Golden Globes
National Board of Review Awards hold space for ‘Wicked’
Days after “Wicked” went home from the Golden Globes with a single award for box office achievement, the National Board of Review Awards held space for the smash hit musical, celebrating its cast and director in the New York group's annual gala Tuesday.
The untelevised but starry NBR Awards were a chance for many of the nominees who didn’t win Sunday to trot out their would-be acceptance speeches, including Daniel Craig, Kieran Culkin and Nicole Kidman.
Accepting the award for best actress for her performance in the erotic thriller “Babygirl,” Kidman celebrated by chugging a glass of milk, a nod to some of the film's kinky sex games. After finishing, Kidman triumphantly announced “Good girl!" and left the stage.
It also was an opportunity for some jabs at the Globes. “Isn’t this room just a little bit classier than the Beverly Hilton?“ quipped presenter Christine Baranski, looking around the elegant marble-columned midtown venue, Cipriani’s.
Others were less impressed by the old-school New York vibe. “The bathroom attendant, that shouldn’t exist anymore,” Culkin said during a typically free-form acceptance speech for best supporting actor for his role in “A Real Pain.”
The night belonged to Jon M. Chu's “Wicked.” The musical was the board's pick for best film, best director for Chu and a special award for the creative collaboration of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The two, in back-and-forth remarks, continued their mutual praise of each other.
“Also you’re welcome,” added Grande. “I truly think you would have murdered anyone else.”
“Probably true,” responded Erivo.
Chu, who was introduced by Lin Manuel-Miranda, used the moment to reflect on his yearslong journey with “Wicked,” which will be followed by an already-shot part two due out this November. So lengthy has his time in Oz been that the director noted he had three children during its making, including one born the day of the movie's premiere.
Read: Zendaya sparks engagement speculation at Golden Globes with a sparkling ring
“No twins, same mom,” assured Chu. “I know what you guys are whispering.”
Ryan Reynolds, an avowed fan of the film, took up the topic in his introduction to the film's final award.
“The man missed the premiere of his own film so he could attend the birth of his fifth child,” Reynolds said. “I barely made it to the inception of my own children.”
The common theme of the night was community and togetherness. Coming a day after the anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and less than two weeks before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, many alluded to Hollywood's role in the coming years.
Marc Platt, producer of “Wicked,” spoke about the deeper meanings of the film and having “the courage to speak truth to power especially when that power is manifested by those who come to it by blame or divisiveness.”
Craig, the best actor winner for his performance in Luca Guadagnino’s William S. Burroughs’ adaptation, “Queer,” declared: “We are in good shape.”
“If we continue to make and produce movies like this, our industry is going to continue to thrive,” said Craig, who dedicated his award “to the dreamers in the room.” “We need you now more than ever.”
A key feature of the NBR Awards, which were founded in 1909 by film enthusiasts, is its style of award presentation. Each winner is introduced by a close friend, collaborator or admirer. Last year’s surprise guest was Daniel Day-Lewis, who presented for Martin Scorsese and the best-film winner “Killers of the Flower Moon."
This year, Robert Pattinson dropped in to introduce India Donaldson, winner of the breakthrough director award for her acclaimed debut “Good One.” Pattinson called Donaldson “one of the most exciting filmmakers working today.”
Sofia Coppola presented best supporting actress to Elle Fanning, who starred as a 12-year-old in 2010's “Somewhere,” for her performance in “A Complete Unknown.” “She’s really the same person that I met when she was 11,” Coppola said.
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Other introductions were more surprising. John Lithgow, there as part of the “Conclave” group that won best ensemble, introduced breakthrough performance winner and “Anora” star Mikey Madison. Lithgow had only just met her but profusely praised her performance, listing a wide array of its traits, one of which drew giggles from the crowd, and the 25-year-old Madison.
“I never thought John Lithgow would call me ‘sexually athletic,’” said Madison, who plays a Brooklyn sex worker in the film.
Carol Kane presented best animated film to the wondrous Latvian film “Flow,” about a cat and other animals in a flooded world. She didn’t, at first, seem well-suited to the job.
“I don’t get animation. I like to watch people, you know,” Kane said. Then she relented, calling “Flow” a revelation. “Animals, for a long time now, have been some of my favorite people.”
10 months ago
Zendaya sparks engagement speculation at Golden Globes with a sparkling ring
Zendaya has ignited engagement rumors after flaunting a large diamond ring on her left hand at the Golden Globe Awards.
Neither Zendaya nor her longtime boyfriend, Tom Holland, responded to requests for comments from The Associated Press on Monday. The 28-year-old Emmy-winning actress attended the star-studded ceremony at the Beverly Hilton the previous evening.
People magazine reported that the couple is engaged, citing insights from a “family source.” Another source claimed Holland shared the engagement news with friends around New Year's Eve. TMZ first broke the story, referencing “sources close to the couple.”
Zendaya, widely recognized for her roles in “Euphoria” and “Challengers,” appeared on the red carpet in an elegant Louis Vuitton gown. She and Holland, who first starred as love interests in 2017's “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” have been romantically linked since then. Holland was notably absent from the awards ceremony.
Golden Globes Fashion: Ariana Grande eschews Glinda pink for pale yellow (brick road) silk
During an exchange with a Los Angeles Times reporter, speculation intensified. The reporter showcased an engagement ring and pointed it out, prompting Zendaya to reveal her own left-hand ring. When asked directly about an engagement, Zendaya coyly displayed the ring, smiled, and shrugged.
Adding to the intrigue, Bulgari—for whom Zendaya is a brand ambassador—provided her red carpet accessories, including a necklace, right-hand ring, and earrings. However, their press release omitted any mention of the striking ring on her left hand.
10 months ago
At rehabbed Globes, 'The Fabelmans,' 'Banshees' triumph
The Golden Globes returned to the air Tuesday with a red carpet flush with celebrities, comedian Jerrod Carmichael as a hesitant emcee and top awards for Steven Spielberg's “The Fabelmans" and Martin McDonagh's “The Banshees of Inisherin,” as the beleaguered award show sought to rekindle its pre-pandemic and pre-scandal glamour.
Spielberg’s autobiographical coming-of-age film “The Fabelmans” won best drama film and the dark friendship tale “The Banshees of Inisherin,” captured best film, comedy or musical. “Abbott Elementary,” “White Lotus” and “House of the Dragon” led the TV awards.
The Globes’ would-be comeback ended like many Globes ceremonies before it: with a triumphant Spielberg. For the fifth time, one of Spielberg's films won a best picture Globe. Nominated 14 times by the Globes for best director, Spielberg also won the honor for the third time. He began by thanking his three sisters, his late father and his late mother, Leah Adler ( played by Michelle Williams in the film). “She is up there kvelling about this right now,” said Spielberg.
Carmichael kicked off the 80th Golden Globes from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, with little of the fanfare that usually opens such ceremonies. He plunged straight into the issues that drove the Globes off television and led much of the entertainment industry to boycott the Hollywood Foreign Press Association after the group was revealed to have no Black members. Carmichael opened by asking the crowd to “be a little quiet here."
“I am your host, Jerrod Carmichael,” said the “Rothaniel” comedian. “And I'll tell you why I'm here. I'm here 'cause I'm Black.
“I won't say they were a racist organization,” he continued before sitting on the stage. “But they didn't have a single Black member until George Floyd died. So do with that information what you will.”
McDonagh's “The Banshees of Inisherin” left with three awards, including best screenplay for McDonagh and best actor in a comedy for Colin Farrrell. Fourteen years earlier, Farrell won a Globe for McDonagh's “In Bruges,” which likewise paired him with Brendan Gleeson. In his remarks, Farrell thanked the playwright, his castmates, his kids and the film’s donkey, Jenny.
On a soggy night following punishing, prolonged rains that have lashed Southern California, the first award went to Ke Huy Quan, the former child star of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," for best supporting actor in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” A clearly emotional Quan, who had left acting years before directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert cast him in their multiverse tale, thanked them for his second act.
"More than 30 years later, two guys thought of me," said Quan. “They remembered that kid. And they gave me the opportunity to try again.”
Michelle Yeoh, the star of “Everything Everywhere At Once,” also won, for best actress in a comedy or musical. The Malaysian-born Yeoh was just the second female actor of Asian descent to win in the category, after her “Crazy Rich Asian” costar Awkwafina, who won for “The Farewell” in 2020. “Forty years,” the 60-year-old Yeoh said. “Not letting go of this.”
Possibly Yeoh's stiffest competition at the Academy Awards, Cate Blanchett of “Tár,” won best actress on the drama side. Blanchett, in production, wasn't in attendance to pick up her fourth Globe. (Also absent was Kevin Costner, best-actor winner in a drama series for “Yellowstone.” Presenter Regina Hall said he was sheltering in place in Santa Barbara due to flooding.)
Angela Bassett, a likely Oscar frontrunner, won best supporting actress for her performance in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
“Weeping may come in the evening, but joy comes in the morning,” Bassett said, referencing the loss of “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman.
Best actor was an upset. Austin Butler won for his performance in Baz Luhrmann's “Elvis." The favorite in the category has arguably been Brendan Fraser for “The Whale.” Ahead of the Globes, Fraser said he would not attend because "my mother didn’t raise a hypocrite.” In 2018, Fraser said he was groped in 2003 by longtime HFPA member Philip Berk. Berk, who is no longer an HFPA member, denied it.
Mike White's “The White Lotus” won for best limited or anthology series. Fresh off her dramatic finale, Jennifer Coolidge gave one of the night’s lengthiest and warmest speeches while accepting the best supporting actress in a limited series award.
“Even if this is the end, you sort of changed my life in a million different ways,” Coolidge told White. “My neighbors are speaking to me, things like that.”
The public school sitcom “Abbott Elementary” came in the lead TV nominee and took home three awards, including best comedy series. Quinta Brunson, the show's creator and star, won best actress in a comedy series, and Tyler James Williams won for his supporting role.
“It has resonated with the world in a way that I couldn't even have imagined it would have," said Brunson as she thanked the studios that backed her vision. “But let's be real. I did imagine it. That's why I sold it to you.”
Best drama series went to “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon.”
“Naatu Naatu” from the Telugu sensation “RRR, ” won best song over the likes of Rihanna and Taylor Swift.
The Globes were plunged into chaos shortly before a largely remote pandemic 2021 awards show when a Los Angeles Times report revealed that the HFPA, then numbering 87 members, had no Black members.
Stars and studios boycotted last year’s ceremony, which NBC opted not to televise, saying the HFPA needed time to make “meaningful reform.”
Tom Cruise, whose “Top Gun: Maverick” was nominated for best picture, drama, famously returned his three Golden Globe awards after the HFPA revelations. Mid-show Tuesday, Carmichael came out with three trophies he said he found backstage, and suggested they be traded for Shelly Miscavige, the wife of the leader of the Church of Scientology.
The HFPA pledged to reform, diversified its membership and changed some of the ways it operates. It now has 96 members, including six Black members, along with 103 nonmember voters. Billionaire Todd Boehly purchased the Globes and has begun turning the nonprofit group into a for-profit company.
Reaction to the Globe nominations last month was muted. But much of the industry turned out Tuesday. Eddie Murphy and Ryan Murphy received tributes. Sean Penn introduced a message from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“There will be no third World War," Zelenskyy said in a taped message, predicting Russia's defeat. "It is not a trilogy.”
When the Globes were on the brink, NBC reworked its Globes deal into a one-year contract and moved the show from Sunday to Tuesday. That meant the Globes were essentially put on a one-year audition to recapture its awards-season perch.
As it has for most award shows, Globes viewership has cratered. After 18.4 million watched the 2020 awards, the 2021 edition managed just 6.9 million, according to Nielsen. Still, the Globes remain a valuable marketing tool for awards contenders, propping up ads for films in the long stretch between the holidays and the Oscars, which air March 12, a year after “the slap.”
Accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award, Eddie Murphy said he knew the blueprint for longevity in show business: “Pay your taxes, mind your business, and keep Will Smith's wife's name out of your (expletive) mouth!”
2 years ago
Golden Globes announce nominations to a skeptical Hollywood
After widespread criticism forced the organization that puts on the Golden Globes to lose its televised award show and overhaul its membership, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association nevertheless went ahead announcing nominees for film and television awards on Monday despite a skeptical entertainment industry.
Just as it’s done for many years, the HFPA gathered reporters at the Beverly Hilton to announce its picks for the 79th Golden Globes. But this time, there was no nationally televised morning-show live spot or any immediate celebrity celebrations. Hollywood mostly shrugged.
The HFPA, which usually has a handful of movie stars make their announcement, turned instead to Snoop Dogg, who read the nominees behind sunglasses and a red hat during a live stream on the Globes' YouTube page. The majority of studios, public relations firms and A-list talent haven’t engaged much this year with the group, which dropped its usual requirement that films be submitted for consideration. Critics have said it's too soon for the HFPA to return to business as usual. Some would rather see the Globes be gone for good.
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But the press association tried to maintain its perch in awards season on Monday, spreading nominations around to the likes of Will Smith ("King Richard"), Kristen Stewart ("Spencer"), ”West Side Story" breakthrough Rachel Zegler, Leonardo DiCaprio ("Don't Look Up"), Denzel Washington ("The Tragedy of Macbeth"), Ben Affleck ("The Tender Bar") and Lady Gaga ("House of Gucci").
The nominees for best picture, drama, went to Jane Campion's gothic Western “The Power of the Dog,” Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic “Dune,” the family drama “CODA,” Reinaldo Marcus Green's tennis biopic “King Richard” and Kenneth Branagh's autobiographical “Belfast.”
The comedy or musical picks for best picture were: Adam McKay's apocalyptic comedy “Don't Look Up,” Paul Thomas Anderson's ‘70s ode to San Fernando Valley “Licorice Pizza,” Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” Lin-Manuel Miranda's “Tick, Tick ... Boom!” and Joe Wright's “Cyrano.”
“Belfast” and “The Power of the Dog” tied for the most nominations with seven apiece. Netflix dominated the film nominees with 17 nods in total. HBO's “Succession” led the TV side with five nominations, including nods for best drama and best actor in a drama series for recent New Yorker profile subject Jeremy Strong.
Normally, such honors would set off a flurry of delight from early-roused nominees and their studios — an awards triumph to be trumpeted on social media and in calls with reporters. On Monday morning, no nominee immediately celebrated — publicly, at least.
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The ress association claims that in the nine months since its 2021 show, it has remade itself. “HFPA 2.0,” recently elected president Helen Hoehne has said. The group has added a chief diversity officer; overhauled its board; inducted 21 new members, including six Black journalists; brought in the NAACP on a five-year partnership; and updated its code of conduct.
“This has been a year of change and reflection for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” Hoehne said Monday.
All of that came after a Los Angeles Times’ expose detailed some of the HFPA’s unethical behavior and revealed that its 87 voting members didn’t include one Black journalist. Studios said they would boycott the Globes and more than 100 PR films said their clients wouldn’t participate until the HFPA swiftly implemented “profound and lasting change.” Tom Cruise returned his three Globes to the group’s headquarters.
NBC, the Globes’ longtime telecaster, has said it won’t air the 2022 Globes because “change of this magnitude takes time and work.” The Globes have still set a date of January 9 but haven’t shared any details about what kind of ceremony that would be.
The Critics Choice Awards have sought to fill the void, even seeking to secure the Globes' usual home at the Beverly Hilton for its telecast. That bid failed but the Critics Choice Awards will likewise take place on Jan. 9, airing on TBS and the CW. The Critics Choice Awards also announced their nominees Monday, with “Belfast” and “West Side Story” leading with 11 nods each.
Much of the Globes’ power has always resided in its lively telecast, regularly one of the most-watched non-sports broadcasts of the year. The Globes also serve as a promotional tool for many of the awards-hopefuls hitting theaters in December. But this year, few expect to see ads and TV commercials trumpeting a film’s Golden Globes nominations.
But there were also some signs that the Globes boycott was thawing. The Walt Disney Co. promoted “Cruella” nominations from both the Critics Choice Awards and the Globes.
3 years ago
Chloé Zhao is 2nd woman to win best director prize at Globes
Chloé Zhao became the second woman to win best director at the Golden Globes and the first female winner of Asian descent on a night in which her film “Nomadland” was crowned the top drama film.
4 years ago
Golden Globes nominations could belong to Netflix
Whether anyone will attend the Golden Globes in person remains uncertain and improbable. But nominations to the 78th Globes will be announced Wednesday, nevertheless.
4 years ago
'Fleabag,' 'Succession,' 'Chernobyl' win top Golden Globes
Real-life stories ruled the Golden Globe TV honors, as Olivia Colman's portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II, Michelle Williams' turn as Broadway star Gwen Verdon and the nuclear disaster drama "Chernobyl" won top honors.
5 years ago
"1917," "Once Upon a Time ...in Hollywood" win Golden Globes
The 77th Golden Globes were meant to be a coronation for Netflix. Instead, a pair of big-screen epics took top honors Sunday, as Sam Mendes' technically dazzling World War I tale "1917" won best picture, drama, and Quentin Tarantino's radiant Los Angeles fable "Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood" won best film, comedy or musical.
5 years ago
'Succession,' 'Parasite,' 'Fleabag' win at Golden Globes
Host Ricky Gervais opened the 77th Golden Globes by declaring movies irrelevant, pretending to confuse Joe Pesci for Baby Yoda, calling the Hollywood Foreign Press Association racist and declaring Netflix's takeover of Hollywood complete.
5 years ago
Plenty of pink, puffy sleeves and shimmer at Golden Globes
There were plenty of pink, puffy sleeves and lots of white on the Golden Globes red carpet as the stars shimmered and shined Sunday on one of the season's biggest nights for fashion.
5 years ago