Oozing Gold

There were few surprises at last night's Golden Globes. Brokeback Mountain took top prizes for Best Drama, Director, and Screenplay, while Walk The Line dominated the Musical/Comedy genre, garnering Best Picture, Actor and Actress. Dramatic Actor and Actress were just as obvious: Phillip Seymour Hoffman for Capote and Felicity Huffman for Transamerica. The awards for television maintained the predictablity of the evening with Lost and Desperate Housewives winning in the TV Drama/Comedy categories, respectively. I was a little stunned by Mary Louise Parker's win for Best Actress (TV); she was up against four housewives and managed to pull off a win for a role in a basically-unknown show (Showtime's Weeds).

Despite my ability to forsee the winners, I enjoyed the show. There's something more relaxed about the Globes than the Oscars (maybe it's the table seating and endless champagne...). And since there aren't nearly as many awards given out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as the Academy, the winners get a chance to say their piece and the crowd stays more attentive.

My thoughts on the night? First, the awards, then the fashion.

Everyone's speeches were lovely, even the boring ones (I'm talking to you, Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry of BM fame). Geena Davis (the little girl who didn't say, "Because of you, I want to be president") and Steve Carell (whose wife "wrote" his speech) got a genuine laugh. Sandra Oh's sincere shock ("I think I'm on fire!") was adorable and Ang Lee's thanks actually got me a little teary-eyed. First he acknowledged that sometimes making movies makes him overly critical of the movies he sees, then assured his colleagues that their movies this year renewed his faith. And when he dedicated the award to his dad (who was one of the first to tell him to do Brokeback, then passed away before he could see it finished), I dabbed at my eyes. Joaquin Phoenix's "Who'd have thought I'd win in the Musical/Comedy category" quip was pretty clever, too. Everybody loves somebody that can laugh at themselves.

As predictable as some awards were, they said a lot about this year's movies. As in, Walk the Line (which I know I still have to see) is great all around and Brokeback, though an impressive whole, doesn't have the strong performances necessary to get the kudos. I do wish Michelle Williams had won Best Supporting Actress over Rachel Weisz, but maybe I'll feel differently after I see The Constant Gardener. And as amazing as Heath Ledger was, Hoffman deserves every Best Actor award this year. No question.

And the fashion? Oh, this is the fun part!

Surprisingly, I wouldn't point to anyone who really messed up (think Bjork). Pam Anderson didn't look too hot, and I really didn't like Reese Witherspoon's look all that much. She looked like she was wearing chain-mail in all her close-ups. (And while I wasn't the only one who thought this, there were those who enjoyed her look. Guess that's what they mean by "free country.")Gwyneth Paltrow looked stunning in her belly-flattering empire waist, though I'd have taken off the sleeves and the ruffle around the neck. Anne Hathaway was by far the worst off; I think I wore that to my junior prom. The best dressed, in my opinion, is a tie between two young starlets: Scarlett Johannson and Kiera Knightly. The Housewives all looked lovely, and even Mariah Carey managed to look demure. Imagine that. Best dressed couple (because it's really hard for guys to mess up) had to be Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams. Gorgeous...and she just had a baby!

So if this was Hollywood's version of the Rose Bowl, I'm pumped for the Super Bowl. Save the date...March 5th!