Golden Globes | Golden Skate

Golden Globes

CoyoteChris

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Dec 4, 2004
OK, I watched about 15 minutes of Golden Globes.....are all these people just mean drunks or are they on drugs?
All I seem to hear was insults and even Anne Hathaway sounded like a babbling idiot when she got her award.
Are the oscars going to be this uncouth? Imagine someone saying that all a certain person needed to do to loose 25 lbs
would be to "go to the bathroom"?????????????????????
 

Tonichelle

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Jun 27, 2003
Golden Globes has drinking going on the whole time, and it's a little looser than the Oscars.

For the most part it's been good - with a few exceptions. That being said, the speeches have been lame this year.
 
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Aug 16, 2009
Except for Kevin Costner's gracious speech about the Golden Globes in general and how they call attention to movies that everyone might not know about, and how they have honored great actors through the years. I was so impressed with him. Between this and the lovely eulogy he delivered at Whitney Houston's funeral, he sure knows how to say the right thing at the right moment.

I don't like the crude humor either, Chris. I have a very low tolerance for that sort of thing, and it's not a function of age with me, because I never enjoyed it. Ugh, Sasha Baron Cohen. Why does he have to have the same name as such a wonderful skater. I may have mentioned before that my idea of a funny line is Noel Coward's "Isn't that the Grand Duchess Olga under the piahh-no?" I did like Claire Danes' speech, and I liked Jennifer Lawrence's. And here's Hugh Jackman, who's being wonderful.

I did love the way that Jennifer Garner was a presenter just after her husband Ben Affleck gave his speech, and she started by saying, "Ben forgot to thank two people and asked me to mention their names for him." I'm really glad Ben Affleck won, by the way. He's become such an interesting director, and he was not nominated for an Oscar.
 

Tonichelle

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Definitely Welcome Back! Ben!

Jodie Foster's speech could've been much more moving had it made sense - but her dress was amazing.

Not happy with Lincoln being locked out of winning anything...
 
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Aug 16, 2009
Yeah, I wasn't sure about what Jodie was saying either, but she always looks stunning. I know she's very smart, but I think she tends to resort to what I call newspeak. Maybe she's trying to say nothing revealing, but it just comes across as incoherent.

I was sorry that Lincoln didn't win anything, though it's hard to begrudge Ben Affleck and Argo their victories. At least Daniel Day-Lewis won. I thought his tribute to screenwriter Tony Kushner was beautiful: that he misses having Kushner's wonderful language to use now that he's finished filming.

One interesting thing: the real Tony Mendez came out to introduce the movie Argo. This guy is a true American hero, and I was as moved to see him onstage as I had been in the Oscars years ago when they introduced real Miep Gies, the Dutch resistance worker who helped hide Anne Frank. Interesting that he's such a small man, because Ben Affleck, who played him in the film, is about six-four. You can do that with a non-famous person; you don't have to go for a physical resemblance. But this one was pretty egregious.
 

CoyoteChris

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Dec 4, 2004
I am trying hard to see one reason why Anne would beat Sally in any honest judging of acting quality of these two performances....perhaps people are swayed by the emotionalism of "I dreamed a dream". Not saying Anne was bad....but she is no Sally.
Both Daniel and Hugh are class acts....
 
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Aug 16, 2009
It's not like skating, is it, where you can measure quality of this jump sequence over that one. I have no idea how they compare apples and oranges in these votes. This is how Richard Burton in Equus can be defeated by Richard Dreyfus in a Neil Simon comedy, or Bing Crosby being laid-back and singing forgettable songs can win an Oscar for Going My Way instead of Cary Grant doing a rare dramatic role (going way outside his comfort zone) in None But the Lonely Heart. At least the Globes differentiates between drama and comedy/musical in Best Picture and Best Actor/Actress, but I guess they don't do that in Best Supporting. With the Oscars, there's no such distinction, and it's going to be frustrating in a good few of the categories. I've never figured out why Glenn Close has no Oscars while a bunch of lesser actresses have been honored instead. I don't keep track of Golden Globes; I hope she's at least won some of these.

One factor in people's deliberations might even be that Sally Field has already won top awards for many performances, and Hathaway hasn't. Who knows?

On a totally different topic: some of the gowns were exquisite, and some were not as successful. I thought Lucy Liu's floral gown looked gorgeous, and of course Jodie Foster's smoky silver garment, but Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain, both beautiful women and deserving actresses, had very unflattering dresses on. Julia Roberts always looks classical and unfussy, though, doesn't she.
 
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heyang

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Jul 26, 2003
I am trying hard to see one reason why Anne would beat Sally in any honest judging of acting quality of these two performances....perhaps people are swayed by the emotionalism of "I dreamed a dream". Not saying Anne was bad....but she is no Sally.
Both Daniel and Hugh are class acts....

They are both great actresses IMHO. Without having seen Lincoln, I can't say if Sally's performance in Lincoln stood out more than Anne's performance in Les Mis. I did see Les Mis and felt that Anne did a wonderful job. Anyway, point is that the voters are only supposed to look at the performance in the movie - not the entire body of work. Anne Hathaway has certainly been in a variety of movies - some of which would never be voted for Oscar; however, she has also been lauded for several less commercial performances. Sally's more recent work has been that of a 'serious' actress, but don't forget she was The Flying Nun and Gidget.

Of course, voters don't always do so. Denzel Washington's didn't win his Oscar for his best performance. I can't recall if his previous nominations were in a really strong field and if his win was in a 'weaker' field of nominations or if it really was for his body of work. As viewers, I do think we tend to look at the entire body of work as not all of the viewing public sees every nominated performance. That's probably one of the weaknesses of the Oscar voting - I don't think every voting person actually has watched every single nomination - so, how can they possibly vote fairly?
 

heyang

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Jul 26, 2003
Golden Globes has drinking going on the whole time, and it's a little looser than the Oscars.

For the most part it's been good - with a few exceptions. That being said, the speeches have been lame this year.

On the red carpet, Clooney said he was not going to drink until after he finished presenting.

I recall other years where it was quite apparent that some of the winners (even those not speaking) on stage over indulged.

Also, sometimes the winner really didn't expect to win and was, therefore, mentally unprepared to give an acceptance speech. Don't forget, they are being lauded for performing the words of others. These aren't awards for someone who expresses personal thought/opinions regularly.

I do agree that the speeches were generally boring - everyone just listing out people involved in the project and their families. Frankly, just say 'Thank you' and move off the stage if you are going to do that. Makes it boring, but at least it gets the show moving.
 
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Aug 16, 2009
Well, they do send Academy members DVDs of the nominated films. They used to have private screenings in theaters at certain times around Hollywood as well. So it is possible to see everything. (I knew a guy who was I think a SAG member, and he used to get the yummiest DVDs before voting for the SAG awards.) I don't know whether every Academy member does his/her homework to that extent, but I bet some of them do.

Yeah, the reasons for voting often seem hard to pin down. We do tend to think of the Academy's voting for a particular actor or film for certain reasons, but of course "the Academy" isn't a voting entity. Different people vote, and the totals might go one way or another. Certainly there are some years where people seem to decide en masse that a particular actor or actress is "due," because of many unrecognized great performances in previous years. I kind of think that this is why Pacino won the year he did. (And I'm sorry that happened, because one of the great lifetime performances by any actor had to thus be passed up that year: Robert Downey, Jr. as Charlie Chaplin. He takes my breath away every time I watch that--he does Chaplin's persona, his pratfalls, his emotions, and he ages about sixty years convincingly. If ever there were an Oscar-worthy achievement, that's the one.)

As for Sally having done The Flying Nun and Gidget, isn't it wonderful to see such a career arc? It's as if she started her career as Tara Lipinski (about the same size and pertness) and ended up as YuNa Kim or Shizuka Arakawa. I love that Anne Hathaway made that point when praising Sally, saying that "having started my career as Princess of Genovia," she really appreciated the path that Field had carved out. Actually, though, Sally was just as interesting playing Gidget or Sister Bertrille, though not as dramatic or as profound. She always found the convincing humanity in a role, even when she was wearing pigtails or flying by nun-habit power aloft on the trade winds of Puerto Rico.

If I had that vote in my hands, for the Globes or the Oscars, I don't know what on Earth I'd do. This is a wonderful year for actresses, both in supporting roles and as leads. How great that there are so many parts for women this time around. Hathaway and Sally Field are probably equally deserving of recognition for their respective work in two very different films. Oh, the anguish!
 

heyang

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Jul 26, 2003
OK, I watched about 15 minutes of Golden Globes.....are all these people just mean drunks or are they on drugs?
All I seem to hear was insults and even Anne Hathaway sounded like a babbling idiot when she got her award.

EW seems to say Anne made a nice speech. I didn't see it, but I did see her on stage when les Mis won Best Musical/Comedy. Were you referring to that part as babbling?

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20327336_20664468,00.html#21265359

A ''Dream'' Come True
Anne Hathaway is basically the anti-Jennifer Lawrence, so if you're prone to eye-rolling at utter earnestness, move on to the next slide. That said, even the hardest of hearts had to admire her smart acceptance speech. She called her Best Supporting Actress award ''This lovely, blunt object that I will forevermore use as a weapon against self-doubt.'' Better yet, Hathaway paid tribute to fellow nominee Sally Field for ''being a vanguard against typecasting. As the girl who started out as the princess of Genovia, I can't tell you how encouraging it was that The Flying Nun grew up to be Norma Rae and grew up to be Mama Gump and grew up to be Mary Todd Lincoln.'' EW's own Oscar expert Anthony Breznican deemed the shout-out''very good Oscar strategy. Frontrunners stay frontrunners by staying humble.'' It was a glorious bit of dues-paying (and we'll only dock a few points for her stage storming during Les Mis' Best Picture, Comedy or Musical, win to thank her agent).
 
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Aug 16, 2009
We were talking about the GG's at the office (of course), and we arrived at the conclusion that because these awards are so much less formal—smaller venue, everyone eating (and drinking!)—that as a result sometimes the people on stage think of themselves as chatting to their buddies in the audience. They get a little self-indulgent about things like running up to the mike and saying, "By the way!" The awards have a completely different vibe from the Oscars.

I liked both Hathaway's and Lawrence's speech, and considering how hard these folks work on their films (didn't Hathaway starve herself?), I think they have a right to be earnest past my eye-rolling point. I loved Hathaway's shout-out to Sally Field, when she spoke "as the princess of Genovia." I think Hathaway seems to have a more enthusiastic personality in general than Lawrence, from what I've seen and read. But they both did end up thanking their mommies. (Hey, I'd thank mine!) As for everyone thanking their agents, their publicists, and their manicurists, I used to get really bored with it, but I realize that this is their moment to share the spotlight with a lot of people whose names are unknown to the larger world, who don't get public awards, so I read a few pages of my whodunit and am zen about it.
 
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ice coverage

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Also, sometimes the winner really didn't expect to win and was, therefore, mentally unprepared to give an acceptance speech. ...

I do agree that the speeches were generally boring - everyone just listing out people involved in the project and their families. Frankly, just say 'Thank you' and move off the stage if you are going to do that. Makes it boring, but at least it gets the show moving.

Although I did not see the Globes this year, I generally have no problem with winners who rush to give thanks individually to a list of valuable colleagues and family whose names are completely unrecognizable to me. I think it is very gracious and appropriate for winners in the spotlight to acknowledge those who contributed to her/his success. If I were a person being thanked for my hard work in an otherwise "invisible" capacity (or a loved one of someone being thanked), I would be extremely appreciative for the tip of the hat.
After all, the Globes and the Oscars are industry awards -- and in that sense are much the same as awards presented at local banquets of insurance associations or Little Leagues or whatever.
The only difference is that the Globes and the Oscars have become TV spectacles because so many Americans (and viewers in other countries) are obsessed with celebrities, esp. from show biz.

(BTW, some nominees believe that they will jinx themselves by preparing a speech in advance.)

That's probably one of the weaknesses of the Oscar voting - I don't think every voting person actually has watched every single nomination - so, how can they possibly vote fairly?

Well, they do send Academy members DVDs of the nominated films. They used to have private screenings in theaters at certain times around Hollywood as well. So it is possible to see everything. (I knew a guy who was I think a SAG member, and he used to get the yummiest DVDs before voting for the SAG awards.) I don't know whether every Academy member does his/her homework to that extent, but I bet some of them do.

I think (but am not sure) that the pre-Oscar screenings and DVDs (and VHS tapes before that) were/are paid for by the movie studios -- as opposed to the Academy (or SAG, in the case of the SAG awards).
It wouldn't surprise me if a few private screenings still are held for Academy members -- with the hope that they will opt to see a movie in all its glory on a full-sized theater screen, instead of something smaller at home. Going back to the days of VHS, studios have been concerned that tapes [or now DVDs] do not show Academy members the movie at its best, although they were/are a convenient way to capture more eyeballs.
Back in the day, pre-Oscar screenings for Academy members were offered not only in LA, but also in NYC -- e.g., at the Directors Guild theater.

And movie studios used to send megabucks on intensive promotional campaigns targeting Academy members before the nominations and the final voting for Oscars. (Example: huge, glossy advertising spreads in Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and other trades.)
In some cases, individual nominees or potential nominees whose studios did not campaign on their behalf even would spend money out of their own pockets for campaigning on their own. Melissa Leo won her Oscar after conducting and funding her own campaign. I am not saying that her performance was not worthy -- only that she had to really, really believe in herself.
I think the Academy eventually cracked down and tried to place some restrictions on the over-the-top studio campaigns.

One other note: Am not 100% sure, but did or does the Academy not have a rule that members can vote only in the categories for which they themselves would be eligible?
For example, only cinematographers vote(d) for Best Cinematography; only costume designers vote(d) for Best Costumes; etc.
The exception was/is that all Academy members vote for Best Picture.
For Best Foreign Film, the rules were/are especially strict, with a requirement that voters see every nominated picture. (But I don't know how that is/was enforced.)
 

Tonichelle

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Some awards "shows" give the winner a heads up before the night of. I don't remember which ones, but once you find out stuff like that, you don't get as excited about the speeches.
 

heyang

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Jul 26, 2003
Golden411: I do believe you are correct about people voting only within their categories + best picture.

I know that they've attempted to have people watch all the nominations, but if someone is actively working, would they have time to view up to 10 movies (just for best picture - the max # that can be nominated) that are usually at least 2 or more hours long each. Heck, I don't work in the industry and I do have free time, but I don't even get to the theater to see many movies and even when I'm home, I seldom watch movies via DVD because I find myself doing other things while watching the movie. So, I can't imagine watching that many movies in the time between the announcement of the nominees to the voting deadline. ...and there's my problem that there are some movies that I just don't want to watch - although an Oscar nom might give me 2nd thoughts.

I do believe that studio's also re-release movies into theaters closer to Oscar time to remind the Academy that the film was out there - especially if it was released earlier in the year and the studio feels that it was Oscar worthy.
 
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Aug 16, 2009
I imagine it must take quite a bit of commitment to do the job thoroughly, watching all those movies: fifteen if you do it right (the five in your category and the ten or so best pictures). But I've had friends who have had all-day marathons watching an entire season of, say, The Tudors. Maybe a two-day stint with a notebook and lots of coffee is the way to go about it.
 

ice coverage

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True that taking voting responsibilities seriously means that Academy (or Hollywood Foreign Press) members must devote time to seeing the movies.

But if a voter feels that watching some of the top films of the year is too onerous, then I think she or he has chosen the wrong occupation.
Anyone in any profession (law enforcement, aviation, agriculture, you name it) should have an inherent interest in the latest developments in the field -- as well as a natural desire to gain knowledge, perspective, and inspiration from best practices and the state of the art.

Consider how much commitment it takes to stay on top of a relentless stream of advances published in scholarly literature. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is not exactly light reading, for instance.
And I imagine that attorneys have to spend endless hours digesting new Supreme Court opinions and other case law -- simply to stay current in general (and not because such "homework" is necessarily of direct relevance to their clients at the moment).
Any type of job no doubt has comparable examples.

On the other hand, keeping tabs on the motion picture industry means watching movies intended to be entertaining to general audiences. Not saying that it always is 100% enjoyable, but it does not sound overly burdensome to me. ;)
 

heyang

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Jul 26, 2003
True that taking voting responsibilities seriously means that Academy (or Hollywood Foreign Press) members must devote time to seeing the movies.

But if a voter feels that watching some of the top films of the year is too onerous, then I think she or he has chosen the wrong occupation.
Anyone in any profession (law enforcement, aviation, agriculture, you name it) should have an inherent interest in the latest developments in the field -- as well as a natural desire to gain knowledge, perspective, and inspiration from best practices and the state of the art.

[\QUOTE]


It's not neccessarily a burden to watch 6- 15 movies over the course of a year, but it would be in the short time between the announcement of the nominations and when voting is due, especially if the person is in the middle of a project and has other professional and personal obligations. An actor/director/producer could be filming on location - in the evenings (if they aren't shooting late into the night) usually means studying lines for the next day and/or reviewing footage - squeezing in some time to eat and rest and talk with family. Not much time to watch a 3 hr movie that day, etc. If an actor's on a promotional tour, they have appointments throughout the day and evening - again free time for eating, resting and catching up with friends and family.

I enjoy movies and I really don't watch very many over the course of the year. Even then, there are some nominated movies that don't interest me very much. I'm sure they are beautiful movies, but not much storyline appeal. LOL - I recall a group of us going to see The English Patient - there were 8 of us. With the exception of 1 person, all of us fell asleep for at least a few minutes. I appreciated the beauty of the movie, etc, but I was a bit tired and the movie was 'slow'. My cousin slept the longest - after the movie, he wanted to know who the old guy was..... we were all in our 20's back then.
 
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Aug 16, 2009
>giggle<

That reminds me of what I did when watching Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick's exquisite...very exquisite...soooo exquisite...too, too exquisite film set in the eighteenth century. I've never seen such costumes. After about an hour of somnolent characters drifting around exquisitely, I had a little war with myself about whether, after I'd invested all this time in the movie, I should stay around for the plot to start. After awhile, as people onscreen drifted around some more, I gave up and left. This is the only movie I can remember walking out of ever. I guess I couldn't be a member of the Academy, because there are movies I simply couldn't watch all the way through. My tastes are not broad enough.
 
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