The 60th Annual Golden Globes has come and gone and for once it was actually full of surprises. The Golden Globes is the first important award show of the year, and it generally has a lot to live up tothis year lived up to all that hype.
Until a year ago, the show had lost its luster by following the general trend set forth by other award shows of giving the award to the same people over and over again. But recently, thanks to the impartiality of the Hollywood Foreign Press, actors are finally being honored for their groundbreaking work.
The most noticeable trend can be seen in the television categories. In what is hopefully a sign of things to come, ‘The West Wing’ passed the torch to a new generation of TV shows. Apparently the action TV genre is back in full swing. Between the breakout hits ’24’ and ‘The Shield,’ which won the award for Best Television Drama, TV shows have undergone a major overhaul. By taking a page out of ‘The Sopranos” playbook, Hollywood has been able to, for the first time in a long while, make the viewer want to keep watching.
Another surprise was the success of cable TV shows. ‘Monk,’ beloved by both critics and fans, won an award for its lead actor, Tony Shaloub. USA Networks hit it big with this hour-long comedy.
HBO did well this year with its breakout hit ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ which earned an Emmy nomination last year and won Best Comedy at the Globes this year. Also ‘Friends’ continued its banner year as Jennifer Aniston added another statuette to her mantel.
While these changes in the TV categories came as a welcomed surprise, the film department still managed to deliver a comforting mix of old and new. The big winner of the night was Chicago, taking in awards for Best Comedy Picture and acting awards for Renee Zellwegger and Richard Gere. The updated musical, which almost never made it to the big screen, was the favorite going into the ceremony. Honored with eight nominations, the most of any film this year, this outstanding movie is now no doubt a strong contender for the Oscars.
Over in the Drama categories, fan favorites Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt) and Nicole Kidman won top honors. Kidman’s film The Hours took the Best Drama honors. This was Nicholson’s sixth Globe win, three of which have also gotten him an Oscar. Speaking of repeats, this award marked Kidman’s third Globe and might lead her to an Oscar win for her portrayal of writer Virginia Woolf. The show also honored deserving veteran actor Gene Hackman with the Cecil B. deMille lifetime achievement award.
The biggest and most pleasant surprise of the night came when legendary director Martin Scorsese won his first Golden Globe for Gangs of New York. Perhaps the fifth time’s the charm for Scorsese, who has also come up short at the Oscars. Meryl Streep also ended her ten-plus year losing streak by winning for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. Her Adaptation co-star Chris Cooper won Best Supporting Actor.
In sharing the gold with a refreshing variety of films and television shows, the Hollywood Associated Foreign Press reminded us that this past year was definitely filled with ‘all that jazz.’