The Golden Globe awards are often the best of the awards shows, because they're more freewheeling and it appears no one really takes them seriously. While they are viewed as a prognosticator for the Oscars, their results are mixed.
They gave the Best drama award to Brokeback Mountain, while the Oscar went to Crash. Same with The Aviator, whereas Million Dollar Baby got the Oscar. For the year 2007, Atonement won the Globe , but the Oscar was awarded to No Country for Old Men. A few years ago, Babel beat The Departed, which went on to win the Academy Award.
The list goes on, but it's not a major problem, as various awards organizations be they critics associations or unions like SAG and the WGA usually conflict in many of the awards.
For me, anticipation of Ricky Gervais as the first emcee in over a decade made the show somewhat of a letdown. Perhaps it's unfair, as the hype would almost be impossible to live up to. He wasn't bad, but I'd call it a middling effort with some of his material spot-on, but quite a bit more was flat, including a threadbare bit to promote his films and TV shows, which went on much too much. Plus, there were times it appeared he wasn't even prepared and was ill at ease -- and not in a comic sense.
His appearances as a presenter on previous awards shows such as the Emmys were hysterical, and perhaps it would be best for him to go back to such focused and sprightly moments, which were delights. As a full-fledged host, he just didn't have the right stuff.
As for the pacing of the show, director Chris Donovan got a number of things wrong, including showing Leonardo DiCaprio instead of Jeff Bridges, who was being announced as Best Actor-drama nominee for Crazy Heart. Maggie Gyllenhaal wasn't even introduced, just suddenly appeared to give a pitch for donations to the suffering in Haiti. And didn't Donovan rehearse presenter Felicity Huffman, who didn't seem to know what she was doing?
He also showed outsized prejudice towards many of the winners, cueing the orchestra to give them the hook, whereas he let others, usually the actors, go on and on, and on and on some of them did.
For starters, the first award recipient Mo'Nique, the expected winner as supporting actress for Precious, took her sweet time waddling her way to the podium. A really long time. Not because she was so far away, but she clearly milked the moment. I find it hard to believe it was not a conceit, followed by a more than 2-minute speech.
She was impassioned and self-indulgent and took advantage of the audience's generosity, blaming her rambling on not wanting to make herself look egotistical as if she expected to win. Is she kidding? She was the favorite. Doesn't she have a PR representative to clue her in?
And she's not the only one. Comedy Actress winner Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia) spoke for three minutes in a bit of a daze. With all the awards she has, can't she come prepared? I'm sorry. Yes, she's an icon, but she could have taken a lesson from The Blindside Drama Actress winner Sandra Bullock, who, though her speech wasn't short, it appeared brisk, as if she cared enough to engage us while thanking the requisite folks who'd helped her. And kudos to Motion Picture Comedy Actor winner Robert Downey, Jr. for Sherlock Holmes, whose schtick was very, very funny.
Best director James Cameron for Avatar also went on too long, over two minutes. None of the aforementioned people were musically interrupted, whereas the poor animation winner for Up was urged to get off very soon, as were the winners for foreign film, Germany's The White Ribbon and musical scoring for Up, plus Up in the Air writers Sheldon Turner and Jason Reitman. And it was very surprising that supporting actor winner Christoph Waltz, the wonderful Austrian who stole every scene in Inglorious Basterds, was also musically shown the door. I guess if the production staff has never heard of you or can't pronounce your name they assume the audience couldn't care less. Yet the actor, now becoming familiar to American audiences gave a very charming speech, however flustered by Donovan's cheap shot.
The Grey Gardens producers hogged the stage after winning for Best Mini-Series, and after one of them endlessly talked it seemed the second one would just say thank you. But then she wouldn't stop. Yes, the music played, but never got louder, so you had to wonder what was the point? Were they just serenading them?
Drew Barrymore babbled on, winning TV Mini-Series Lead Actress for HBO's Grey Gardens, whereas classy lead dramatic series actor Michael C. Hall of Showtime's Dexter somehow managed to give his thanks in less than a minute. And TV supporting actress winner Chloe Sevigny of Big Love was a bitch, actually lambasting the poor guy who helped her onto the stage, because he'd accidentally stepped on her gown. Wasn't it her own fault for wearing a train? Was she going to her wedding afterward dressed as a bride?
Long speeches can sometimes be effective and emotional, but few were so this evening. A lesson can be learned from Martin Scorsese, who, in over three and a half minutes, was precise and to the point, schooling us in the importance of film preservation and the legend of Cecil B. DeMille, whose name emblazoned the career achievement award he'd just been given. Yes, he knew of the honor beforehand, but everyone nominated is a professional and should be courteous enough to take the time to plan and not steal precious moments from those later on. My only complaint re Scorsese's tribute came at the end of the film montage, which gave undue emphasis and was more of a trailer, for his soon to be released film, Shutter Island.
And, though her speech was generally fine, how is it that Julianna Margulies, a deserved winner for CBS' The Good Wife, in thanking her producers, mentioned Ridley and Tony Scott, David Zucker and Brooke Kennedy, but not executive producers Robert and Michelle King, who had also written the pilot which provided her with a job?
So, for me the Globes telecast was a mixed bag. Overly long, with a few pointed moments by Gervais and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who both poked fun of the NBC late night comedy shows fiasco, made more intriguing considering the awards telecast was broadcast on that network.
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The long speeches and feigned modesty were annoying. I turned the show off when Avatar won. So sad.
Bad acting indeed...
Ricky went too far and some of the insults were cruel unless that`s his trademart.
How about Halle Berry , she was the stunner.
As perhaps the greatest ever American actress, responsible for enriching and elevating US cinema to stratospheric levels for the past thirty-five years, I daresay that Miss Streep is entitled to ramble infinitum, if she so chooses.
I'll say this about Gervais his intros were the best I've ever heard. Farrel, McCartney, and Gibson's were the best!
I am also puzzled that you seem to prefer pre-planned speeches listing every relevant person to spur of the moment thanks. Did you visit Marguiles' imdb page in order to slam her for forgetting someone, or are they in your bridge club?
And please don't put words in my mouth, as I never said I preferred speeches "listing every relevant person to spur of the moment thanks."
It was clear, for example, that the Grey Gardens producers, whom I rebuked, had prepared their list of everyone they'd ever met ad nausea.
As for spur of the moment speeches, some people are better at it than others and ought to know what their shortcomings are. In those instances, if they can't be witty, as Robert Downey, Jr. was, then a short rehearsed speech would suffice.
As for Julianna Margulies' slight of the critical producers who put her to work as the series creators and writers of the pilot -- Robert and Michelle King -- in this instance, as a professional TV writer, I didn't have to go to IMDB, as perhaps you had to do to verify my facts.
Finally, though you didn't mention it, enough people have that I'll respond to the horror some felt when I described Mo'Nique's "waddling."
It wasn't because she is fat, it was to describe the choice she made slowly making her way to the stage -- painfully slow, as compared to others. She was purposely inching along, knowing no one could do anything about it, as it was done at the outset of the show.
Many large people move briskly in spite of their girth. BTW, waddling is described by Webster's dictionary as ""to walk with short steps swinging the forepart of the body from side to side." It says nothing to indicate that such action is limited to overweight people. It further describes the act as "to move clumsily." I know a lot of large people who are graceful.
So, I stand by what I said. Her later action on stage talking for over two minutes proved to me that she was demanding attention. Had she been truly physically handicapped in any manner, rest assured I wouldn't have taken issue, as I'd like to believe I'm a bit more sensitive.
Thanks to you and the others for writing, though.
Gervais reminded me of Russell Brand's first MTV Awards. Nervous and a bit surprised that American's didn't get him for three hours. I enjoyed him.
The director should never work on a big show again. Holy moly, that was awful. Alot of speeches went on too long and definitely there was a prejudice there with the cut off button, but your capsule reviews of each speech was just mean spirited and bitter.
Can agree it was a mixed bag; not sure we agree on why.
While he was funny, he was also a let down. A few cheap shots at various presenters, endless self-promotion, and needless harping on the US version of "The Office", which has made him far richer than the UK version ever did. He had months to prepare, and there's not a moment that anyone is going to remember a year from now.
Also hated the short acceptance time allowed for many. Waltz, the guy who made "Inglourious Basterds" what it was, had the violins playing within 60 seconds. Are you kidding me? Mickey Rourke got more airtime, and he didn't win anything, and talked as though he had misplaced his dentures.
A mixed bag to say the least.
I didn't think Chloe was a bitch - she is well known for her love of high fashion, and was nearly in tears when her train was ripped. Was it made for her by Galliano? Plus, her gown being torn distracted her in one of the high points of her career.
If Gervais is never hired again, so be it. Schwarzenegger won't get his "contract" renewed either.
Perhaps that is mild enough for the moderator to allow me to say.
I would have gladly taken 2 hours and 50 minutes of Ricky Gervais and 10 minutes to check the fashions. Who cares who won?
And the self-promotional stuff was irony, I'm sure, and even if it wasn't--it was still hilarious.
The show like you said had some very unprofessional moments created by a lack of artistry and responsibilty but that's not Gervais' fault.
Mo'nique, she hogged the lime light and exhausted any available sympathy of applause from me.
And that classless woman who verbalized her panic over having her 3 foot long frilly train stepped on should have dropped through the stage floor in a comedic twist for the audience. If I had my hands on the lever I"d have pulled it.
Sandra is a control freak but she's hard working and she gave a sweet genuine speech and I loved her for it. She has alot of class but not enough to make up for Cameron who is like a billionaire with ADHD and a microphone....eeeegad what an ego.
Whoever thought it was a good idea for Mariah to get air time on the carpet was on drugs and so was she. The babbling and boobs were too much. She's should start practicing her lines, "....I'm ready for my closeup now...." because that's where shes heading.