The Best, the Worst and the Firsts at the Golden Globes

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From the red carpet to the opening monologue to nearly every single speech, this year’s Golden Globes were never more a product of such a specific time and movement. With every actor and actress, in an unprecedented move, eschewing the raucous reds, blistering blues and graphic greens gowns of carpets past and instead donning all black in solidarity and support of Time’s Up, the legal defense fund that provides subsidized legal support to those who have experienced sexual harassment, assault, or abuse in the workplace.

Seth Meyers, in his first Golden Globes hosting gig, seemed nervous at first but his pull-no-punches monologue attacking everyone from Kevin Spacey to the President was a scathing indictment of men in Hollywood. Also, Hillary Mexico Salad Association – brilliant.

You can dismiss the Golden Globes as not influential on the Oscar race since the small group (90-ish) of foreign correspondent journalists living in LA aren’t Academy members, but the eventual win for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was telegraphed all evening with huge applause and support when Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell’s names were announced just before their wins, and for the film itself. We saw this last year with eventual winner Moonlight as well. It was a huge night overall for Fox Searchlight; with the four wins for Three Billboards and two for The Shape of Water (including Best Director), the studio ruled the night. Quite a comeback from last year’s disastrous awards run.

The Best

The women. The night belonged to powerful speeches filled with fire and rage, action and reaction. From Nicole Kidman to Frances McDormand to Allison Janney, the female winners took the stage by storm didn’t back down.

Natalie Portman’s epic burn announcing the ‘all male’ nominees for Best Director with director Ron Howard.  It was especially on point since Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird won Motion Picture – Comedy and Best Actress – Comedy yet she was not nominated for Best Director.

Two words: Viola Davis.

The Worst

For all of the impact the Time’s Up and #MeToo campaigns had on the evening, it was once again left up to the women to carry that load. Not a single male winner acknowledged what was the overarching political and social call to action against sexual assault and harassment.

The shutouts of Call Me By Your Name, Get Out and The Post (the first film in 27 years to land 6 or more GG nominations without a win) certainly stung, especially since the first two have been such critical powerhouses, winning Best Actor and Best Picture critics’ prizes all season.

Barbra Streisand, presenting the last award of the evening, having to point out that she is still, in the Golden Globes’ 75 years, the only female winner of Best Director – for Yentl, 35 years ago.

Will & Grace continued its streak as the most-nominated television show without a win in Golden Globes history.

The Firsts

• Sterling K. Brown is the first black actor to win Actor in a TV Series – Drama (This Is Us). He was also only the second to win the Emmy (for the same role).
• Aziz Ansari is the first Asian man to win Actor in a TV Series – Comedy (Master of None).
• Oprah Winfrey is the first black woman to win the Cecil B. DeMille award.

“In 1964 I was a little girl sitting on the linoleum floor of my mother’s house in Milwaukee watching Anne Bancroft present the Oscar for best actor at the 36th academy awards. She opened the envelope and said five words that literally made history, ‘the winner is Sidney Poitier.’”