As long as Lost and Brokeback...
As long as
Lost and
Brokeback Mountain won the big awards, which they did, anything else that happened at the historically random (and often, randomly hilarious) Golden Globes was gravy to me.
What I love about the Golden Globes as a TV show is the rare opportunity to see movie and TV stars — or, in the case of Felicity Huffman, one and the same — share the spotlight. After all, where would a multinominated movie star and director like George Clooney be without TV having made him what he is? And then there's Geena Davis, resplendent in red and accepting her Commander in Chief Globe with a hilarious mock anecdote of how inspiring her presidential role is to some little girl she made up. She has gone from TV to movies (and an Oscar) and back to TV, and there's something satisfying about that (even though The Closer's Kyra Sedgwick was my pick to win).
Because my editors have asked me over the last few years to handicap the Globes, I comply... reluctantly. Given the nature of the small and insular Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group that seems as susceptible to glamour and buzz as to quality, you'd have to be a mind reader to guess who'll win what. My formula for predicting — as usual, with a lousy track record — is to err toward the Hollywood part of the group's name.
I thought Grey's Anatomy might be a sleeper surprise win, given its enormous sex appeal and on-the-rise popularity. Indeed, one of my three correct picks was Sandra Oh for supporting TV actress (a bizarre category that lumps together dramas, comedies and made-for-TV movies). But I probably should have gone with House's Hugh Laurie over Anatomy's Patrick Dempsey as best drama actor. (When several TV entertainment magazines asked me who should win, I went with Laurie.) And how great was Laurie's droll acceptance speech, pulling random names of crew members (script supervisor, hairstylist) out of his pocket to thank?
My other correct picks: Lost as best drama, and S. Epatha Merkerson repeating her Emmy win as the star of the HBO movie Lackawanna Blues movie. (She gave yet another memorable acceptance speech, this time in the middle of a hot flash.)
I was bummed that My Name Is Earl was shut out in favor of the uneven Desperate Housewives smugly repeating as best comedy. I wasn't surprised, though, that Weeds' delectable Mary-Louise Parker trumped all four of the nominated Housewives — but when will Marcia Cross get her due? — and cheers to Parker's salute to her former West Wing costar, the late John Spencer.
Steve Carell earned laughs with his Office win (a consolation for not even being nominated for The 40 Year Old Virgin?), reading a speech he said was written by his comedian wife Nancy Walls (both are formerly of The Daily Show) and which made constant reference to her self-sacrifice on the altar of his career. It's worth remembering that the Globes showered major prizes on the original, and superior, British version of The Office, but even though I feel Carell has much improved of late (as has NBC's remake), I was sorry Jason Lee was snubbed for his lovably scruffy performance. An even bigger drag: Entourage's electrifying Jeremy Piven losing to Paul Newman in HBO's simply awful Empire Falls flop, which also won best TV-movie/miniseries in a relatively weak field of nominees. Showtime's Sleeper Cell or BBC America's Viva Blackpool would have been more satisfying choices.
There was no jaw-dropper like Nip/Tuck's surprise win as best drama a year ago — mostly, this year was Globes business as usual. Fun to watch, easier to forget.
