Golden Globes: The Morning After

As I write this, I’m imagining that most of the revelers from the ceremony itself are still in bed. Although the ceremony ended almost 15 hours ago, the parties went well into the night. During an interview on NBC’s Today show this morning (at 4:30am Pacific), Aaron Sorkin, Scott Rudin, and Armie Hammer were sitting in the Four Seasons watching tuxedo-clad stars gripping awards just staggering back to their hotel.

So the revelry part came off as expected (although I thought it was a bit more subdued in that regard than usual). Ricky Gervais, as host, was as provocative as ever, although he’s getting some backlash this morning for being too nasty. (I didn’t see it as particularly nasty — and usually the biting comments were pretty funny. He did seem to be trying harder than usual, though, which was occasionally uncomfortable.)

But what about the awards themselves? And how were my predictions? Unlike most prognosticators, I’m not afraid to look back and see how I did.

On the TV drama front, I was generally on target. Boardwalk Empire took best series and best actor for Steve Buscemi, which was the prediction. The big surprise, though, was Katey Sagal winning best drama actress for Sons of Anarchy. Given that the show has gotten good review but only fair ratings, perhaps this will give some viewers impetus to try it out. (And as an aside, Sagal looked great at the awards! I don’t know if it’s spa time or plastics, but it’s working.)

On the comedy/musical side, it was more of a mixed bag — both in terms of the awards and my predictions. I did get the best series (“Glee”) correct, as well as the supporting actress nod for Jane Lynch. Lynch gave a brisk and funny acceptance speech, appropriating the old line about sharing the award but being the one who hangs on to it.

But Laura Linney for The Big C as best actress? I’m as big a fan of Linney as any (although apparently not as big as the members of the HFPA), but I was surprised. Her acting has been very strong on the show, but the writing hasn’t always kept up with the talents of the actors involved (regulars and guest stars). I suppose Linney didn’t think she had a shot either — she wasn’t there to accept.

On the men’s side, I was way off. I’ll admit it. Jim Parsons gave perhaps the most literate acceptance speech of the night, catching himself thanking “my writers,” before chastising himself as being so “crass.” Between the award and the recent three-year pickup of The Big Bang Theory, it’s been quite a couple of weeks for Parsons!

And on the supporting actor front, I didn’t foresee the Glee juggernaut beating Temple Grandin’s David Strathairn. Colfer did really strong work with a meaty character arc, playing Kurt in Glee, so it’s certainly a well-deserved award. The Temple Grandin party was still being heard, though, with Claire Danes winning for her portrayal of the title character. I’m beginning to think it isn’t an awards ceremony unless we see Grandin herself, flinging her arms around Danes or otherwise getting acknowledgment from the audience.

(And in a brief aside on the movie part of the awards, I think the HFPA generally got it right. Having seen virtually all the movies that won, the performances and efforts in each were really remarkable. I might have split the other way on the Amy Adams vs. Melissa Leo award, but it’s a minor quibble.)

Perhaps the most overblown part of the evening was the appearance of Michael Douglas, presenting the best dramatic movie award. He got the expected standing ovation for getting through his recent cancer scare (and had a good line about finding a better way to get a standing ovation). But the media coverage of a touching moment, a surprising moment…eh. It might have been more so if he hadn’t talked to everyone on the red carpet beforehand, done a bunch of interviews during the week, and generally announced himself already. Seemed more like a victory lap. For beating cancer — certainly not for Wall Street 2.

Oscar noms are only 8 days away. The home stretch is near!