This Year's "Miss Golden Globe" is... Isan Elba

by Nathaniel R

Yes, yes. The title is now technically "Golden Globe Ambassador" but we like the campier original title "Miss." It's more befitting to the unholy tradition of Hollywood celebrities sacrificing their children to the HFPA in ritualistic gene-pool exhibition. 

Kim and Idris Elba's daughter Isan is the new ambassador and does plan to go into showbusiness though she's waffling between acting and directing. (FYI: The only previous Miss Golden Globes that went on to become Golden Globe nominated actors themselves are Linda Evans, Anne Archer, Melanie Griffith, Laura Dern, and Joely Fisher... though we imagine Dakota Johnson will get there some day.) Isan and Idris's statements are after the jump...

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With A Star is Born going 'Drama' where does that leave the 'Musical/Comedy' race at the Golden Globes?

by Nathaniel R

Perhaps you've heard that both A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody will being competing as Dramas rather than Musicals at the Globes. That's a fairly shocking move since dramatic biopics about musicians generally campaign as "Musical or Comedy" -- think Walk the Line, Ray, Beyond the Sea, Coal Miner's Daughter. Presumably Warner Bros has bought into the stigma that "Comedy or Musical" is the lesser category which is really unfortunate because it's one of the best things about the Globes. The Comedy or Musical prizes are filled with great stuff that Oscar SHOULD have recognized throughout the years.

The Globes really ought to have consistency with who they allow to compete where but since they don't, it's a savvy move on Warner Bros part especially in the field of 'Best Actress, Drama' where Glenn Close's campaign probably felt that the win was all but locked up until Lady Gaga (already a Globe favorite) muscled in. Glenn Close has won two Globes herself so it's not like the Globes don't like her but it's worrying that the Globes have only given her prizes for her TV work. Like Oscar they went in other directions every time she was up for movie roles during her highly popular 1980s run. As for Bohemian Rhapsody it's a strange choice since Rami Malek will probably have a tougher time breaking into Best Actor, Drama... 

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Barbara Harris (1935-2018)

by Nathaniel R

Barbara Harris in The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979)

Sad news yesterday. One of the nation's best and most underappreciated actresses Barbara Harris passed away at 83 from lung cancer. The Chicago native got her start as a teenager on local stages and was an original member of Chicago's famed Second City troupe. Her intermittent screen career sprang initially from her stage successes. Though her filmography is mostly in the 1970s, she made a few 80s movies before retiring including Peggy Sue Got Married, Grosse Point Blank, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Curiously for such a talented thespian of both stage and screen, she seemed somewhat ambivalent about her career, stating that she didn't miss acting after her retirement...

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Greta Gerwig's "Roots and Wings" Tribute

by Murtada

Before she was rushed off the stage by the ticking clock, Greta Gerwig still managed to be profound and touching when accepting the award for Best Film Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes. That she managed to do that with just a few words is even more impressive.

I want to say thank you to my mom and dad and the people of Sacramento who gave me roots and wings and helped me get where I am today.

Early on in Lady Bird there’s a scene where Marion (Laurie Metcalf) drives around Sacramento with a peaceful smile on her face. Later on in the film Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) talks about driving for the first time herself, and the connection between the mother and daughter and their love for each other and for the place they live in is revealed to us. I was reminded of that moment and how much it moved me while listening to Gerwig’s speech.

The places we come from give us our stories. Those are more poignant if while young we longed to leave those places, only later to discover how much they meant to us. Sometimes out of nowhere, we remember with a jolt of heartache. For me, it’s sleeping outside under a blanket of stars, in the warm clear nights of my hometown Khartoum. For Marion and Lady Bird it’s driving along the familiar streets of their hometown. We are where we come from, and where we come from is what gives us our unique stories. Gerwig lovingly captured that feeling in her film, and paid tribute to it with her speech. As Sister Sarah (Lois Smith) tells Lady Bird sometimes love is paying attention to the details that make up a story.

Don’t you think maybe they are the same thing? Love and attention?

The Cruelty of Winona's Comeback Commercial

Chris here. The Golden Globes seem to be leaving many in a rage, despite a rather triumphant night for women with some powerful statements made by the winners. Please indulge me in my own more frivolous and hopefully levity-infusing rage: L'Oréal tricked us into thinking Winona Ryder would be getting a star vehicle!

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