Glamour and Glitz at the Golden Globes

January is Golden Globe month, thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Most people see this as a prelude to the Oscars, but I beg to disagree. This is an awards show that should be regarded independently of the Academy Awards. Although there may be similar trends (I hope Heath Ledger wins an Oscar as well), the Golden Globe Awards are livelier, and less constrained than the Oscars, and here actors and presenters can make remarks that sometimes cross over to the realm of inappropriateness (as Seth Rogen's quip on Mickey Rourke's cocaine use, and Sacha Baron Cohen's joke on the Madonna-Guy Ritchie split), but what the hell---they get away with it, as they often do.

And here now are the winners.

FOR TV:
Best Series, Drama: Mad Men
Best Actor, Drama: Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Best Actress, Drama: Anna Paquin, True Blood
Best Series, Musical or Comedy: 30 Rock

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Best Miniseries or Movie: John Adams
Best Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Linney, John Adams
Best Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Paul Giammatti, John Adams
Best Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Dern, Recount
Best Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Wilkinson, John Adams

As you can see, the awards were almost monopolized by John Adams and 30 Rock. Almost.

And now here are the winners for the big screen.

FOR MOVIES:
Best Picture, Drama: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Picture, Musical or Comedy: Vicky Christina Barcelona
Best Actor, Drama: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Best Actress, Drama: Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Colin Farrell, In Bruges

Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (+), The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader

Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz With Bashir
Best Animated Film: Wall-E
Best Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Score: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Song: “The Wrestler” (written and performed by Bruce Springsteen), from the film The Wrestler (obviously)

So how many Brits went home with a trophy? How many awards did Slumdog Millionaire get? And how many trophies did Kate Winslet win?

And finally, as a sort of lifetime achievement award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award is given to our favorite bearded filmmaker, Steven Spielberg. Of course, it wasn't necessary to have all that old timer-drama between Spielberg and Scorsese, but they're old, so let them have their fun. Anyway, Danny Boyle got top honors, so it's not really Spielberg's night anyway.


*photos courtesy of various entertainment sites on the net