It was a moment when everyone 鈥� absolutely everyone 鈥� expected to see an ebullient Lady Gaga climbing to the stage in her dramatic periwinkle gown. Instead, a visibly stunned Glenn Close got the Golden Globe. But her deeply personal speech about women鈥檚 need for fulfilment outside the family soon had the crowd on its feet, providing the emotional highpoint of the night.
A year ago the Golden Globes were all about #MeToo and #Time鈥檚Up. A year earlier, it was all about politics. The 2019 Globes were much less overtly activist or political, but speeches by Close as well as co-host Sandra Oh and actress Regina King kept issues of equality and diversity alive in a more personal way.
Oh, and of course there was the usual Globes craziness: 鈥淏ohemian Rhapsody鈥� as best drama? The groundbreaking 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� snubbed? And nothing for Bradley Cooper 鈥� really?
Some notable moments of the night, in no particular order:
THE POWER OF NICE
Taking the stage for their opening monologue, co-hosts Oh and Andy Samberg had an explanation for why they鈥檇 been chosen: they were 鈥渢he only two people left in Hollywood who haven鈥檛 gotten in trouble for saying something offensive.鈥� Then they riffed on that by pretending to roast people by actually saying nice things. (鈥淏radley Cooper: You are hot!鈥� 鈥淛eff Bridges, I wish you were my Dad!鈥�) The bit didn鈥檛 get uproarious laughs but was pleasantly, well, pleasant.
BUT 鈥� SATAN?
Was this the first time Satan got a shout-out in an acceptance speech? If so, we have Christian Bale to thank. The Welsh actor was accepting his award for 鈥淰ice,鈥� in which he made a stunning transformation into a chubby and bald Dick Cheney. After thanking castmates and director Adam McKay, he extended a 鈥渢hank you to Satan for giving me inspiration for this role.鈥� He also mused that he might try to play Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell next.
A DECENT NIGHT FOR 鈥極LD MEN鈥�
鈥淢ary Poppins Returns鈥� may have gone home empty-handed, but 93-year-old Dick Van Dyke, who has a wonderfully spry cameo in the film, got a big ovation when he came out with Emily Blunt, who plays Mary. And Michael Douglas, winning his Globe for 鈥淭he Kominsky Method,鈥� exulted that 鈥渁lte kakers rule!,鈥� using the Yiddish term for 鈥渙ld man.鈥� The 74-year-old actor also dedicated his award to his 102-year-old father, Kirk Douglas.
A TIME鈥橲 UP CHALLENGE
A year after the Globes carpet was a sea of shimmering black, worn in solidarity with .MeToo and Time鈥檚 Up, colorful gowns were back 鈥� though some attendees wore ribbons saying 鈥淭IMESUPx2,鈥� marking the second year of the gender equality movement. On the carpet was actress Alyssa Milano, who sent the tweet that made .MeToo go viral she noted that in the past year, a 鈥渞eally wonderful sisterhood has formed.鈥� It was actress Regina King of 鈥淚f Beale Street Could Talk,鈥� though, who made the most memorable reference to Time鈥檚 Up, resisting the orchestra鈥檚 efforts to play her off, and vowing that in the next two years, her producing projects would be staffed by 50 per cent women. She challenged those in other industries to do the same.
OH TURNS EMOTIONAL
After an opener with Samberg full of zingers, Oh suddenly became emotional, explaining that she鈥檇 agreed to host the show 鈥� and overcome the fear 鈥� to celebrate the diversity of the nominated casts. 鈥淚 wanted to be here to look out on this audience and witness this moment of change,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am not fooling myself. Next year could be different. But right now this moment is real.鈥� Soon after, Oh herself won best actress in a TV drama for 鈥淜illing Eve,鈥� and thanked her parents, movingly, in Korean.
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
When Close won best actress in a movie drama, she seemed as shocked as everyone else. But then the 71-year-old actress made a heartfelt connection between her role in 鈥淭he Wife,鈥� in which she plays a wife who sublimates her own ambitions to those of her husband in a stunning way, and her own life. 鈥淚 am thinking of my mom who really sublimated herself to my father her whole life,鈥� Close said. She added that women are expected to be nurturers, 鈥渂ut we have to find personal fulfilment. We have to follow our dreams. We have to say, I can do that and I should be allowed to do that.鈥� The crowd rose to cheer.
GAGA鈥橲 WIN
At least Lady Gaga didn鈥檛 go home empty-handed: She won as a co-writer for best song, 鈥淪hallow,鈥� which she performs with Cooper in 鈥淎 Star is Born.鈥� In her speech, she too referred to the challenges women face, not in the film industry but in music. 鈥淎s a woman in music it is really hard to be taken seriously as musician and as a songwriter,鈥� she said, adding that her co-writers 鈥渓ifted me up, they supported me.鈥� Gaga wrote the song with Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt.
COLMAN鈥橲 鈥楩AVOURITE鈥� THING
Not every speech had a serious tone to it. Olivia Colman, who won best actress in a musical or comedy for 鈥楾he Favourite,鈥� in which she plays a comically troubled queen, told the crowd: 鈥淚 would like to tell you how much this film meant to me, but I can鈥檛 think of it.鈥� She also noted that one of her 鈥渇avourite鈥� things about making the film was that she 鈥渁te constantly through the film.鈥�
That's a wrap on the 76th ! Thank you all for tuning in, and we already can't wait to see you next year!
鈥� Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes)
WHAT WAS THAT, DUDE?
We鈥檙e not really sure what he was saying in his rambling speech accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award 鈥� especially when he started talking about ships, and saying, 鈥淭ag, you鈥檙e it!鈥� But hey, Jeff Bridges is best known as a stoner icon in 鈥淭he Big Lebowski,鈥� so it was sort of apt that he wasn鈥檛 so easy to follow. It was simply fun to experience his joy it鈥檚 just too bad he wasn鈥檛 wearing a bathrobe. Harrison Ford, coming next, was even crustier than usual. 鈥淣obody told me I had to follow Jeff Bridges,鈥� he said.
WOW, SHE KNOWS ME?
It was a sweet red carpet moment as Elisabeth Moss, star of 鈥淭he Handmaid鈥檚 Tale,鈥� discovered that Taylor Swift was a fan. Ryan Seacrest presented her with a video from Swift, gushing about the show. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe she even knows who I am!!鈥� Moss exulted, showing that stars can sometimes be exactly like us.
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