Even though no one who isn’t in the awards game could name a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (or would care about their opinion if they did), that group has seen its Golden Globes become the 2d most prominent award for both movies and TV. In the last few years, the Globes have benefited from the Emmys being on what is now an old-fashioned broadcast network calendar, putting the awards in August/September rather than at year-end. And this year, with so little consensus in the major movie categories, some very possible upsets, like The Big Short beating The Martian for Comedy/Musical, or Saorise Ronan taking Drama Actress from Brie Larson, could have major repercussions in the Oscar race.
This year, the Globes have brought back firestorm specialist Ricky Gervais as host, after several comparatively peaceful years under Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, so the stage is set for an invigorating night.
Note: All times are Pacific.
4:58PM: If you’re NBC, there’s always time for another Shades of Blue promo.
5PM: And the answer to “how long will it take Ricky Gervais to make a Sean Penn joke” is… less than 1 minute.
5:02PM: Hands that feed Gervais are being bit, with NBC and the Globes themselves as early targets.
5Transp:05PM: Ticking off the “sort of queasy” monologue boxes with early child molestation and Holocaust jokes.
5:07PM: Jonah Hill’s bear bit seemed more bleeped than unbleeped.
5:08PM: First award, first surprise! Kate Winslet beat Alicia Vikander, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Helen Mirren and Jane Fonda for Supporting Actress–was probably the longest shot on the board.
5:13PM: No award tonight will make me happier than Maura Tierney winning Supporting TV Actress for The Affair. She may not have really been “supporting” this season, since her character was as featured as anyone else, but still–she was brilliant.
5:17PM: Note as of 1st commercial break: the awards so far have been classy. The comedy, not so much.
Fles5:19PM: Instant NBC drinking game: do a shot for every Shades of Blue promo.
5:21PM: The Globes are much more open to new shows and talent than the Emmys are, and so… Rachel Bloom wins Comedy Actress for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a boost that show desperately needs (and deserves).
5:23PM: And the surprises keep coming! Amazon’s charming but lightweight Mozart In the Jungle beats Veep, Orange Is the New Black, Silicon Valley and Transparent for Best Comedy. That’s just… odd.
5:30PM: A question I’ve been pondering since the latest round of Batman v Superman ads: Why is Lex Luthor so thrilled to be introducing Clark Kent to Bruce Wayne? Isn’t Bruce a billionaire and Clark a relatively obscure local reporter? Unless Clark is going to be a Pulitzer-level journalist in this version of the universe? Anyway, we’ll know soon enough.
5:32PM: The slot for the HFPA to talk about itself, or as it’s known in this country, “bathroom break”.
5:34PM: “The hilarious comedy The Martian.” Well, that one’s fair, although the Affleck joke soured it almost instantly.
5:36PM: Hey, remember Orlando Bloom?
5:38PM: Wolf Hall is no Fargo, but at least the Globes didn’t give the award to Flesh & Bone. Tonight it seems like anything is possible.
5:40PM: No one watched Show Me A Hero, and it’s good to see Oscar Isaac get an award for his superb performance. Plus he’s having a pretty good year with that Star Wars movie.
5:45PM: To Paul Feig, put in a headlock by Jason Statham for the sake of a gag.
5:48PM: Ben Mendelsohn put Bloodline in his pocket and walked away with it, but this may be Mr. Robot‘s night.
5:52PM: Quentin Tarantino thinks Ennio Morricone is better than Mozart and Schubert, so there’s that.
5:54PM: The end of an era: this may be the last Mad Men award Jon Hamm ever wins.
5:58PM: Incidentally, can America Ferrara and Eva Longoria host next year?
6:03PM: Please let this Jennifer Lawrence/Amy Schumer bit not be a preview of their upcoming movie.
6:08PM: Fox slotted The Martian as a “comedy” so Matt Damon and the picture would have a clear path to awards, and the first half has worked. Whether Damon can beat DiCaprio for the big prize is a much tougher question.
6:14PM: Inside Out was such a sure thing that even the Globes couldn’t pass it over.
6:17PM: Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling were in separate storylines of The Big Short, but they’re trying to make up for it with some banter tonight.
6:18PM: The bandwagon may have just started for a Sylvester Stallone Oscar win. And the standing ovation doesn’t hurt, either.
6:20PM: But he should have thanked Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan.
6:27PM: And now some joy for the fans of Daddy’s Home while we wait for Best Screenplay to be given out.
6:30PM: The important thing isn’t that Aaron Sorkin won Screenplay for his embattled Steve Jobs. The important thing is that Spotlight lost the award it was supposed to be guaranteed. That unstoppable force may be losing momentum.
6:32PM: The Globes really, really like Mozart In the Jungle. But Aziz Ansari takes the moral victory prize with his Jeffrey Tambor gag, the funnieset bit of the night.
6:32PM: Can NBC simulcast the Globes on a cable network next year or have a streaming feed that doesn’t bleep out every second person who has something to say?
6:38PM: According to all-knowing Twitter, Stallone rushed back to the podium after NBC had already cut to commercial when he realized he hadn’t thanked Ryan Coogler.
6:40PM: Son of Saul may have been the film of 2015 that was most difficult to watch, but it’s a remarkable, haunting, powerful piece of filmmaking.
6:43PM: We’ve all lived long enough to see Lady Gaga win a Golden Globe for Best Actress.
6:44PM: Has the Internet exploded yet?
6:5PM: One of the most forgettable Bond songs ever wins Best Song. But only because Lady Gaga wasn’t nominated.
6:54PM: In the low-hanging comic fruit department, Ricky Gervais’s introduction of Mel Gibson. Which led to a colostomy joke. Which led to something bleeped that made Alan Cumming look as though he was having a stroke. The TV-MA version of the Globes might actually be funny.
6:58PM: It was indeed Mr. Robot‘s night. USA Network, Lady Gaga and Sylvester Stallone are all walking away with statues tonight, making for a strange evening even by Golden Globe standards.
7:05PM: Tom Hanks can’t really pull off a Denzel Washington impression. But due credit for trying.
7:15PM: Since the winners of the lifetime achievement awards know weeks in advance about their win, it’s always odd when they get up to the podium and seem less organized than the people who just found out seconds earlier that they need to make a speech.
7:19PM: For those wondering what Chris Evans’ connection was with Spotlight, he helpfully explained: Boston.
7:21PM: Another shock: The Revenant takes Best Director over Spotlight, George Miller and Ridley Scott. One point to note: the Globes didn’t give Inarritu the award last year, passing him over for Richard Linklater. Still, Revenant is having a hell of a weekend, with DiCaprio’s (presumed) win still to come.
7:25PM: The last TV award of the night goes to its biggest name: Taraji P. Henson, who hands out cookies on her way to the stage.
7:32PM: Jennifer Lawrence’s 3rd Golden Globe for her 3rd David O. Russell film.
7:36PM: Lawrence wants to be buried with Russell, and the Globes seem to want to be buried with both of them.
7:42PM: Say what you will about Fox’s cynical ploy, but it worked: The Martian won both of its major Comedy awards for Picture and Actor, and lost the one category (Director) where it couldn’t play the category game.
7:46PM: When you’re Ridley Scott, you can just say “screw you” to NBC and the Globes, and what are they gonna do?
7:53PM: Brie Larson keeps her Oscar lead with the Best Drama Actress Globe.
7:55PM: DiCaprio gets his coronation–er, I mean award. The standing ovation tribute normally goes to someone more venerable, but This Is His Year. The question now is, can Revenant pull off the Picture upset?
7:58PM: You have to love the way everyone is just ignoring the orchestra’s attempts to play them off.
8:03PM: And The Revenant springs the upset!!! (Remember, though, once again that the Globes gave their award to Boyhood last year.) Spotlight is left deeply wounded by this.
8:05PM: That’s it–NBC was so desperate to end the show that they didn’t even put Ricky Gervais on camera to say Goodnight.
So… where are we in Oscar terms? The Revenant and The Martian (both from Fox, by the way) were the night’s big winners, respectively with Drama/Director/Drama Actor, and Comedy/Comedy Actor. Brie Larson looks strong for Actress, Stallone may have jumped to the lead for Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress is a free for all. Spotlight and Open Road, its relatively inexperienced studio, needs to figure out its next step, and quickly.
Oscar nominations on Thursday morning, but first the DGA announces its nominees on Tuesday.
About the Author
