Who's Zooming Who? A Very Virtual Golden Globes Night
Monday, March 1, 2021 at 12:45AM by Nathaniel R
On of the funniest bits had Tina defying the split screen to stroke Amy's hair
Given the restrictions placed on Hollywood's most convivial hobnobbing boozy party things went as well as you could probably expect for the 78th Golden Globe Awards. The HFPA was wise to lean into something that always works (Tina Fey and Amy Poehler paired... although this time they were on different coasts) in a year where all the other things that make Globes night so fun, weren't really going to be there to lean into...
There were only two things that you might name as technical glitches. Surprise winner Daniel Kaluuya's acceptance was almost skipped entirely -- Laura Dern began thanking everyone on Kaluuya's behalf -- until his sound suddenly kicked in and he proclaimed that the show was doing him dirty. Thankfully the editors and producers quickly cut back to him for the speech. And were Catherine O'Hara and her husband trying a joke that just didn't land with his phone making so much noise beside her drowning her speech out? Or was that a larger technical problem?
As for a glitch that isn't technical but social... the subject of a recent revelation that none of the HFPA's 87 members are black was brought up multiple times on the pre-show (very awkwardly since pre-shows are generally fluffy and don't wear seriousness well) but found the right balance on the show itself with a funny pointed ribbing from Sterling K Brown and Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us) "It's great to be Black... back at the Globes" as well as three figureheads of the HFPA appearing to make a corporate statement that they'll be changing... though they didn't say how. (The HFPA currently has a very unusual and super specific system whereby only one journalist can represent each country... and those foreign journalists have to be living in Los Angeles and doing work for outlets in the country they're representing)
But otherwise the show was out to amuse and was reasonably successful. Still and all, the Golden Globes have never felt so much like attending a zoom meeting with celebrities instead of friends or co-workers.
the opening monologue icymi
The only difference is you're muted and can't participate.
The cutest touch, given the necessary separations, was the little glimpses we got of "breakout rooms" in which the nominees in the next category to be announced were talking amongs themselves as we headed to commericals. It was not unlike those camera glimpses on a usual Globes show of celebrities visiting each other's tables only this time, they were forced into sitting and visiting with their category alone. Our favourite of these was the Best Actresses in a Drama Series moment where they began to show each other their pets, with Sarah Paulson holding up a beautiful small black dog.
Once again the Globes reminded Oscar what they're missing in ditching their Honorary Oscars from the main broadcast. The HFPA's Carol Burnett Award (for TV) and the Cecil B DeMille award (for movies) went to 98 year old Norman Lear and the iconic Jane Fonda. The clip reels were well-edited and entertaining. Fonda's speech was highly unusual -- for this sort of thing -- in that she barely talked about her career or herself and instead made it about inclusivity in storytelling. Activism remains her primary passion.
To vary up the comedy, SNL's Maya Rudolph and Kenan Thompson performed a quite funny 'Globe Speech gone awry' bit and Barb (Annie Mumolo) & Star (Kristen Wiig) also stopped by to rave about shopping in Hollywood.
As for the winners, the Globes never fail to shock at least once during their annual evening. This time they did so thrice and with the theme of 'Movie Actresses'; ALL THREE MOVIE ACTRESS CATEGORIES NAMED VERY SURPRISING WINNERS. Otherwise, things weren't shocking at all (unless you count Kaluuya's supporting actor win which was a mild surprise but nothing like what happened in the actress categories).
It was a 'share the wealth kind of night' with no film winning more than two prizes. On television it was a different story with The Crown thoroughly dominating the proceedings with four wins (and with them, many repeat shots of Olivia Colman's smiling broadly to her device, ecstatic for her co-workers). The final season of Schitt's Creek, which had so dominated the Emmys, had to settle for just two prizes (Series and Actress) but with The Crown and Schitt's both winning, the Globes were a bit atypical in not fully embracing any brand new show. Of the new series only Ted Lasso won a Globe.
Our DVR malfunctioned (ARGH) so we won't be doing a few of the recap things we planned but we'll discuss the speeches and what this means for the Oscars tomorrow.
For now here's the winners list.
Movies
Chloe Zhao accepting Best Director
BEST PICTURE, DRAMA Nomadland
BEST PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
BEST DIRECTOR Chloe Zhao, Nomadland
BEST SCREENPLAY Aaron Sorkin, Trial of the Chicago 7
BEST ACTRESS DRAMA Andra Day, United States vs Billie Holiday
BEST ACTOR DRAMA Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
BEST ACTRESS COMEDY/MUSICAL Rosamund Pike, I Care a Lot
BEST ACTOR COMEDY/MUSICAL Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Minari wins
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Soul
BEST ANIMATED FILM Soul
BEST ORIGINAL SONG Io Si (Seen), The Life Ahead
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM Minari
Television
The Queen's Gambit took two prizes
BEST MINISERIES OR MOVIE The Queen's Gambit
BEST SERIES, DRAMA The Crown
BEST SERIES, COMEDY Schitt's Creek
BEST ACTRESS, MINISERIES Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen's Gambit
BEST ACTOR, MINISERIES Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much is True
BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES Emma Corrin, The Crown
BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek
BEST ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES Josh O'Connor, The Crown
BEST ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Gillian Anderson, The Crown
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, John Boyega, Small Axe
Did you watch? If so what was your favourite bit?
Reader Comments (71)
The Bakalova loss was one you could feel in the air as her awards run stops completely here. Surprised Close didn't grab the globe to go with her Oscar that's coming.
Solid show considering the circumstances. I loved the tele-medicine bit the most: it was simultaneously a PSA, a clever shout-out to the nominated media, and a tribute to essential workers. Funny and touching!
The Barb and Star bit was fun and made me want to hurry up and finally see the movie, but a lot of the comedy seemed to really fall flat in the room(s). The nod to first responders and essential workers was sweet, but as an audience they clearly were not in on many of the jokes and it made for awkward viewing. The speech from Chadwick's wife was very moving and I'm very happy for Andra Day, Daniel Kaluuya, and Anya Taylor-Joy. In fact, in terms of the winners it actually wasn't as embarrassing as it could've been. Even the surprise wins (Pike, Foster, Day) were respectable.
Did not love the 2.5 seconds they took to address the diversity issue, though.
Best Acceptance Speeches: Fonda, Zhao
Best Acceptance Speech Vibes: Foster, Baron Cohen
Worst Acceptance Speech: Andra Day
Best Presenters: Brown & Watson
Honorable Mention: Taylor Simone Ledward
Dishonorable Mentions: Pre-taped acceptance speeches
Rosamund Pike won, and she was wearing red, her go to colour for awards.
Catherine O'Hara getting some love from the Globes.
I will always love Jane Fonda.
Surprising Bakalova didn't win but also no Close (Even when people put her on LOCKED here). Foster really messed up the category this category.
Def a hard ceremony to watch. Expected, but yikes. When they screwed up the first speech, I died.
I love that the actress wins were shocking, and I hope it means the circumstances of this season will make each ceremony unpredictable, crowning someone different each time. It's about time. We've spent way too long in yawn land during awards season.
Maybe it's a fluke, or maybe Foster gets the nod. Andra Day obviously just boosted closer to that last slot. Rosamund too, maybe. Fun! I still hope Carey wins though. :)
A bumpy coronation for Close or just a single blip? Shame Bakalova is out for the win, but hope she still gets a deserved nod.
Glenn lost her category, but I still think she's on her way to the Oscar since Bakalova lost her category. That mixed with Seyfried missing SAG and the fifth slot still being pretty open makes the category even more interesting.
Not surprised at Close losing.
The globes awarded her for The Wife, so they had nothing to make up for.
Joaquin Phoenix being called "Silly-Billy" might be the funniest thing I heard tonight.
Chadwick Boseman's wife gave the most memorable and most emotional speech. In fact the best speech.
Globe producers- maybe if you cut some of the presentations maybe you wouldn't need to cut the winners' speeches down to 30 seconds at the end.
Why in the world were people assuming Close was a lock to win? Maybe she has an outside shot, but she was never a sure thing.
All three actress categories were total surprises. Pike at least makes sense. I guess peaking late this year helped.
The Audra Day win makes zero sense outside of politics. Any other year, that would’ve been Mulligan’s. The HFPA, just like the Oscars, is trying to save face until everyone stops caring and the real changes can get underway. Standard.
I do love a bonkers show though; can’t say I clamor for more of this type of show this season, and would prefer if they just hand the awards out in a private ceremony or luncheon like the olden days. That Foster win is everything just for being so kooky, haha.
I’m also just happy O’Hara has a Globe now, despite the weird sound issue when she gave her speech.
This has to be the most alien of all awards show during the pandemic thus far.
Can we talk about how insane Supporting Actress is now? You know it’s gonna be a wild race when the only person who seems like a true lock for nod (Colman) is also the least likely to actually win. Imagine if we get another year like ’07 with the Globes, Critic’s Choice, SAG and BAFTA all picking different winners...
Glenn lost to Jodie again and again. I feel sorry for her fanatic cult.
This definitely made the Oscar race extremely exciting because none of the actresses will be repeating at SAG, so Oscar will be a true wildcard.. both for the nominations and winners.
I love that Frances McDormand was too cool too show up for a 3 hour zoom call. Lol
I really hated the show, but whatevs. Minari will have a nice stretch to build good will. I think it’s got excellent chances at Pic and Supp Actress—SAG should tell us a lot. I honestly couldn’t say who is the fifth slot in Actress after tonight.
Lots of surprises in the movie acting categories. It’s refreshing!!
I heard Tina Fey and Amy Poehler didn't just take a shit on the HFPA but also Music. Plus, I also heard Anya Taylor-Joy gave a dirty look towards Kate Hudson. Kate Hudson defending her film doesn't help as she is truly a fucking idiot.
Given what they had to work with I thought the show was great. Some big surprise wins too.
Does anyone know, has there ever been a year where not even one of the three winners for the Actress awards was nominated by SAG?
How genuinely exciting to have no clear front runners in a couple categories and to be spared endless coronation ceremonies of the same quartet all season long.
While Andra Day is not my personal vote, she excelled at a biopic performance, feel sort of foolish not to have seen that one coming considering that genre's track record with awards. Rosamund and Jodie though, genuine stunners!
I have wondered since she was nominated if Jodie Foster could be on the Kathy Bates in Richard Jewell path, and after tonight I don't know if I am more confident that she is or if she is on the Aaron Taylor Johnson in Nocturnal Animals path. Her talent, history, and clout in the industry makes me lean Kathy, but the win was a true honest-to-god shocker.
The Globes do love Rosamond Pike but this is her first win with them. Globes like to be the first, but sometimes they do retroactive awards and nominations. Perhaps they are making up for the Gone Girl loss.
Fun night! Tina and Amy were great as always. So happy for Nomadland but that Foster win is BEYOND baffling.
Wow ! Love surprises. Jodie Foster shot The Mauritanian here in South Africa with a view of my friends in the cast ... so I'm really happy. Also welcome back JODIE !!
I feel like the Academy will go that route. I also think they will have a very close eye on their perception especially after last year - open up to be more diverse and 'political correct'. For supporting actress that means they hopefully include Yuh-Jung ! And if I'm really honest I hope they leave out Bakalova - sorry maybe I'm completely wrong (and I knooow its a satire !!!) but especially in this vulnerable times something wasn't sitting right with me ... And then you got Mulligan and her character on the other hand ?!
Supp.Actress will be between Close, Yuh-Jung or Seyfried ... confusing
Day just locked her 5th spot.
Boseman win is for sure.
Supp. Actor Leslie or Daniel ...
And at least 2 directresses !
Not bad for a year "without movies"
Waiting / Hoping / Wishing that in the acting categories, Daniel Kaluuya will be the only name to be repeated at the Oscars.
Kaluuya's win had been obvious for weeks... given that SBC had another TWO options to be rewarded.
Bakalova's loss may even benefit her. She's not going to face Pike again, and it may be result of: I care a lot's just released while Bakalova has been sweeping, so they wanted to throw her a bone... also, Pike is a bigger star - obviously - than Bakalova, and HFPA can't resist glamour over underdogs. Plus that it wasn't that logic to award her as lead when she's going supporting anywhere else. So at this point, she feels "snubbed" just prior to Oscar, BAFTA and SAG. The main point that launches Bakalova to the frontrunner status to win from now on, are:
1) This was the last chance of rewarding Borat with anything else than giving it to Bakalova
2) Every single competitor - Foster was a surprise nom! - LOST in the category or wasn't even nominated.
3) Oscar has a LONG story of rewarding breakthrough comedic works, from Goldie Hawn to Mira Sorvino, from Marisa Tomei to Tatum O'Neal. When the only nominee is an "ingenuee" newcomer, they many times can't resist, specially if the performance is unique among the nominees (concentrates votes, while the drama ones split).
4) SBC on Oscar, can't be rewarded anywhere else and at this point, he seems due for some Oscar recognition, so he might defeat Kaluuya AND the temptation of awarding Bakalova also in Supporting may be too strong.
5) The main competitor for SA was Close. She got completely crushed in the awards group that loves her the most, just when she would seem the frontrunner for Oscar, and needed this win desperately, given how much the film has been panned. If she couldn't win this one, while other films that had also a mediocre critical reception see Andra Day and Rosemund Pike winning... she's in big trouble.
At this point, for Oscar nom...
1. Colman
2. Close
3. Youn
4. Seyfried
5. Bakalova
6. Zengel
7. Foster
8. Burstyn
9. Fishback
10. Cooke
For the win
1. Bakalova
2. Close
3. Foster
4. Colman
5. Seyfried
6. Youn
7. Zengel
8. Burstyn
9. Fishback
10. Cooke
But this race is the more unpredictable in ages! Loving it!
I'm not sure that we will have Close nominated at the Oscars considering that she is also in the long-list for the Razzies
BLM was in the air during this Globe, not the actual performance... It's sad.
@Jester did you actually see the performance? I have not. Last year we had Renee dominating and her film was not beloved either but she had the performance in a similar type of role. It's not BLM when the white actress you picked doesn't win.
As for Foster, I think she is Bates in this scenario and her win keeps The Mauritanian in the conversation, which works for me.
Pike's win is about a really good, traditional satirical performance in a film with a weak script. She was great even if the film wasn't.
@Jester-just because half of the actors who won were POC and the only surprise between them was Andra Day? Boseman and Kaluuya are both great in their movies, in the TV section Boyega was the only black actor winner and Small Axe didn't win. I don't see all these politics.
C'mon internet relax, if this night would have seen a majority of white actors winners the 'HFPA is racist' ticket was ready
Nothing worked. I'm more depressed than ever. Loved the Minari speech and Jane's montage.
Also love the fact that the female race is wide open.
I love how shady everyone was about “LOL WTF is I Care A Lot?” last month. Now it’s been the #1 movie on Netflix and Pike is a Globe winner! It’s connecting with people, whatever you have to say about it. I was rooting for Pfeiffer, but I’m glad it wasn’t another Borat win.
Thrilled for Jodie Foster too: “I never thought I’d be up here again” and that’s the tea! I always have time for her. Lots of surprises but all of them made me happy. Who honestly cares about Supporting Actress this year? They might as well do a weird fun thing.
The only real coronation happening is of Anya Taylor Joy as I hope she will easily cruise to an Emmy win!
I LOVE Rosamund Pike's surprise win. An overdue one.
Still hoping for Carey and Glenn to win the Oscars though.
Both supporting actor wins in Kaluuya and Boyega are category frauds.
The Crown only has FOUR wins, not five.
And stop it with the politics. If they had wanted a black actress to win, they could have just chosen Viola Davis for Ma Rainey, but I am grateful for the curveball we have with Andra Day.
Is Jason Sudeikis clinically depressed?
It was pretty clear by the end of Catherine O'Hara's speech that her husband's phone was part of a "bit" where he was acting as the producer rudely playing her off the stage with loud, intrusive music. That being said, I don't think the phone was supposed to be creating feedback at the beginning of her speech - so it seems like there was a small technical (or human) error that made an overall good joke a bit confusing.
Finally a mostly non-sweeping year for the acting categories! (actress/supp categories) So exciting! This'll all make for a very nail biting nominations morning :-D Pike's win was totally a make up for Gone Girl and helped by a recent release. She's great in the film even though it's not the best. Also which one on that zoom was Vanessa Kirby?! Both women looked identical! Excited for Andra Day and am looking forward to checking that film out.
Also LOVED seeing horror icon Jamie Lee Curtis present an award to horror icon Jodie Foster.
Some very surprising winners, I wonder how this will affect the race overall.
The awards itself, as a tv show, was so bad. The Emmys pulled this virtual stuff much better. So many glitches and bad overall production.
Andra Day, Daniel Kaluuya, Chadwick Boseman, and John Boyega all gave acclaimed performances and two of them have been called front-runners for a while now, yet it's "politics" or "BLM" when they win over bigger white names?
I'm really happy for Jodie. I rewatched Silence of the Lambs this weekend, and I think it's one of the great all-time performances. I hope her win reminds directors that she's still around and interested in working. Love her pjs, her dog, and her wife.
Lee Isaac Chung's little girl was so cute. I'm glad to see the Zhao train keep moving, too. All in all, it's nice to see some surprises. I enjoyed the show.
Well, this may be the first time I haven't seen *any* of the Globe winning (movie) actress performances. I still don't really feel like seeing of them, to be honest.
A better show than I expected, though still very awkward in the way only Zoom can be - especially those breakout rooms! I was also amused at who chose to dress up and who didn't, especially when the latter actually won.
Tina & Amy did a great job kicking it off and keeping it together - they are pros. I didn't find the Kenan/Maya or Barb & Star bits very funny, but at least they felt closer to what these shows typically are like.
Best moments: Chadwick Boseman's widow accepting on his behalf (I actually teared up a bit myself); Lee Isaac Chung's adorable daughter (and his wife hiding off camera is totally what I would do); both of Chloe Zhao's speeches - short, poised, gracious, and liberally quoting Bob Wells, which is always a good thing. And, of course Fonda, a true class act. I really need to see more of her movies.
Supp Actress is the years most unpredictable,I don't know who the final 5 will be but Go Jodie!
Has anyone seen The United States v. Billie Holliday? The movie is okay, not great. I wanted more back story. And it is a little singing heavy, which I guess is what you do when you get Andra Day? But Andra Day seems kind of amazing in it. Am I the only one who thinks so? Such a shame that her acceptance speech was so terrible last night.
In such a strange year they seemed to be picking those films and performances they liked no matter what critics say.
and she acted like a bitch grabbing that piece of paper from her assistant.
For those asking to keep politics out of this, perhaps a strongly worded email to the award bodies should be the first step.
Politics have always been embedded in them, and surely never more so than the last 4-5 years.
Andra Day gave a very strong performance, there's a lot of raw talent there, but overall I think it was lacking something that may have had something to do with the writing and something to do with direction. I much prefer what McDormand did, but of course she's not winning 3 Oscars. Viola probably isn't winning a 2nd either for a better performance. Mulligan's movie is probably too batshit.
Oh I think McDormand could totally win her third Oscar. When in doubt, why not default to a perennial favorite in a Picture/Director frontrunner. Mulligan actually needed a Globe win, if they won’t go for that performance I can’t see SAG or Oscar going for it when McDormand is such a “safe” choice (as is Davis!) and Day is ascendant, potentially.
Mulligan needs to win SAG and/or BAFTA now to even have a shot.
Close won a Razzie.... hopefully. no Oscar/
Biggest surprises: Andra Day ( have not seen )
Rosemond Pike. ( happy for her... good job, too )
Unlikely but not impossible thought: Carey Mulligan suffering a backlash because of The Dig’s miscast/ageism issue.