Golden Globes 2011

I recorded The Golden Globes last night.  Watched them when I woke up before I got spoilers on the winners from my email or wherever.  I don't remember watching them before, though I do know they have a reputation for more shenanigans than other awards, that the stars get drunk and cut loose more, also that there is controversy regarding awards/nominations being bought.  Like c'mon, The Tourist getting a nod?  That was such a piece of crap film.  It makes sense though; there's so much benefit to be gained for a product with an award.   Even a nomination gives whatever a sheen of prestige.  Of course the integrity of the process should be questioned, but who really cares?  It's just entertainment, and yeah it's a big money business, but it's only show biz, right?

Anyhow, this was the first time I watched an awards show with the DVR, and it was nice being able to rewind and skip bits. The show is long and boring though.  There's not much of interest aside from looking at the celebrities and seeing who you can recognise and speculate on what all plastic surgeries they might have had or whether it's just ageing that's transformed them.  If you haven't watched any of the nominations, it's more difficult to predict who will win, but more important, if you ain't watched anything in the category, you can't weigh in with your own opinion and therefore, you have less investment in the outcome.   I've seen most of the nominated films, but even  I didn't much care who or what won. 

I thought maybe Jeremy Irons had too much to drink when he started shoulder groping the diminutive Dr. Aida Takla O'Reilly, President of the Hollywood Foreign Press.  She giggled and looked uncomfortable as he leaned over her, draping his arm around her and being all massagey finger hands.  Joe thought maybe he was just trying to get closer to the mic, but I thought he was showing bad boundaries, a fairly common thing where men assume women are fine with hugginess.  Could be he's a huggy guy.  Who knows, but the reaction shots of Nicole Kidman and Madonna, where they did not look impressed, seem to indicate they thought he was crossing lines too.

I liked when Jimmy Fallon made fun of Adam Levine - show me your moves like Jagger.  I guess this was a reference to a song of  Levine's.  I've never heard the song, Maroon 5? but it's always fun seeing a big ego get prickly in the face of criticism.  I did like Lambert's big floppy bow tie and tux.

I tried not to judge any of the stars for their looks, except it's hard not too what with all the too smooth and wrinkles stretched tight plastic surgeried older actresses. When Jessica Lange won, I was marvelling on how's she's totally redone in the mode of Jane Fonda and Mary Tyler Moore.  The reaction shots while she was giving her acceptance speech were of her cohorts and about half the fun of seeing them was figuring out which of them has had much more work done than others.  I don't think there's an undone women in Hollywood.  It's just part of the business, keeping your looks up to an unnatural standard.  The men get work done too, but they seem to start later, and there's less pressure on them to look young and beautiful anyhow.

I noticed a few of the dresses, the standouts being Reese Witherspoon looking Hollywood glamorous gorgeous in a red dealio that emphasised her curves.

and Jessica Biel in a see-through super slutty lacy looks like a wedding dress. 

 

I felt sorry for Angelina Jolie some, as her sleeveless gown emphasised how so, so bony she's become. 
 Makes me worry for her some. 

Also Natalie Portman's dress had a big hip wing that looked like a mistake.

There is so much TV I have never heard of, and have no interest in seeing.  There were a couple few series I've actually watched an episode of, but very few TV shows nominated intrigued me enough where I'd make the time commitment to check out a new series.  What if I like it?  It's way too much of an investment getting into a series.  I like movies much better.  Over and done with in the 90 - 120 minute range usually.

Morgan Freeman winning the Cecile B. Demille award was a bit excruciating to watch.  Sidney Poitier was having problems reading the teleprompter and his intro came off super pompous and fatuous.  Made me roll my eyes some, and I like Morgan Freeman.  He's done a whole lot of interesting work.  Still, it seems to me that he's like an Uncle Tom kinda guy who has done roles that make Americans feel like racism is in the past and really we shouldn't even be talking about it anymore.  Meanwhile more black men are in jail now than were slaves in 1850.  It was sweet that Freeman said, in his house, the award would be known as the Sidney Poitier award.

I'm happy The Help got some play as this is a movie that overtly addresses racism, albeit in the past. Octavia Spencer won best supporting actress for playing a maid who talks shit about her bitchy employer through a proxy white girl.  It's kinda pathetic that this is how the issue of racism is presented, but I guess any talk on these issues is progress.  At least she gave a nod to the dignity and worth of domestic labourers.  This was THE ONLY political moment in the whole show, aside from Clooney massaging Brad Pitts ego for his charity work where?  In the world....outside of Hollywood.  I guess the stars are aware they are in an enclave of privilege and playing up the part is part of the game too.  Gervais's offhand comment at the end that he hoped the champagne, gift bags, and gold took everyones' mind off the recession, backs that up.