'Slumdog Millionaire,' Winslet share the spotlight
At this point in awards-show history, watching the annual Golden Globe telecast is as exciting as sitting down with a fresh, fat issue of People magazine. No more, no less. The glamour, the gaffes, the relentless hype, the insane styles, the boozy air kisses - they all took the stage at last night's ceremony.
And the pathos, too: The night was tinged with memories of Heath Ledger, from the red carpet interviews, where the "Dark Knight" costars answered questions about Ledger ad infinitum, to the Golden Globes podium, where director Christopher Nolan accepted the best supporting actor award for the late star. "He will be eternally missed, but he will never be forgotten," Nolan said.
If the Golden Globes are an Oscar predictor, Kate Winslet, "Slumdog Millionaire," and Mickey Rourke are in good shape today. Winslet took home both best supporting actress for "The Reader" and best actress for "Revolutionary Road," thanking her costar Leonardo DiCaprio ("I love you with all my heart") and her husband, director Sam Mendes ("Thank you for killing us every single day") for the latter. She may deserve a third award, too, for forgetting Angelina Jolie's name while thanking her co-nominees. The Braving the Wrath of Angelina Prize.
"Slumdog Millionaire" had the momentum of an unstoppable train, from director Danny Boyle's gracious thank you for this country's "mad, pulsating affection" for his British film to the best drama prize at the climax of the night.
And in his acceptance, Rourke continued to draw effectively on the narrative of his rise from the ashes, noting "Several years ago, I was almost out of this business." His teasing thanks to Darren Aronofsky inspired an affectionate middle finger from the director. If the best-actor Oscar race is between Rourke and Sean Penn, Rourke probably took the lead last night, especially after thanking his dogs.
The TV awards were predictable, for the most part, with big wins for NBC comedy "30 Rock," HBO miniseries "John Adams," and AMC drama "Mad Men." The surprises: Gabriel Byrne got the nod for his extraordinary and labor-intensive performance in HBO's "In Treatment," and Anna Paquin won as the vampire-loving Sookie Stackhouse in HBO's "True Blood." Paquin, so composed, provided a great contrast to her stunned, petrified Oscar acceptance for the 1993 film "The Piano."
There were no classic unscripted moments last night, despite the Golden Globes' reputation as an alcohol-fueled party. But the atmosphere was loose. One off-the-wall moment was watching Sally Hawkins stumble to the stage after being taken by surprise as the best actress in a comedy or musical. Her terror and exhilaration had the audience on the edge of their seats. Would the British actress, rail thin, drop? Hawkins's emotionality was a reminder that Hollywood acceptance speeches can sometimes be machine-like (cough, Tom Hanks for "John Adams," cough).
Rumer Willis finally got her chance to be a glorified usher - um, I mean Miss Golden Globe, after last year's ceremony was canceled due to the writers' strike. She looked lovely, mauve, and mature - frankly, more mature than her proud mom, Demi Moore, who cheered her daughter from the audience and later from the stage as a presenter.
We got a first glimpse of the new Kirk and Spock duo - presenters Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto - from J.J. Abrams's forthcoming "Star Trek." Chemistry? No. And we got a long look at the demented duo - Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore, all eccentric bed-head hair - from HBO's forthcoming "Grey Gardens." Chemistry? Yes.
We got to see Sting with a too-brown beard and too-brown hair; Colin Farrell explaining his sniffles - "I have a cold. It's not the other thing it used to be"; and Ricky Gervais reminding Winslet that, in his show "Extras," he had her making a holocaust movie to win awards, which she did with "The Reader."
Tina Fey, rocking some mad cleavage, continued to stave off the inevitable backlash during her acceptance speech for best actress in a comedy. "If you ever start to feel too good about yourself, they have this thing called the Internet," she said. "You can find a lot of people who don't like you."
Tracy Morgan accepted for the "30 Rock" best comedy win: "I'm the face of post-racial America," he announced, then delivered what is bound to be a classic line: "Deal with it, Cate Blanchett." 