In this publicity image released by NBC, host Ricky Gervais is shown during the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (PAUL DRINKWATER/ Associated Press) (PAUL DRINKWATER/ Associated Press)
Last Sunday’s Golden Globes awards have come and gone, however, don’t think it was another one of those under-produced, long winded broadcasts, no, this one had flair.
Hosted by the foul-mouthed, never shy Ricky Gervais, the British media mogul’s comedic timing was spot on, and his jokes, to say the least, were just a few inches under the belt. Not one soul in the star-studded audience was safe. Heck, not even the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group behind the Golden Globes, could escape the fury that was Ricky Gervais. Attacking everything from Tom Cruise’s sexuality to “Sex and the City’s” obvious photo shopped posters, Gervais was a sight to see.
At one point in the broadcast, when the cameras would pan over to a celebrity’s face, one could see the beads of nervous sweat that had developed as they awaited the host’s next victim.
In terms of actual awards, unlike Gervais’ jokes, they came quite expectedly. Let’s tackle the most obvious categories first. Shoe ins like Christian Bale for his role in “The Fighter,” “The Kids Are All Right” for Best Musical or Comedy, and “Toy Story 3” for Best Animated Feature, all received their almost certain trophies.
With his Golden Globe win, Bale is now the sure pick for the Oscar’s Best Supporting Actor title. Claire Danes continued raking up awards for her role as Temple Grandin, in the biopic about an unexpected genius, and delivered one of the best speeches of the night while doing so. Annette Bening won her category in which she had no competition, and can now set her sites on Oscar night, where it will take quite an upset to beat this year’s frontrunner Natalie Portman for “Black Swan.”
In terms of television, the musically inclined show “Glee” took honors in Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Comedic Television Series (we all know “Modern Family should have won).
On the dramatic side, HBO’s prohibition era piece, “Boardwalk Empire,” took home honors for Best TV Drama, and the show’s star, Steve Buscemi, took home the award for Best Actor in a Television Drama.
As many people revere the Golden Globes as a precursor to how the Oscar voters will sway, the night’s many movie categories are closely followed.
This year, the heavy contenders include “The Fighter,” “The King’s Speech,” and the Facebook fueled drama, “The Social Network.”
Although there are 10 nominees come Oscar night, it is between these three films in terms of actually having a shot at winning Best Picture.
However, it seemed as if “The Social Network” was a clear favorite, as it ended the night by winning Best Score, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and of course the night’s biggest prize, Best Motion Picture.
As previously stated, with the Golden Globes being a whiff of Oscar night, it seems as if “The Social Network” leads the race to the coveted Best Picture trophy.
As a whole, this year’s Golden Globes was the best broadcast the HFPA has put out in almost a decade. Plagued with enjoyable rancid jokes, not one person knew what to expect.
As the Oscar race heats up, one can only presume that the Globes will have a major impact and if the Oscars can put on half the show the Globes did, then we can all consider ourselves spoiled.
