Golden Globes 2015: The Good, The Bad, and the What Were They Thinking?

Posted on January 11, 2015 at 11:03 pm

Thoughts on the 2015 Golden Globes:

Amy Poehler and Tina Fey were marvelous as always. We knew they’d take on the Sony hack and “The Interview” and they got right to it. “North Korea referred to The Interview as ‘absolutely intolerable’ and a ‘wanton act of terror.’ Even more amazing: not the worst review the movie got.” Loved their line about George Clooney’s wife. The Bill Cosby bit did not work, however.

Should host next year: Chris Pratt and Anna Faris

Best dress: Lupita Nyong’O once again channeled Audrey Hepburn with effortless elegance and impeccable style

Worst suits: Kevin Hart, Alan Cumming, and Jill Soloway

It was a good year for red dresses: Jane Fonda, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Viola Davis, and Julianna Margulies

It was not such a good year for white dresses: Rosamund Pike, Kate Hudson, and Kristen Wiig (hers looked like it was made from two pillow cases)

Good idea: No musical numbers

Bad idea: Too long a walk from the tables to the stage. Runner-up: Jeremy Renner’s crack about Jennifer Lopez’s “golden globes”

Nice to see them together again: Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin picked up where they left off in “9 to 5”

Not so great to see them together again: Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, who were so terrific as twins in “The Skeleton Twins,” stumbled through bad jokes about quotable movie lines.

It was a great year for women: “Transparent” and “The Affair” were created by women, as were some of the other nominees and the acceptance speech by Maggie Gyllenhaal and the comments from Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin were inspiring.

It was not a great year for broadcast TV: Cable and online shows took most of the television awards.

It was not a great year for nominees of color.

Best takedown of the ultimate silliness of the Golden Globes: Robert Bianco in USA Today.

The Globes are a carefully cultivated illusion, much like the wide-angle camera work used (not quite effectively) to make the Beverly Hilton’s ballroom look far larger and grander than it really is.

The winners all seemed very happy with their victories, some almost ecstatically so. But that’s merely a natural byproduct of a Hollywood-fueled desire for promotion and affirmation, and the universal urge to win a prize if a prize is offered, valuable or not. Joy may abound Monday morning, but look at any star’s bio, and you’ll see how quickly that Globe tumbles down the credits list when an actual award — an Emmy, Tony, Grammy or Oscar — is available to replace it.

That leaves you with a pokey, mostly performance-free broadcast devoted to showing clips, reading off names, revealing cleavage, and airing acceptance speeches. In the end, what can one say about an event that was less a TV show than a glorified home movie?

Best acceptance speech: Common (for the song from “Selma”), with Jeffrey Tambor (“Transparent”) and George Clooney (lifetime achievement award) a close second. Michael Keaton’s speech was very touching, too. All in all, a big improvement over last year — do you think they took my advice?

Winners:

Supporting Actor, Motion Picture: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Supporting Actress, Miniseries: Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Best Miniseries: Fargo
Lead Actor, Miniseries: Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo
Lead Actress, TV Comedy: Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Best TV Comedy: Transparent
Best Original Score: The Theory of Everything
Best Original Song: John Legend and Common’s “Glory,” Selma
Supporting Actor, TV: Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart
Comedic Actress, Motion Picture: Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Best Animated Film: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Supporting Actress, Motion Picture: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Screenplay: Birdman
Lead Actor, TV: Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Best Foreign Language Film: Leviathan
Lead Actress, Miniseries: Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honourable Woman
Best TV Drama: The Affair
Lead Actor, TV Drama: Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Lead Actress, TV Drama: Ruth Wilson, The Affair
Lead Actor, Motion Picture Comedy: Michael Keaton, Birdman
Best Picture, Comedy: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Actress, Motion Picture Drama: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Best Actor, Motion Picture Drama: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Best Picture: Drama: Boyhood

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Awards Television

My Dad, Newton Minow, and the History of PBS

Posted on January 7, 2015 at 8:00 am

New York’s public television station WNET, ran this terrific “Open Mind” interview with my dad, Newton Minow, about his experiences at the FCC during the Kennedy Administration and the early days of PBS.

On DVD This Week: Sacred Journeys

Posted on January 6, 2015 at 8:00 am

Sacred Journeys With Bruce Feiler comes out this week on DVD. If you missed it on PBS, here is your chance to travel along with pilgrims and worshippers around the world.

200 million people go on a pilgrimage each year. They set out from the ordinary, and seek the extraordinary.

Sacred Journeys takes viewers on some of the most celebrated, challenging and spectacular religious pilgrimages on earth. In this landmark six-part series, we travel with American pilgrims looking to transform their lives as they visit places deeply meaningful to their faith. And our cameras gain privileged access to places rarely seen by viewers before.

A pilgrimage at its core is a gesture of action. Pilgrims feel a deeper connection to their faith. They feel closer to God. In a world in which more and more things are digital and ephemeral, a sacred journey gives the pilgrim the chance to experience something real.

Pilgrimage today is more alive than ever before. But you can’t experience its wonders unless you go.

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Spiritual films Television

Premiering on Fox This Week: Empire with Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson

Posted on January 5, 2015 at 3:56 pm

One of the most exciting new televisions shows of the season is “Empire,” premiering on January 7, 2015 on Fox. It is part “King Lear,” part “Godfather,” part “Lion in Winter,” part soap opera, and set in the world of hip-hop music. Terrence Howard plays a drug dealer turned music mogul named Lucious Lyon who has learned he has ALS, with a life expectancy of just a couple of years. He must decide which of his three sons will inherit his business. One son has the business expertise. One has the musical talent. But he is gay, which makes Lyon uncomfortable. The youngest may be the most capable but he is immature and arrogant.

Lyon’s wife, Cookie, took the fall for their drug dealing and has been serving a prison sentence. As the series starts, she is released, furious and determined to make up for the years — and money — she lost. Henson and Howard had sizzling chemistry in “Hustle and Flow,” and it will be a treat to see them setting off against each other. With Lee Daniels (“Precious,” “The Butler”) and Danny Strong (“Game Change”) writing the series, there is sure to be plenty of flinty dialogue to help with the sparks. And, like “Glee” and “Nashville,” each week will have musical numbers (produced by Timbaland) that will be available on iTunes.

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Musical Race and Diversity Television

Tonight on CNN: The Roger Ebert Documentary “Life Itself”

Posted on January 4, 2015 at 10:19 am

You will never see a better movie than the documentary “Life Itself,” the story of an extraordinary life. Roger used to say, “‘Rocky'” is not about boxing. It is about Rocky.” And this movie is not about movies or movie criticism. It is about Roger. And it is also about his wife, Chaz, one of the most touching and beautiful love stories ever put on film.

Watch it tonight on CNN. You can also take CNN’s “How Ebert are you?” quiz.