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In a year chock-full of notable films and shows, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) did a near-perfect job in selecting its winners for the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony.
The biggest winner from the night was undoubtedly actor George Clooney, who took home the award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) for his career-best work in director Alexander Payne’s film “The Descendants.”
If that honor wasn’t enough, minutes later it was announced that “The Descendants,” a quirky drama-comedy about a man trying to reconcile with his daughters after his wife has been put on life support, took home the prize for Best Motion Picture (Drama).
It’s not exactly guaranteed that Payne’s highly acclaimed film will trump the competition come Oscar season. However, the film was able to garner more attention and praise than other notable contenders, whether it be Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” Tate Taylor’s “The Help” or Bennett Miller’s “Moneyball.”
While this isn’t Clooney’s first sniff at award gold (he won the 2006 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), he was still the night’s biggest winner, drawing deserved recognition over other acclaimed actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling.
As for performers that have never tasted award show victory, actors Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”) and Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”) and actress Michelle Williams (“My Week with Marilyn”) all brought home their first individual awards.
Plummer’s triumph gives the veteran actor an inside track for the Best Supporting Actor award at the Academy Awards, while Dujardin will certainly be Clooney’s top competitor at the Oscars as there will be no categorization between films such as dramas and musicals.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to award-show watchers that two-time Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep was nominated and secured the Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama) for her performance as Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady.”
However, it wasn’t Streep’s victory that came as a shocker; rather, it was in her acceptance speech, when the award season’s all-time leader dropped an S-bomb.
Showtime’s Homeland shocks HBO favorites
At the onset of the evening it appeared that last year’s champion for Best Television Series (Drama), HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” would take home the top TV gold.
However, Showtime’s drama-thriller “Homeland” stole the show, robbing another HBO favorite, “Game of Thrones,” of a potential victory.
Claire Danes took home the award for Best Actress (Drama), while Damian Lewis fell to Kelsey Grammer, who won for his performance in Starz’ “Boss.”
As for comedy, ABC’s “Modern Family” plucked its second consecutive award for Best Television Series (Comedy).
In the supporting actor and actress categories, HFPA had an easy job, recognizing Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”) and Jessica Lange (“American Horror Story”) for their magnificent work this past year.
