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Highlights from the Globes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I spent several hours at the Beverly Hilton covering the Globes. It was, as expected, a bit surreal because I wasn’t anywhere near the red carpet or the ballroom where the stars were hanging out getting drunk. No, as a poor print scribe, I lived in a cordoned off press area, most of it in a press room where winners were herded in and out in quick succession for short Q & As. I barely watched any of the actual awards show, which may or may not have been entertaining. I couldn’t tell! And I wasn’t “Entertainment Tonight” or “Access Hollywood,” who were able to get one-on-ones.
Nonetheless, all was not lost.
Some of the most heartfelt comments came from America Ferrara winning for best actress on “Ugly Betty,” who teared up again with the media after her sweet acceptance speech. “I feel free to embrace this role… I am not concerned if I’m looking okay and what I’m wearing. If I gained a pound or lost a pound or have food in my teeth, it all works for the show.” Nonetheless, Ferrara without all the makeup, the wig and questionable clothing, looks beautiful.
The other most gratified person was perhaps Jennifer Hudson, who won supporting actress for “Dreamgirls” after struggling to make a name for herself after coming in seventh on “American Idol” in 2004. She came across as truly amazed she was even there.
Meryl Streep, winning her fifth Golden Globe, was incredibly charming as always and led to the most fawning non-question of the night from a reporter who said, “You look 25 years old tonight. You look fabulous!” The quick wit that she is, she responded, “You’re so far in the back though!”
Warren Beatty, a lifetime achivement award winner, was his usual “above it all” self, answering questions with a certain disdain. Eddie Murphy seemed a wee bit defensive about his movie track record but did joke about his music career, assuring us that “Party All the Time 2” will never happen.
Hugh Laurie, winning for best actor for a second time, was exceptionally droll, noting that such victories are like a “parachute jump” and you can’t underestimate the thrill, even when it happens again.
It was jarring to see best actor for a comedy Sasha Baron Cohen in his normal voice and appearance after mostly playing his character on TV talk shows and in print interviews. When asked why he is now playing himself instead of his Borat character, he said, “I woke up one morning and was quite hungover. I accidentally shaved my mustache off and I had no alternative.” Okay, so he’s not sidesplittingly funny as himself but he tried.
And a particularly tense moment occurred when the “Grey’s Anatomy” crew hit the stage after winning best drama, a minor upset over past winner “24” and hot newcomer “Heroes.” An intrepid reporter asked about a months-old incident in which actor Isaiah Washington supposedly got into a fight with T.R. Knight and called him a derogatory term for gay. Washington strode up to the single mike and said, “I did not call T.R. a f——. It never happened.”
Knight, who later came out publicly, stood back silently while “Grey’s” creator and diplomat Shonda Rhimes said, “These [stories] were created in a very odd way by the press and were not necessarilly reported as true.”
The funniest line came from Clint Eastwood, who was told to pose for the TV cameras after he finished answering questions. He mock-scoffed, “I don’t pose. Am I Paris Hilton or something?”
Naturally, as I walked out of the Hilton after the awards were over and the parties were starting, guess who brushed right by me? Paris Hilton! She was alone and looked ready to, indeed, party. I wasn’t.
Overall, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association security was comically over the top. They not only had me come to the Beverly Hilton last Thursday to get my picture taken. (I couldn’t just email one). But I had to come back early this morning to pick up my credentials before making a third trip for the actual event. Then they had a coterie of people using some sort of tracking technology to zap my ID to make sure I was legit. Every time I left the press room and returned, the same woman would do it again and again even though she knew who I was and was (hopefully) not a threat to the integrity of the, um, organization. Pres. Bush would have had a hard time getting through this gauntlet.
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