‘Argo,’ ‘Les Miserables’ Triumph at Golden Globes
As usual, the Golden Globes ceremony was full of surprises – from goofy, possibly booze-fueled celebrity antics to unexpected, first-time wins. From the spot-on pairing of cohosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to the surprise appearance of former president Bill Clinton, to the thinly veiled coming-out speech by Jodie Foster, the Sunday evening awards show kept it interesting.
On a night jam-packed with awards for both TV and film, no single movie or series walked away the clear winner. In terms of sheer number, the big-screen adaptation of Les Miserables picked up the most movie awards, three: Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical; Best Actor, Comedy or Musical (Hugh Jackman); and Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway). It was the first Globes win for both of the actors. An awkward Hathaway called her Globe trophy a “lovely blunt object that I will forever use as a weapon against self-doubt.”
Photos: 2013 Golden Globe Awards: Live From the Red Carpet
Arguably creating the most buzz, though, was Argo, which won Best Motion Picture, Drama and garnered Ben Affleck his first major directing award. The film, about the unorthodox 1970s rescue of Americans in Tehran, beat out Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, Ang Lee’s Life of Pi and Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. Ultimately, Affleck beat out those high-profile names in the Best Director category. Even Affleck himself seemed shocked by both wins.
When it came to TV series, Showtime’s Homeland was top dog, winning Best TV Series, Drama; Best Actor, Drama (Damian Lewis) and Best Actress, Drama (Claire Danes). Lewis beat out Boardwalk Empire’s Steve Buscemi, Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston, Mad Men’s Jon Hamm and Newsroom’s Jeff Daniels. Meanwhile, Danes overcame Damages’ Glenn Close and The Good Wife’s Julianna Margulies.
HBO’s Girls had a good showing, too, nabbing Best TV Series, Comedy or Musical and Best Actress, Comedy or Musical for producer/star Lena Dunham. Both were big coups, as the show was up against such heavy-hitters as The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family. Newcomer Dunham beat out Fey, Poehler, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Zooey Deschanel.
Dunham wobbled her way onstage, crying and looking like she’d never worn heels before. Turns out, she was just really nervous. “I thought I’d be a cooler customer if this ever happened,” she said. She then proceeded to call the show’s executive producer Judd Apatow an “honorary girl” and thanked all the other nominees for “getting her through middle school” – to which Fey and Poehler later replied by coming onstage “drunk” and calling themselves “losers.” “Glad we got you through middle school,” Fey snarled.
HBO’s Game Change, which chronicled the 2008 John McCain-Sarah Palin presidential campaign, also picked up numerous awards, including Best Mini-Series or TV Movie; Best Actress, Mini-Series or TV Movie (Julianne Moore) and Best Supporting Actor, TV Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie. During her acceptance speech, Moore, who played Palin, gave a “shout-out” to Fey and journalist Katie Couric for making “a significant difference in the 2008 election.”
Adele also had a big night; the singer made her first major public appearance since giving birth to her son in October. The bubbly Brit won Best Original Song, Motion Picture for “Skyfall” from the Bond movie of same name. It was her first Globe win, following nine Grammys and four American Music Awards.
Other notable wins included Daniel Day-Lewis (Best Actor, Motion Picture, Drama for Lincoln); Jessica Chastain (Best Actress, Motion Picture, Drama for Zero Dark Thirty) and Christoph Waltz (Best Supporting Actor, Motion Picture for Django Unchained), who beat out costar Leonardo DiCaprio in the category.
Then there was Jennifer Lawrence, who started out by exclaiming “What does this say? I beat Meryl!” when she picked up the Best Actress, Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical award for Silver Linings Playbook over Hope Springs’ Streep. (The line from The First Wives Club left some accusing her of being conceited.) Streep wasn’t present due to the flu. Lawrence also paid tribute to Harvey Weinstein by saying, “Thank you for killing whoever you had to kill to get me up here.” By the end, though, the first-time winner was crying. After that, President Clinton got the crowd up on its feet by talking about the film Lincoln, after which Poehler cried, “Wow, that was Hillary Clinton’s husband!”
However, the night’s biggest moment went to Jodie Foster, who nodded to her sexuality with a discussion of “coming out” during her speech for the honorary Cecil B. DeMille award for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment. In a long-winded and somewhat confounding monologue, Foster said, “I have the sudden urge to say something I’ve never really been able to air in public, a declaration that I’m a little nervous about. Maybe not quite as nervous as my publicist right now. But I’m just gonna put it out there. Loud and proud, right? So, uh, I’m gonna need your support on this. I am, uh…single.” She then went on to imply that her role in the film industry may shrink or at least significantly change from here on out.
Summing up the night quite nicely, Fey and Poehler declared: “We’re going home with Jodie Foster!”