Presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards premiered on the evening of Jan. 7.
Coverage of the event started early in the day, as usual, but the red carpet looked quite different this year. In an inspiring wave of unity, every actor and actress in sight wore black to stand behind the Time’s Up movement, a sweeping motion declaring that “the clock has run out on sexual assault, harassment and inequality in the workplace.”
Furthermore, the social commentaries did not stop once the show started, with host Seth Meyers (“Late Night”) using his opening monologue to blatantly address the issues on everyone’s mind. “Good evening, ladies and remaining gentlemen.” was his opening line, which set the stage for him to mention people like Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and President Trump, and also for him to jokingly acknowledge the challenges he faced as a white man being asked to host the awards show in today’s social climate.
To recap the big categories: “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” won Best Motion Picture – Drama, while “Lady Bird” won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Best Television Series – Drama went to “The Handmaid’s Tale,” while “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” claimed the same for Musical or Comedy.
For Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama, Gary Oldman (“Darkest Hour”) and Frances McDormand (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”) won. For this same in Musical or Comedy, James Franco (“The Disaster Artist”) and Saoirse Ronan (“Lady Bird”) took home awards.
“Big Little Lies,” “This Is Us” and “Coco” claimed various awards, and other titles like “The Greatest Showman,” “Call Me By Your Name,” “I, Tonya,” “The Shape of Water” and “The Post” presented impeccable casts, directors, composers and the like, leaving viewers scrambling to get their hands on any and all of the titles featured in the awards show.
Aside from the actual awards, Seth Meyers was not the only one to tackle current events and welcome social change in a speech. The night was full of inspiring words and bold jabs at Hollywood and the United States: Sterling K. Brown (“This is Us”), accepting an award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama, gave a passionate thank-you for being recognized as more than just a token black man in the acting world. Natalie Portman subtly added the phrase “all-male” when announcing the director nominees. Still more people addressed the #MeToo movement and connected with Tarana Burke, the woman who started the campaign, who attended the show.
Perhaps the highlight of the evening, though, was Oprah Winfrey’s acceptance speech upon receiving the Cecil B. DeMille award for lifetime achievement. She seized the opportunity to comment on the #MeToo movement, to educate the world on Recy Taylor’s case, to address the fact that she was the first black woman to receive this award and to say, full of hope, that “a new day is on the horizon.” Her words left many in tears and reopened the “Oprah 2020” discussion in politics and media.
To get all the details on the Golden Globes, check out the full list of 2018 nominees and winners.
