I still like award shows. My favorite is the Tony Awards. I love getting previews of theater and shows that may eventually have a traveling company that makes its way to a city near me.
I watch other programs as well including the Emmy Awards and the Golden Globes.
The Golden Globes, once the less pretentious and stuck-up awards show that was a refreshing alternative to the Emmy’s and Academy Awards has once again decided that the hired host comedian is the enemy. The new applicable rule seems to be that nominees and attendees can laugh at each other and their weakly written jokes but glare at the host and treat him/ her/ them like a hostile enemy.
Jo Koy hosted for the first time and his opening, with wit and expectedly over the top received boos and an ice cold response when it came to many of his jokes. He got some encouragement and laughs that seemed genuine across the airwaves from the cast of “Saltburn” and the table with the “Only Murders in the Building” actors including Martin Short and Meryl Streep. Koy kept apologizing for certain jokes that landed poorly and claimed not to write some of those that fell flat. Somewhere between his opening, the Taylor Swift joke where he said she would be getting less camera time than at NFL games (she glared), he finally reached the “f*** it” moment where he just delivered the jokes and didn’t need to necessarily worry about how they landed.
Comedians make jokes and anyone in the audience is fair game. Jokes may be snarky, a little corny, super stupid, slightly repugnant, a little tasteless, vulgar, or make you want to fall off your seat laughing your ass off. It’s pretty much like being at a comedy show or club. There is some scarring that may occur, but in the end, truths and tall tales are shared and interspersed with moments to make you think, cringe, and maybe look at a circumstance or instance in a difference way. Comedians have been and are always equal opportunity offenders. Their ongoing gift, for those willing to receive it, is that they remind us to not take ourselves too seriously.
The greatest irony of it all at the Golden Globes was that Jim Gaffigan presented the award for the Best Performance in a Stand-Up Comedy For Television, the first time this category was presented at the Globes. And the better irony was that Ricky Gervais, formerly blasted and highly contentious Golden Globes host was the first winner. Poetic justice or just the Globes voters continuing to screw with all of us in the aftermath of the dismantling of the non-profit version of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) and transitioning to a for-profit entity.
Along with this new comedy category, nominations seemed a bit “planned”. Part of the reason for making the HFPA for-profit was to increase accountability and strangely, some programs were divvied into multiple categories. I love the show “The Bear,” have been a fan of Jeremy Strong’s acting since Shameless, but why was he nominated for Best Actor, Comedy or Musical and his co-star Ayo Edebiri was nominated in the Best Actor, Drama? In some respects, the show is a dramedy, but it was a wee bit sketch. The male drama actor category was overloaded with the cast of “Succession” so there are still some opportunities to consider categories to not make it seem as though there is nomination manipulation.
In time, there is still a settling that needs to occur to ensure the refreshed Golden Globes are fair and earnestly celebrate the accomplishments in film and television.
Been Thinkin’ About 