Hollywood awards season kicked off last night in an event that captured the nation’s full attention—The 2018 Golden Globes. Now, most years, the Golden Globes are a big deal, because they honor some of Hollywood’s most talented individuals and the work that they do. But this year, in the wake of the #MeToo movement that gutted Hollywood of some huge sexual predators (looking at you, Weinstein…), amidst the government’s clashes with the media and prominent pop culture figures, and following a year of incredibly meaningful and relevant art, the awards became something far more serious. The 2018 Golden Globes showed just how far we’ve come… and just how far we still have to go. If you missed it though, don’t worry, here were the biggest things that happened last night.
1. #MeToo was front and center
Right from the start of the red carpet, the movement that showed the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment was brought up. At first it was subtle—a show of support as numerous actresses and actors wore black to represent the movement—but then it became much more obvious as numerous presenters and awards’ recipients mentioned the movement. We all knew it was going to be talked about, and boy was it ever.
2. Seth Meyers did the best he could in a super awkward role as host
Host one of the most important awards shows after major Hollywood controversy, as a white male? Yeah, that’s just a little stressful… Props to Seth Meyers, host of “The Tonight Show,” for calling out the awkward circumstances and making do as best he could. He brought humor and levity to the night, and I think it was needed. His monologue is honestly something to see.
3. No one is missing the absence of Weinstein, Spacey, or any other Hollywood creep
Meyers didn’t hold back from condemning the sexual predators who were not present at the event, insulting everything from their behavior to their bad acting (I agree, Kevin Spacey cannot do a convincing Southern accent…). Less horribly creepy people made the whole night better.
4. Shows about women kicked ass
“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and “Big Little Lies” all won big last night. Who’s surprised? Certainly not me. Shows about women? Yeah, they deserve to win.
5. “Get Out” is defined as “musical or comedy” and I still have no idea how, but okay, we’re rolling with it I guess
Get Out was an incredible movie. Hands down. It’s very hard for a horror or thriller movie to be taken seriously during awards season, but it can be done (“Silence of the Lambs” won Best Film, Actor, and Actress, for example). So, I thought that a movie as revolutionary as “Get Out” would be able to do it. And then it was put in the “musical or comedy” category… Um… Okay? It didn’t win anything, which is horrible, but I’m not sure that’s a surprise. How is one of the best new thrillers supposed to beat “Lady Bird” at the comedy game? Just not possible.
6. The most star-studded movie I could possibly imagine didn’t win anything
Speaking of not winning, “The Post” didn’t win. “The Post.” Didn’t win. A movie about real life events, directed by Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, didn’t win. My jaw pretty much hit the floor. But, that just shows that it’s not about the super obvious picks anymore.
7. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is the movie no one I know has seen, but apparently everyone needs to
And when I mean the not super obvious pick, I mean literally the only movie up for Best Drama that I knew pretty much nothing about. When it won, I quickly looked it up, and wow. Yeah. I’ll be seeing this award winner, thank you very much.
8. Greta Gerwig was robbed and Natalie Portman holds back no punches
“Lady Bird” was a major favorite to win Best Musical or Comedy—which it did. The film was spectacular. But one of the most awesome things about it is that it was directed by a woman, Greta Gerwig. It is so rare for there to be a successful female director in Hollywood, and here she was, making an award winning film. But when it came time for Best Director, Gerwig wasn’t even nominated. Because that makes total sense. Thankfully, presenter Natalie Portman didn’t even try to contain her sass about the snub.
9. Oprah might be the next president
So that happened. Rumors about a presidential run have been circulating for a bit now, but when Oprah Winfrey took the stage and accepted the Cecil B. deMille Award, it all seemed to become real. No one can inspire a crowd like Oprah, and she proved it once again, giving a speech that summed up all the chaos and beauty the past year has brought. While she hasn’t confirmed an official presidential run, her speech sure sounded like a campaign rally, and there’s a lot of people already behind her. Her speech is emotional, uplifting, and so very worth a watch.
Now all that’s left is to wait and see how the rest of awards season in Hollywood goes. Oscars here we come…