Golden Globes Wrap-Up
Phew! We have one award show under our belts and a few more to go until the big O. (Critic’s Choice Awards were handed out last week; I’m taping the re-broadcast and will be sure to have a few updates afterwards.) The SAG Awards are on this Saturday night and then February 2 Oscars nominations are announced. In the meantime, let’s wrap up the Golden Globes.
First, the fashion. Apparently it was raining all across America because as I traversed through NYC in the rain on Golden Globes day, the luminaries walking the red carpet in LA were treated to a shower, as well. There were tons of umbrellas on the red carpet, including Neil Patrick Harris’s black Gap umbrella, which happens to be the exact same one I have and was using just hours earlier. (Excellent taste, Neil!)
As for the actual clothes, there was nothing that was too horrendous which is not to say I liked everything. One trend I disliked was hot pink. I noticed a few ladies wearing it and it just looked wrong. A full length hot pink dress (some with puffy sleeves) looks wrong on a grown woman. Another trend was green - lots of ladies rocking different shades of green, including Amy Adams in a deep green cocktail dress paired with burnt gold accents. The one-shoulder strap trend was in full effect - that was probably the biggest, most consistent trend of the night. Ladies, I’m not saying you’re passe but I am saying that I rocked a one-shoulder column gown for my prom nine years ago. There was also a lot of black on the red carpet, too; I suppose black dresses are never out of style, but there seemed to be a higher concentration of black dresses than in previous years.
Some misses: Elisabeth Moss - I like her from her The West Wing days and she was good in last season’s Speed the Plow, but her short banged bob mixed with a long layered necklace made her look like a flapper; Toni Colette and Anna Paquin looked good in their gold bejeweled dresses, but I feel like I’ve seen those dresses before and I wanted to see something not quite as derivative looking; Tina Fey’s dress fit her well in the bodice, but the pattern was a little casual and the big hoop, tea-length skirt just looked silly.Some near hits: Jane Lynch looked regal and elegant in a deep olive halter top gown, but it looked like the skirt part could have used a steaming;
Drew Barrymore has been wearing a lot of flesh colored gowns recently (she looked great in a nude blush number at the Emmys) and this crystaled dress looked great, except for the hip adornment - the embellishment looked good on her shoulder but not on her hip; Fergie looked very pretty in a light, Grecian lavender column dress but her face looked too dark - her hair was very dark and it was mixed with dark smoky eyes and pale everything else, giving her no color on her face.
Some hits: Cory Monteith looked dapper in Hugo Boss, and actually looked like the 27 year old he is, instead of the 17 year old he plays on Glee; Lea Michele looked gorgeous (as always) in Oscar de la Renta - she wore a fitted, almost bustier bodice, which seems to be her go to, but it was finished with a beautiful, layered fluffy bottom that actually fit her petite frame very well; Neil Patrick Harris, Matthew Morrison, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney all looked dashing and classically handsome in their tuxes. (My guess is Leo and George were wearing Armani, as per their usual routine. Also, I liked that Joseph wore a Hit RECord lapel pin, a bit self-promoting but it was unobtrusive and therefore appropriate.) Robert Downey, Jr., looked good as he mixed it up by going sans tie and sported detailed button covers; Vera Farmiga looked smoky in a black dress with a trumpet bottom, adorned with subtle rose 
appliqués; Will Arnett and Amy Pohler looked great together, he in a simple tux with a hip skinny tie and she in a saturated red one-shoulder gown; Marion Cotillard looked stunning in a deep forest green Christian Dior dress - it had visual interest in the bodice, with pieces crisscrossing each other, rocked the one-should trend and unlike some other people on the red carpet, had a tasteful front slit (I’m looking at you, Jennifer Aniston - a slit all the way up to your pupik is not classy.) Tune in to E! for Joan Rivers’s fashion review. 
Favorite red carpet moment: Penelope Cruz, looking classy and sophisticated in a black gown, was asked how she was coping with the rainy weather. She shrugged it off saying it was no big deal, “I’m not like Puff Daddy, I hold my own umbrella!” Te amo, Penelope. And now on to the actual award show. A full list of winners will follow below. Generally, I thought this was a good, entertaining broadcast. Ricky
Gervais did a great job as host, bringing his signature dry, British wit stateside. He stuck the room (and NBC) with their fair share of verbal harpoons, but each one was funny, so it was okay. As he mentioned at the end of the broadcast, which pretty much ran on time thanks to a lack of ancillary presentations and montages, Gervais’s new TV show will air on HBO in February and I’m definitely looking forward to it. Here are some of my favorite moments of the night:
- “Hello, my name is Paul McCartney, or as I’m now known, that guy from Rock Band.”
- Leo introducing James Cameron and Martin Scorsese. At least that’s what it looked like. As the broadcast was going to commercial, we saw Cameron approach Leo, who was sitting next to Scorsese. Leo said hello, then pointed to Scorsese; then as Cameron and Scorsese shook hands, you could see Scorsese say “It’s a pleasure”. My brother thinks there’s no way they hadn’t met yet over the course of their respective respected careers; he’s probably right but I thought this was a rather funny moment anyway.
- Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio present Martin Scorsese with Cecil B. DeMille award; De Niro’s speech was very funny, if a little salty. But throughout both his and Leo’s speech, you could see the love, admiration and appreciation they have for the director. When Scorsese gave his acceptance speech, it was immediately evident (as if you didn’t already know!) just how passionate he is about films and film history. I like hearing him talk about films – it’s like hearing Bruce talk about music
- Reese Witherspoon, on hand to present the award for Best Movie, Comedy or Musical, looked great in a sleek navy gown, rocking the trends: sweetheart neckline and one shoulder; she had light makeup, which is also a trend, but unlike Fergie she wore it right because her eyes were light, too, so she didn’t look pale or ghoulish; her hair looked relaxed but like she’s run a comb through it, unlike some other ladies (Calista Flockhart.)
- Nora Ephron ripping up her speech after The Hangover won was maybe the funniest moment of the night.
- Supporting Actress in Movie - Penelope Cruz, Nine; Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air; Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air; Mo’nique, Precious; and Julianne Moore, A Single Man.
[I’ve seen the first three performances but not the last two, so I can’t genuinely comment on what should have won, but given all the buzz around Precious, this wasn’t a total shocker.] - Actress in Musical or Comedy Series - Toni Collette, The United States of Tara; Courtney Cox, Cougar Town; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Tina Fey, 30 Rock; and Lea Michele, Glee.
[I only watch 30 Rock and Glee, but this wasn’t much a shock either; Toni Collette is a great actress and I’m sure she’s great here, too.] - Supporting Actor on TV - Michael Emerson, Lost; Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother; William Hurt, Damages; John Lithgow, Dexter; and Jeremy Piven, Entourage.
[Piven has won a couple of times (he’s won the Emmy for this role, too,) so it was a break from the norm when Lithgow won. I was hoping NPH would win - he’s so good as a loveable womanizer and this (well, 2009) was his year - but I guess enduring popularity and a steady paycheck are pretty good consolation prizes. Maybe next time?] - Animated Feature - Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs; Coraline; The Fantastic Mr. Fox; The Princess and the Frog; and Up.
Actor TV Drama - Simon Baker, The Mentalist; Michael C Hall, Dexter; Jon Hamm, Mad Men; Hugh Laurie, House; and Bill Paxton, Big Love. - Actress TV Drama - Glenn Close, Damages; January Jones, Mad Men; Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife; Anna Paquin, True Blood; and Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer.
[This is Margulies’s first win, despite six previous nominations; I liked her sassy remark to CBS head Les Moonves: “Thanks for believing in the 10 o’clock drama.” (She was being sincere; the sass was aimed at NBC) I’m glad to see her win; she gives a compelling and nuanced performance on a show that gets better and better each week.] - Original Song - Cinema Italiano, Nine; I See You, Avatar; I Wanna Come Home, Everybody’s Fine (Paul McCartney); The Weary Kind, Crazy Heart (Ryan Binghma and T Bone Burnett); and Winter, Brothers (U2).
[Yay, Crazy Heart!!!! Oscar nominators and voters take note!] - Original Score - Up, The Informant, Avatar, A Single Man and Where the Wild Things Are
- Miniseries - Georgia O’Keeffe, Grey Gardens, Into the Storm, Little Dorrit and Taking Chance
- Actress Comedy Movie - Sandra Bullock, The Proposal; Marion Cotillard, Nine; Julia Roberts, Duplicity; and Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia and It’s Complicated.
[Ms. Streep gave a lovely speech during which she said, “I’ve played so many extraordinary women… This year [by playing Julia Child] I got to pay homage to my mother who shared [Julia Child’s] verve and joy in living… in the face of horrors and having to go to an award show, [my mother would say] ‘Put on a dress and a smile and be grateful you have today and the next day and the next day’” After that, I knew I’d hear from mom and I did; we have a habit of phoning each other during what we think are touching moments in these award shows and we kept the tradition alive this year.] - Actor in a Miniseries - Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance; Kenneth Branagh, Wallander: One Step Behind; Chiwetel Ejiofor, Endgame; Brendan Gleeson, Into the Storm; and Jeremy Irons, Georgia O’Keeffe.
- Actress in a Miniseries - Joan Allen, Georgia O’Keeffe; Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens; Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens; Anna Paquin, The Courageous Heart of Irena; and Sigourney Weaver, Prayers for Bobby.
[I’m so happy for Drew; she’s such a genuine person; she was palpably excited and grateful for the opportunity to have played this role; my favorite line was probably: “I know I could be Jeff Spicoli’s girlfriend, so thank you for taking a chance on me.” Way to go, Drew!] - Screenplay - District 9, The Hurt Locker, It’s Complicated, Up in the Air (Sheldon Turner and Jason Reitman) and Inglorious Basterds.
[I liked this movie so I’m glad Turner and Reitman won. I thought Reitman’s speech was very nice; he mentioned that fans have commented that he writes wonderful women and he said it’s because of his wonderful wife; he then went on to thank his parents “for making me the man that I am“, and thrilled at having had the opportunity to make a movie with his father.] - Actor TV Comedy - Matthew Morrison, Glee; Thomas Jane, Hung; Steve Carell, The Office; David Duchovny, Californicaton; and Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock.
[Not too surprised that Alec Baldwin won and while I adore Matthew Morrison, I do think Baldwin is hilarious in 30 Rock.] - Foreign Language Film - Baaria, Italy; Broken Embraces, Spain; The Maid, Chile; A Prophet, France; and The White Ribbon, Germany.
- Drama Series - Big Love, Dexter, House, Mad Men and True Blood
- Supporting Actress TV - Jane Adams, Hung; Rose Byrne, Damages; Jane Lynch, Glee; Janet McTeer, Into the Storm and Chloe Sevigny, Big Love.
[I really wish Jane Lynch would have won. She steals every single scene she’s in on Glee. Plus I just don’t like Sevigny. I’ve never been impressed by her performances and the of few episodes of Big Love I did watch she was my least favorite part. Also, her dress was horrendous.] - Supporting Actor Movie - Matt Damon, Invictus; Woody Harrelson, The Messenger; Christopher Plummer, The Last Station; Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones; and Christoph Waltz, Inglorious Basterds.
- Director - Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker; James Cameron, Avatar; Clint Eastwood, Invictus; Jason Reitman, Up in the Air; and Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Basterds.
[This was a little surprising, as the buzz had been around Kathryn Bigelow. Also, I don’t know anyone who has liked Invictus so I’m wondering if the HFPA just nominated Eastwood out of habit; I would have liked to have seen Marc Webb, (500) Days of Summer, be nominated, or maybe even Davis Guggenheim, It Might Get Loud, though I know those are both unconventional choices.] 
Comedy Series - 30 Rock, Entourage, Glee, Modern Family and The Office
[YAY!!! I’m so excited about this. And I called this! In my nomination coverage, I noted that Party of Five won in its first year, upsetting some more established front-runners. The wonderful underdogs at McKinley are on top! I also liked creator Ryan Murphy’s speech: He began by saying, “I’d like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press and Barbra Streisand“ - that’s just funny. More seriously, I love that he mentioned that Glee is, in part, about the importance of arts education. Amen.]- Comedy Movie - (500) Days of Summer, The Hangover, It’s Complicated, Julie and Julia and Nine.
[This was a total surprise. The HFPA loves almost anything one of the Weinstein brothers touch (in this case, Nine) and many thought Nine would take home this award. I thought that if Nine didn’t win, surely Julie & Julia would, (even though I think there’s a strong argument for (500) Days of Summer winning - I really loved that!) but The Hangover? I haven’t seen it, though I’m sure I’d laugh all the way through - I like the people involved, including director Todd Phillips, who helmed the very funny Old School. Still, I just didn’t think it would win. Good thing I didn’t have any money riding on this.] - Actress Movie Drama - Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria; Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side; Helen Mirren, The Last Station; Carrie Mulligan, An Education; and Gabourey Sidibe, Precious.
[I was surprised by this because I’ve never cared for Bullock. I’ve never thought she was particularly bad though I’ve never really had much interest in seeing any of her movies. After her win, some quick-draws now think she is the front runner for the Oscar, but remember that at the Globes, separate best actress awards are given for comedy and drama. In the Oscar race, expect her to be up against Meryl Streep’s Julia Child, which really was terrific. So, don’t start engraving that award just yet.] 
Actor Movie Comedy - Matt Damon, The Informant!; Robert Downey, Jr., Sherlock Holmes; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer; Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man; and Daniel Day Lewis, Nine.
[Having seen three of the five nominees, I think this was well deserved, though I think any of the actors would have deserved the award. My sentimental favorite, of course, was Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and he did do a fantastic job as Tom, the hopeless, if slightly jilted, romantic, but I do enjoy RDJ, who gave a hilarious speech, acting like the wily dude we love.]- Actor Drama - Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart (they showed Leo instead of Bridges when the nominations were being read. I know Leo‘s very easy on the eyes, but The Dude is nothing to sneeze at either - oh, and it was his name that was being read!); George Clooney, Up in the Air; Colin Firth, A Single Man; Morgan Freeman, Invictus; and Tobey Maguire, Brothers.
[This is one of the few awards I completely agree with. Bridges was phenomenal as Bad Blake. He gave such a lovely, heartfelt speech, too, beginning by thanking wife of 33 years, then his parents, which seemed to be a theme of the night (Drew Barrymore and Meryl Streep also made mention of their legacies.)] - Dramatic Movie - Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, Precious and Up in the Air
[I wouldn’t say this was shocking, but it was somewhat unexpected. All the early buzz had been for The Hurt Locker and some for Precious. This also bothers me because it reminds me of my frustration with Slumdog Millionaire winning for best picture all through last award season. After seeing that movie after all the hype and accolades, I was not at all impressed. I thought the story was derivative and really not terribly compelling. Yes, these kids had a terrible life - I get it, but there are TONS of other films out there with similarly dramatic elements that didn’t get nearly as much attention. When I shared this frustration with a coworker, he suggested that the reason it won best picture was because of the technical filmmaking - the digital shooting and the cinematography. Maybe so, but to that I say, “Grant them the technical awards.” In my opinion, the best picture should be well rounded - it should have a really good script, great direction and captivating performances as well as good production value. I thought that the best movie of last year was Milk. That story was utterly compelling, timely and important. It said something. It stood for something. It boasted a fantastic script, wonderful direction and brilliant performances, particularly from Oscar winner Sean Penn. Well, I think Avatar is this year’s Slumdog. Everyone is talking about the technology of the movie; they concede that the plot is thin; they note that much of the “acting” is computer generated. Again, in my opinion, a film like this shouldn’t win best picture. It should win all the technical awards that are given, but I truly believe that to be the best picture, you have to have more than a computer going for you. Again, I haven‘t seen Avatar; it may be highly entertaining and very neat to look at but without a compelling script and great acting, I just don‘t think it can be called the best film of the year.]
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