The Golden Globes are always unpredictable, and this year’s show was no exception:
“12 Years a Slave” only won one category – Best Picture/Drama, but out of the five nominees in the category it was certainly the best.
“American Hustle” started-off hot and kept going strong. Jennifer Lawrence’s big Supporting Actress win makes another Oscar victory more likely. And Amy Adams pulled a major upset by beating veteran winner Meryl Streep in the Actress Comedy/Musical category. Adams has been nominated for four Oscars in the past. Could she finally win one this year and even knock Streep off the ballot? And then a Best Comedy win capped the night.
Something different: last year’s Supporting Actor, Christoph Waltz (“Django Unchained”), presented this year’s recipient in the category, Jared Leto for his incredible work in “Dallas Buyers Club”. “The Wolf of Wall Street” winner Leonardo DiCaprio never thought he’d receive a Globe for a Comedy.
And Alfonso Cuaron (Best Director – “Gravity”) gave one of the best speech of the night. Actress in a Drama went to Cate Blanchett and Matthew McConaughey took Actor in a Drama. They are now the frontrunners for Critics Choice, the SAGs and the Academy Awards.
The Cecil B. DeMille Award to Woody Allen was nicely done. Diane Keaton had some very nice things to say about the visionary director – closing with a song about their lasting friendship.
On the TV side, “Breaking Bad” was appropriately honored, but the shockers of the night were victories by “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and star Andy Samberg.
As for the show itself: Amy Poehler (who finally won for “Parks & Rec”) and Tina Fey’s opening monologue was sharper, funnier, edgier, and much more interactive with the crowd. How about Matt Damon – “The garbage man who forgot his glasses!” Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie (“The Wolf of Wall Street”) had the wrong teleprompter copy but handled it like pros. And Jacqueline Bisset’s speech is now iconic.
As presenters go: Jim Carrey had one of the best lines: “Dying is Easy. Comedy is hard. I believe it was Shia LaBeouf who said that.” Who knew
Sean Diddy Combs was once on a boat with “All Is Lost” composer Alex Ebert? But the funniest presenter had to be Emma Thompson, who walked out with a drink in one hand and her heels in the other. After a few great one-liners, she asked where the envelope was and tossed the shoes away.
So, will any of this carry-over to Thursday’s Oscar nominations and the Oscars themselves? History says “no” – but we’ll see.