In the opening moments of a Golden Globes night even more chaotic and confounding than usual, co-host Tina Fey raised a theoretical question: 鈥淐ould this whole night have been an email?鈥� Only the next three hours would tell.
Well, sure, it could have been an email. But then you wouldn't have had Chadwick Boseman鈥檚 eloquent widow, bringing many to tears as she explained how she could never be as eloquent as her late husband. Or Jane Fonda, sharply calling out Hollywood for its lack of diversity on a night when her very hosts were under fire for exactly that. Or Chlo茅 Zhao, making history as the first woman of Asian descent to win best director (and the first woman since 1984.)
Or 98-year-old Norman Lear, giving the simplest explanation for his longevity: never living or laughing alone. Or Jodie Foster kissing her wife joyfully, eight years after very tentatively coming out on the same telecast.
Of course, there were the usual confounding results and baffling snubs, compounded here by some epic Zoom fails. But then we had the kids and the dogs. And they were adorable.
Next year, can we still have the kids and the dogs, please?
Some key moments of the first and hopefully last virtual Globes night:
AN OVERDUE RECKONING
The evening began under a cloud of embarrassing revelations about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and its lack of inclusion, including the damaging fact that there are no Black members in the 87-person body. Fey and co-host Amy Poehler addressed it early: 鈥淓ven with stupid things, inclusivity is important." Winners like Daniel Levy of 鈥淪chitt's Creek鈥� and presenters like Sterling K. Brown referred to it. Jane Fonda made it a theme of her powerful speech accepting the Cecil B. DeMille award. And the HFPA made a hasty onstage pledge to change. 鈥淲e recognize we have our own work to do,鈥� said
鈥淚 DON'T HAVE HIS WORDS鈥�
The best-actor award to Chadwick Boseman for 鈥淢a Rainey's Black Bottom鈥� had been expected. That did not dull the emotional impact of his victory. His widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, tearfully accepted in his
PREDICTABLE ZOOM FAILS
It was obvious there were going to be awkward Zoom fails. It started early, when the very first winner, Daniel Kaluuya for 鈥淛udas and the Black Messiah,鈥� was on mute as he accepted his award, leaving presenter Laura Dern to apologize for technical difficulties. Thankfully, the problem was resolved in time for the actor to speak. Jason Sudeikis, whose charmingly rambling speech ("This is nuts!") and rumpled hoodie
KIDS AND PETS, STILL BRINGING JOY
Still, the virtual acceptances from winners stuck at home had a huge silver lining: happy kids and cute pets. When Mark Ruffalo won for 鈥淚 Know This Much is True,鈥� two of his teens could not control their joy enough to stay out of the camera shot. Not to be outdone, the adorable young daughter of Lee Isaac Chung, writer-director of the Korean-American family drama 鈥淢inari,鈥� sat in his lap and hugged him throughout his acceptance for best foreign language film. 鈥淪he鈥檚 the reason I made this film,鈥� said Chung. Winner Jodie Foster ("The Mauritanian") also had a family member in her lap: her dog. Also seen: Sarah Paulson's dog, and Emma Corrin's cat.
LOVE FOR BORAT, SNUB FOR BAKALOVA ... AND EXPOSURE FOR GIULIANI
Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova, breakout star of Amazon鈥檚 鈥淏orat Subsequent Moviefilm,鈥� had been widely expected to win, but lost out to Rosamund Pike ("I Care a Lot") who saluted Bakalova's bravery. In her movie, Pike said, 鈥淚 had to swim up from a sinking car. I think I still would rather do that than have been in a room with Rudy Giuliani.鈥� The former New York mayor's infamous cameo was also the butt of jokes from 鈥淏orat鈥� star Sacha Baron Cohen, who called Giuliani 鈥渁 fresh new talent who came from nowhere and turned out to be a comedy genius ... I mean, who could get more laughs from one unzipping?鈥� Baron Cohen, who won for best actor in a comedy, also joked that Donald Trump was 鈥渃ontesting the result鈥� of his win.
A FIERY FONDA
Did you expect anything less from Fonda? In her memorable DeMille award speech, the multiple Globe winner extolled the virtues of cinematic storytelling 鈥� 鈥渟tories can change our hearts and our minds鈥� 鈥� then pivoted to admonishing Hollywood. 鈥淭here's a story we鈥檝e been afraid to see and hear about ourselves,鈥� she said, 鈥渁 story about which voices we respect and elevate and which we tune out: a story about who鈥檚 offered a seat at the table and who鈥檚 kept out of the rooms where decisions are made.鈥� She said the arts should not merely keep step with society, but lead the way. 鈥淟et's be leaders,鈥� she said.
ZHAO MAKES HISTORY
When Zhao won best director for her haunting and elegant 鈥淣omadland,鈥� she was the first Asian American woman ever to win that award. But that wasn't the only way she made history: it was the first directing Globe for a woman in nearly 40 years, since Barbra Streisand won for 鈥淵entl." Her film, a look at itinerant Americans, 鈥渁t its core for me is a pilgrimage through grief and healing,鈥� Zhao said. 鈥淔or everyone who has gone through this difficult and beautiful journey at some point in their lives, we don鈥檛 say goodbye, we say: See you down the road.鈥� With Zhao's win, the road widens for other female directors.
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This story has been corrected to show that Norman Lear is 98, not 99.
Jocelyn Noveck, The Associated Press
