Golden Globes 2021 Recap
I am pleased to announce that out of 25 total awards, my prediction was correct fourteen times and my personal preference was correct eleven times (with some overlap between the two). My key takeaway is that I really underestimated how much the voters love The Crown and overestimated the possibilities of curveballs. You live and you learn!
Here’s my personal highlights reel of the night, in no particular order, because I don’t have the energy to make this into a cohesive essay or anything like that:
I cried when Emma Corrin won for her performance as Princess Diana in The Crown. Long time readers of the blog will know that I’m a big fan of Lady Di content, and I was very fond of Emma’s portrayal. I did not think she would win because, based on the Emmys, I’d anticipated a bigger Ozark presence, even though I’ve yet to watch Ozark and am a huge fan of The Crown, but as discussed previously, the Golden Globes are usually not in line with other award shows and the real predictor of the Oscars and Emmys is the SAG Awards! Anyway, I love Emma and could tell how proud and happy she was.
I loved everything about Jane Fonda’s acceptance speech and she is a huge role model of mine, but I was particularly delighted when she used her last moments on stage to wish Tommy Tune a happy birthday.
Jason Sudeikis’ acceptance speech for his role in Ted Lasso (another incorrect prediction of mine because I was hoping for another Schitt’s Creek sweep, although I have heard good things about Ted Lasso) was a hot mess, and I am already anticipating the memes of Don Cheadle miming to him to wrap it up over zoom.
I know it was probably at the least partially scripted, but I loved the bit when the little kids were being quizzed on the Golden Globes and the only person they all knew of was Chadwick Boseman.
I also enjoyed the sketch with healthcare professionals, cause why not?
I was very happy with both of Schitt’s Creeks’ wins, one for Best Television Series- Musical or Comedy and another for Catherine O’Hara’s performance as Moira Rose. I really admire how Dan Levy is always able to bring inclusivity into his speeches with kindness and care for the industry and without vitriol, and think he did a really good job of demanding more diversity in awards season in both his Emmys and Golden Globes speeches.
Cynthia Nixon had a cardboard cutout of Bernie Sanders at the inauguration behind her. I loved it.
It was a very moving reminder of how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time when Jodie Foster kissed her wife during her acceptance for her role in The Mauritanian. I remember when she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2013 and she “came out” publicly for the first time. She didn’t actually come out, she didn’t label herself and only vaguely referred to having a female partner, but it was a really big deal at the time. I’m glad we’ve moved past that (for the most part) as an industry and that Foster has moved past that in her own life and is able to feel more comfortable living her truth.
I haven’t had the chance to see Minari yet, but that acceptance speech was freaking cute. His daughter!!! What a smush!!!
So the pre-commercial break interludes where nominees all sat in a zoom call were horrendously awkward, except for when Emma Corrin showed off her cat and Sarah Paulson showed off her dog. We’ve all learned by now the only way to make a zoom less awkward is by bringing in the pets, and it was hilarious to see celebrities navigate their zoom calls the same ways. The stars- they’re just like us!
Obviously, Chadwick’s posthumous win and the acceptance speech by his widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, was incredibly moving. I don’t think I can do the speech justice, but I encourage you to watch it if you have not already.
I loved Sacha Baron Cohen’s two well-deserved acceptance speeches, but especially his shoutout to his bodyguard. If you haven’t read up on the literal life-threatening danger the cast and crew of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm got into in the name of political satire in this country, I highly recommend a skim through the film’s Wikipedia page.
Another favorite acceptance speech of the night was Andra Day’s because we LOVE a good surprise! While I really disliked The United States vs Billie Holiday, it is safe to say her performance is the only good thing about the film, and I just love watching people get really emotional about their first wins! It was also beautiful to see her fellow nominees so visibly happy for her, especially Viola Davis, who I was personally rooting for, but I think it’s safe to say her career did not need this as much as Andra Day’s, which is only just beginning.
And last, but certainly not least, I am THRILLED that Chloe Zhao got recognized for her work on Nomadland and in doing so became the first Asian woman to win the Golden Globe for directing.
That’s all for today. I have no idea what I’m gonna talk about this month now that I don’t have a laundry list of movies and TV shows to go through. I think I’ll start by hitting some of the winners I didn’t get around to yet. Who knows?