The words "Hollywood", "Foreign", and "Press" have never meant more than they have right now, and it's only partially due to tonight's Golden Globes. It's the political climate we find ourselves in has taken an aggressively hostile stance against the arts, anybody and anything foreign, and certainly a free press. Two of the night's best moments shined a spotlight on this, one in a comical way and another in very serious, tear-jerking tone.
The first was Hugh Laurie, who had a surprise Best Supporting Actor win for The Night Manager, who mocked that this is probably going to be the last Golden Globes, because obviously certain elements in the government won't like what the HFPA stands for...
Then there was Meryl Streep, who won a lifetime achievement award and used her time to comment on the recent Presidential election and the wave of intolerance caused by the President-Elect, all without ever saying his name. She also mentioned the cultural diversity within Hollywood (A nice change after that whole #OscarsSoWhite controversy) and specifically among her fellow nominees. Streep wrapped up by calling out the press to hold firm and speak truth to power, while encouraging everyone to donate to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a worthy cause...
And for something lighter, there was Jimmy Fallon's much-hyped La La Land-inspired intro. Gee, it's like somebody knew the film would dominate the night's awards or something. I think after it had been talked about so much on the Red Carpet the whole thing was bound to be a let down, but there were some fun moments before it spiraled out of control. I loved seeing Nicole Kidman and Amy Adams singing and dancing, especially the latter backed by guys in Arrival containment suits, and the appearance by the Stranger Things kids was great until the focus shifted to Barb. Can we get over her, please? I think once Justin Timberlake showed up for a magical "City of Stars" waltz with Fallon the joke had already run its course. Not a bad opening, just not all it was made out to be.
What did you think of the Golden Globes? What were your favorite moments? Favorite speeches?
