The Golden Globe Awards

Last night was the official kickoff to the award season with the broadcast of the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards. Over the past few years, the Golden Globe Awards has grown in popularity and status and is now considered an early predictor for Oscar nominees and winners. The awards are given by The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a small but influential group consisting of 80 members.

Last night’s top winner and leading prospect for this year’s Oscar for Best Picture was The Social Network. This film won four Globes—Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Musical Score, and Best Picture in the Dramatic Category. With many of the nation’s top critics embracing The Social Network, this film will undoubtedly be hard to beat at the Oscars.

Other films that will be in the running for Oscar consideration and also had a solid night at the Golden Globes were: The Fighter, with Christian Bale winning Dramatic Supporting Actor and Melissa Leo winning Best Supporting Actress; The Kids are Alright won Best Movie in the Comedy or Musical category with Annette Benning winning Best Actress; Natalie Portman won Best Actress in a dramatic role for her portrayal of a disturbed ballerina in The Black Swan; and Colin Farth won Best Actor in the Dramatic Category in The King’s Speech. Suspiciously missing from last night’s awards was True Grit. It failed to receive any nominations. The question is can it now find support to make a serious run at the Oscars.

The Golden Globes are long on categories and awards and short on production values, musical numbers and film montages. Outside of presenting the Cecil D. DeMile Award to perhaps the greatest living actor today, Robert DeNiro, there’s not much on entertainment value. That means the host for the show has to deliver and make the award program entertaining. However, comedian Ricky Gervaris has to be the world’s most irritating person. Is there anyone he didn’t insult last night? It’s one thing to make fun of someone in a lighthearted manner but when it become mean, malicious and downright despicable, that’s when you cross the line.

You know you’re in trouble when your award presenters Tom Hanks and Tim Allen decide to hit back. None of this was funny and was, frankly, embarrassing for the audience as well. Hopefully, next year the producers of the golden Globes will have the good sense not to invite Ricky Gervaris back next year.