Well, it is that time of year again — awards season. Yet, as Hollywood’s finest stars swelter under the California sun, paparazzi flashbulbs and petty inquiries from NBC’s top notch reporters (ex-pro football player Tiki Barber?) during the preshow for the 66th Annual Golden Globes, I could not help but think about what a difference a year makes. Thanks to the writers’ strike, viewers had to resort to watching the lackluster debacle that was last year’s awards on CNN with a monotonous Larry King voiceover.
Fortunately, writers are back at their desks and box office numbers are up this time around, so there’s no better time to celebrate and recognize the year’s outstanding achievements in film and television while, at the same time, blissfully ignoring the looming screen actors’ strike.
As far as the big winners go, underdog flick, “Slumdog Millionaire,” cashed in by winning in all four of its nominated categories including the night’s biggest prize, Best Dramatic Motion Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Original Score.
Despite being relatively unheard of upon its release, near universal critical acclaim and the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai played a key role in bringing this film into the spotlight. Nevertheless, you have to wonder how much this British movie set in India benefited from the fact that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — an organization composed of international journalists who live in Hollywood but are affiliated with media outside of the United States — were the ones casting the ballots. Regardless, “Slumdog” is shaping up to be a strong competitor come Oscar time.
On the other hand, heavyweights like “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Doubt” and “Frost/Nixon,” which each received five nominations, were dealt a serious blow as the films collectively went 0-for-15.
Luck was on the side of Kate Winslet, though, as she picked up her first career Golden Globe for her supporting role in “The Reader” and then earned her second later that night with an unexpected yet well-deserved win in the Best Dramatic Actress category, beating out equally moving performances by Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie and the all-time Globe record holder for wins and nominations, Meryl Streep.
Unfortunately, Leonardo DiCaprio and Winslet’s first time on screen together since “Titanic” did not pan out as well for Leo, who lost out to Mickey Rourke, the bad boy with a soft, gooey center, in the Best Dramatic Actor category. Rourke’s win for his comeback role in “The Wrestler” did prove, however, that Hollywood loves to reward actors whose own life stories are as dramatic as the ones they portray.
Fox Searchlight Pictures, which claims to produce “indie” films despite being a division of one of the largest production studios, also proved its right to compete with the big boys by pulling in a total of six Globes — four for “Slumdog” and two for “The Wrestler,” which also won for Bruce Springsteen’s Best Original Song.
The night’s best speech came from “The Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan, who gave a short but sweet tribute upon accepting Heath Ledger’s widely projected posthumous win for Best Supporting Actor. Although many skeptics will question whether or not Ledger would have won had he still been alive, his maniacal turn as the Joker clearly outshone not just the other actors nominated (Tom Cruise’s crude cameo in “Tropic Thunder,” really?) but all other supporting roles this year. Therefore, although his death most likelyplayed a part in his win, it does not mar his well-merited victory.
What is truly a shame, though, is that “The Dark Knight” was left out of all other categories due to the HFPA’s obsession with honoring prestige dramas while overlooking blockbusters and controversial films like “Milk,” which received only one nomination. One can only hope Oscar voters will show Nolan’s gritty masterpiece more love.
As far as television goes, the night’s wins were predictable to say the least. Having already won 13 Emmy Awards last September, “John Adams,” HBO’s historical seven-part miniseries chronicling the nation’s second president, won in all four of its nominated categories. AMC’s “Mad Men” and NBC’s “30 Rock” wins also reflected the Emmys, with the former winning Best Dramatic Television Series and the latter earning Best Comedic Television Series and acting victories for Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey.
One of the most disappointing displays of the night, however, was the treatment the nominees for Dramatic TV Series received from NBC, the network airing the awards. In a rushed attempt to keep the show under three hours, the award was quickly squeezed in before the break and clips of the show were removed. Judging by the royal handling of the comedy show category, which included two NBC nods, it is hard to believe this would have occurred had NBC actually had any shows nominated in the dramatic category.
All in all, now that the Globes have been wrapped up, it will be interesting to see when Oscar nominations are announced Jan. 22 how much the results weigh voters’ choices. There is no doubting that there are 13 million people in Mumbai hoping they do.
Tony Lewis is a junior majoring in journalism and legal studies. If you have any questions, comment or also think “The Dark Knight” was shafted in terms of nominations, let him know at [email protected].
