by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
It’s about the dresses! Well, it’s also about extreme self promotion as the Golden Globes’ glitzy television show managed to get boring after the first thirty minutes. Yes, the spectacle of filthy rich celebrities schmoozing and boozing on an overly-long television show has long made most of us working stiffs nauseated. Ah, but we can’t help but watch as America’s royalty strut their stuff on the red carpet and try to be gracious when receiving a Globe. Let’s face it, how many thank-yous can viewers take? None. Memo to GG producers, ban thank-yous. Just take the damn statue and leave the stage. We know you’re thankful.
Most of the winners paralleled my choices on my SEFCA ballot except for Babel, which I thought was convoluted with a murky scenario and poorly developed characters. And, Sacha Baron Cohen’s win for best comedy actor for Borat left me dumbfounded. To me, Borat was just another Jackass put-on. However, the rest of the GG winners were righteous choices. For the most part, the 85 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association gave credit where credit was due and spread the awards around to deserving actors and directors in films and television.
Martin Scorsese won for best director but his film The Departed got nada. This brings up a puzzling question. Since films are a director’s medium, and if the director wins an award for his film, then logically, wouldn’t the film be best picture? It seems logic has nothing to do with the HFPA’s choices. Conversely, a picture can win but the director of that picture is snubbed. Oh well, it’s Hollywood–the twilight zone where strange things happen.
One of my favorite pictures this season was The Last King of Scotland. Justifiably, Forest Whitaker won for best actor in a drama for his tour de force performances as Idi Amin. Also, Helen Mirren–an accomplished actress on both sides of the pond-won two Globes, one for The Queen and one for her HBO miniseries Elizabeth I.
Dreamgirls won a Globe for best musical or comedy. Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson won for their remarkable performances in that film. Hudson looked fabulous in her tasteful dress and said, “This goes far beyond everything I could have ever imagined.” But she was thinking, “Eat your heart out Simon!” Murphy was uncharacteristically contrite but brandished his trademark Cheshire Cat smile.
By virtue of the fact that Meryl Streep was in a film, she won a Globe for it–The Devil Wears Prada. She now owns six Globes.
Clint Eastwood’s penetrating film Letters from Iwo Jima won for best foreign language film. Indeed, it was a righteous choice. Both of Eastwood’s films, Flags and Letters, shot back to back on location on the volcanic island of Iwo Jima, are Globe and Oscar-worthy. In my opinion, Eastwood and Scorsese are the best directors in Hollywood. They truly deserve any awards they receive.
Screenwriter Peter Morgan won best screenplay for The Queen. And those lovable talking cars in Cars won for best animated film, which didn’t surprise anyone.
Unlike the Academy Awards, the HFPA recognizes worthy television shows and miniseries. To my absolute joy, Ugly Betty won best TV comedy or musical and America Ferrera won best actress in a comedy or musical. I love that show and Ferrera’s characterization of Betty, the ultimate underdog in a viciously competitive business. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess. I’m still getting over the shock of our first award,” Ferrera said. Now, Betty is beautiful. Grey’s Anatomy won best TV drama. I’m puzzled by this show’s critical and audience acclaim. To me, it’s a sappy nighttime soap opera. But hey, plenty of other TV critics and viewers love the show.
Not surprisingly, Hugh Laurie won for best actor in a drama for his eccentric portrayal of everyone’s favorite curmudgeonly doctor in House. It’s on the top of my DVR’s preferred recording list. And, another of my favorite shows, The Closer’s star, Kyra Sedgwick, won best actress in a drama.
Alec Baldwin, who is hilarious in 30 Rock , won best actor in a TV musical or comedy. At the bar, Tina Fey was ordering another whiskey straight up and thinking “Well at least we won something.”
As usual, HBO dominated the TV movies winning best miniseries for Elizabeth I, which yielded Globes for best actress in a miniseries to Helen Mirren and best supporting actor to Jeremy Irons.
Even the most star struck TV viewer didn’t make it through the 3 hours of boring thank-yous and false modesty that dragged on ad infinitum. The final coup de grace was Warren Beatty receiving his Cecil B. DeMille Award, which finally prompted me to change the channel.
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