By Sophie Isbister (Staff Writer)
Email: sophie at ufvcascade dot ca
Kicking off the annual awards season celebrity wank-fest, the 68th Golden Globe Awards aired on January 17, 2011. The event was hosted for the second year running by irreverent atheist comedian Ricky Gervais of UK Office fame, who pushed both buttons and the envelope, dissing almost every nominee and getting away with it by virtue of hilarity. In between skewering Sex and the City 2 and The Tourist in his awkwardly gut-busting opening monologue, Gervais gave props to the Cascade’s favourite new TV dramas, Boardwalk Empire and The Walking Dead.
Speaking of Boardwalk Empire, it was no surprise that the HBO hit took home the award for Best Television Series – Drama, as well as giving Best Actor to Steve Buscemi. Also nominated were the equally deserving Mad Men, The Walking Dead, Dexter, and, my personal pick, CBS legal drama The Good Wife, which, despite tight writing, compelling narratives, and the beautiful Julianna Margulies, was a long shot for the award. Margulies was also passed up for Best Actress in a Television Drama in favour of Katy Segal’s portrayal of biker mom Gemma Teller Morrow in FX’s Sons Of Anarchy.
In the comedy department, Fox happy-go-lucky high school music club show Glee was nominated for five awards and won three, including Best Comedy. Best Supporting Actress went to Jane Lynch for her portrayal of fascist fan favourite Cheerio’s coach Sue Sylvester, and Best Supporting Actor was awarded to Chris Colfer for his role as the gay teen character Kurt Hummel. The win was well deserved as Colfer’s character had a strong arc and loads of screen time in the second season so far, and Colfer put his incredible acting skills to work this season bringing attention to the hard yet topical issue of gay bullying. Colfer’s acceptance speech was by far the most misty-eye-making; the openly gay actor thanked his fellow cast members and then dedicated the award to bullied teens and “to all the amazing kids that watch our show and the kids the show celebrates.” It even warmed the heart of this cynical viewer.
Another surprise winner was relative newcomer Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons, who beat out established comedic heavyweights Steve Carrell and Alec Baldwin. This was a surprising turn, as this year’s Globe’s were Carrell and Baldwin’s last chance to win awards for their portrayals of The Office’s Michael Scott and 30 Rock’s Jack Donaghy respectively; the stars of the long running comedies are set to retire from their shows after this season.
Overall, the host was the highlight: Ricky Gervais’ humour poked some much needed holes in the old Hollywood guard. His opening monologue managed to insult at least 15 people in four minutes. While award shows have typically been hosted by comedians, Gervais’ particular cutting style is a refreshing change from the pandering to celeb status that tends to happen. I hope Gervais hosts for a third year running next year and continues ripping much needed new assholes in the all-too-comfortable awards circuit celebs.
