighttime second-wind, talking to her stuffed animals.
(Don’t get me wrong, I’m still obsessed with Hollywood, but just in a more healthy way now.) Is this what they call ‘balance?’ Funny how it happens. Ok. I get it now.
And then of course she screamed and complained for about an hour when I tried to put her to bed. Nevertheless….
HAVE YOU HAD AN “IT’S BETTER TO BE A MOMMY” MOMENT?
[…] DO: Giggle uncontrollably when you return home and can’t seem to pry your toddler away from trying on (and walking in!) the fabulous 5-inch heels that you just kicked off so that you could read bedtime stories in comfort. She did pull some similar shenanigans after this same event last year, afterall. […]