Globes Reaction

OK. Apologies this is late. I went on a major drinking binge and have only just recovered. First of all, here is the list of winners:

Best film (drama)
Babel

Best film (musical or comedy)
Dreamgirls

Best director
Martin Scorsese - The Departed

Best actor (drama)
Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland

Best actor (musical or comedy)
Sacha Baron Cohen - Borat

Best actress (drama)
Helen Mirren - The Queen

Best actress (musical or comedy)
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada

Best supporting actor
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls

Best supporting actress
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

Best foreign language film
Letters From Iwo Jima (US)

Best animated feature film
Cars

Best screenplay
Peter Morgan - The Queen

Best original song
The Song of the Heart - Happy Feet

Best original score
Alexandre Desplat - The Painted Veil

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

REACTION

OK, before I discuss the less inspiring aspect of the night -- and let's face it the secondary purpose for the media being there in the first place -- the film awards, I'm gonna discuss fashion. I'll do this briefly, because contrary to popular belief, I am not gay enough to launch into an essay-style assault on designers and shit.

Best Dressed: Reese Witherspoon, whose sunshine yellow was indeed a ray of light on a bleak and boring Hollywood occason. The stunning Sienna Miller, who never seems to look anything but faultless. And Drew Barrymore, who keeps getting invited to these events despite having a diminishing profile and, truthfully, a limited talent.

Worst Dressed: Rinko Kikuchi. Don't get me wrong. I am all for trying something different. But jesus christ. I cannot believe she actually looked in the mirror before she left her hotel and thought she wasn't going to be in the fashion hall of shame in every magazine in America the next day.

Now for the speeches...

Best Speech: The heroic Meryl Streep, who always manages to be hilarious, sincere, and impacting. Her point about smaller films not getting their dues in big theaters is a long-argued one, but completely appropriate in this year's Actress race, and expertly put.

Worst Speech: Forest Whitaker. As much as I think his shyness is cute, in an honest, childish kind of way, it defies belief to me that he cannot acknowledge his award with more sincerity and swagger, seen as his performance is the most over-the-top you're likely to see for a long time.

And finally, the awards..

It's probably best to get Helen Mirren out of the way first. As much as I do love her, it was easy to predict a double royal win. 2 more hurdles then, and the biggest awards haul for a single performance will be complete. Dreamgirls' 3 wins means it's probably in the lead, given all-over-the-shop avid disagreement over Best Picture, eventually culminating in nomination leader Babel being given the prize. I certainly did not think The Queen would win, being a smaller, subdued film, but for The Departed this must be concerning. Nevertheless, it's exciting for the BP race, assuring it's gonna go down to the wire.

Another race that will go down to the wire is Best Actor, where Whitaker has struck an early precursor blow to add to the mountain of critics love. Yet this does not strike me as an Oscar-winning performance, and he does not seem loveable enough to me to be capable of thwarting the legendary Peter O'Toole's undoubtedly final surge for Oscar glory. Sacha Baron Cohen, on the other hand is loveable, fuckable, all of the aboveable, and more. His decision to turn up out-of-character definitely a smart move, if he wants to grab a nod from Gosling, or the potentially splitting Di Caprio.

With a refined Helen and floundering Forest, it was left up to the Dreamgirls supportng players to drum up some media frenzy. Hudson and Murphy's wins will likely match up at Oscar, though Murphy will have to fend off SAG competition from Haley and Nicholson first. Hudson, however, is already assured of the golden guy. As is Martin Scorsese, who has no real competition. I'm especially glad he will get it for a much more accomplished directorial feat than The Aviator was 2 years ago.

Quick bitchy comments about: Cars - worst of the nominees, Peter Morgan - simplistic, cartoonish, Jamie Foxx hosting - arrogance an understatement, Letters From Iwo Jima - America is not the world

That's All.