The ‘Golden’ Hosts

Without seeming like they were even trying to be funny, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler made history at the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards. Quick, witty, and stunning, they captured our attention from the moment they stepped on stage until the awards show ended three hours later. Past hosts are being compared to the flawless duo and the bar for future hosts was just raised to enormous heights. Who knew two former SNL cast members could create such a buzz? Lights, camera…cue my top ten reasons why Fey and Poehler have just become the ‘golden’ hosts:

1.     They looked stunningly beautiful. From the hair, to the makeup, to the dresses, Fey and Poehler looked understated and beautiful. They didn’t try to look like someone they weren’t just because they were the hosts.

2.     They made it look simple. Sure, anyone could jump on stage and make a few jokes, but it’s not actually as easy as it sounds (just watch Ricky Gervais’ opening monologue from the 2012 Globes). They looked so comfortable on the stage that I kept forgetting that hosting was actually a huge deal.

3.     …Speaking of Ricky Gervais. As we all know, Gervais didn’t do the best job last year hosting. He made cheap jokes and insulted basically everyone who was there. Yes, it may have been funny at times, but let’s remember that not everyone can take a joke – especially when it’s on live television.

4.     They made fun of themselves. Who doesn’t love someone who can make fun of themselves? That’s exactly what they did when they said, “The Globes are the only awards shows in which the beautiful people of film rub shoulders with the rat-faced people of TV” (McNamara). They may have done it slyly, but it was still done. Fey and Poehler are two of the funniest women on TV right now and they surely didn’t let their nominations put them on any kind of pedestal.

5.     They drank… a lot. The Golden Globes are infamous for having drinks passed around all night, and Fey and Poehler were sure to take part in the tradition as they sloshed drinks around on stage and ended the show with, “Thank you, goodnight and we’re going home with Jodie Foster.”

6.     They kept the audience entertained, the WHOLE time. Award season can get very old, very fast. It’s a lot of the same stuff over and over again. And don’t get me started on how long these shows are. Let’s just say, a big attention span is a must. With Fey and Poehler hosting this year, three hours seemed like it breezed right by because they kept the audience entertained there and at home for the full three hours. They made it an enjoyable show to watch. For one of the first times I can say I watched the entire thing and didn’t just pay attention to what everyone was wearing.

7.     They didn’t overpower each other. Remember when Anne Hathaway and James Franco hosted the Oscars? Yeah, I don’t want to either. It was actually painful to watch. Fey and Poehler were an exact 180 from that performance. Both of them held their ground, but didn’t try to cut each other off or take center stage. They complimented each other nicely and were able to go back and forth without an awkward moment.  

8.     Girl Power. Talk about female empowerment! Fey and Poehler held their ground against previous, successful male hosts. They even dedicated a portion of their opening monologue to honor all the incredibly successful women of this year, not without making a few jokes though, of course. Before the show was over, producers were definitely cursing themselves for not thinking about this duo earlier. That whole Gervais situation could have been avoided…  

9.     They raised the bar – BIG time. Mary McNamara, a Los Angeles Times’ Television Critic said it best, “Poor Seth MacFarlane. Until Sunday night, hosting the Oscars must have seemed so easy. What did he have to do, really, to shine? Avoid inexplicable cross-dressing and increasingly slurred words a la James Franco, try not to pull a Ricky Gervais and openly offend half the nominees, and he’d be a hit. It’s such an impossible task, hosting an awards show; the best you can hope for is not to bomb. Then Tina Fey and Amy Poehler took the stage at this year’s Golden Globes. Lovely, brilliant, and utterly fearless, they made awards-show hosting an art form again, helming three hours of occasionally hilarious, occasionally emotional and surprisingly enjoyable TV.”

10.  They were actually really funny. With their backgrounds from SNL and other hilarious TV and film ventures, everyone already knew that Fey and Poehler were hilarious, but this year’s Globes took it a step further. Rewatching their opening, I found myself laughing so hard that one of my roommates came into my room to see what I was doing. Embarrassing, yes I know, but definitely deserved. They were so quick and witty, and literally never missed a beat. To sum up their performance in one word: flawless.

If for some ridiculous, unforgiveable reason you still haven’t seen their opening monologue, be sure to check it out immediately – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6BW3QWfJpc

Picture and Quote Credits –

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McNamara, Mary. “Golden Globes 2013: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler Raise the Bar.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.