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

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