It’s a tradition for the Golden Globes host to set the tone for the awards – think Ricky Gervais – and this year was no different as US comedian Jerrod Carmichael came out swinging for the 80th anniversary of the ceremony.
Australian actress Cate Blanchett took home best actress for Tar, director Baz Luhrmann’s Austin Butler won best actor for Elvis and rising star Milly Alcock was part of the winning team for best TV series House of the Dragon.
Bombshell moment came from Cecil B DeMille recipient Eddie Murphy, who told the crowd there were three things he stuck to throughout his career.
“I want to let you know that there is a definitive blueprint that you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, longevity and peace of mind.
“It’s a blueprint, and I’ve followed it my whole career. It’s very simple, just do these three things: pay your taxes, mind your business and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out your f–king mouth,” referencing the infamous Oscar’s slap back by Smith to host Chris Rock back in March.
Beginning with a roasting of the organisation that hands out the awards – the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) – Carmichael told a packed ballroom on Tuesday at 12pm (AEDT) he was only invited to host because he was black.
“I’m only being asked to host this, I know, because I’m black,” Carmichael said during his powerful opening monologue to a near-silent packed ballroom.
“I’ll catch everyone in the room up … this show, the Golden Globe Awards, did not air last year, because the HFPA – I won’t say they were a racist organisation, but they didn’t have a single black member until George Floyd died.”
He said he had a “moral racial dilemma” on deciding whether he would accept the invite to host, pointing out he was the first black man to do so in the show’s 79-year history.
“One minute you are drinking mint tea at home, the next you’re invited to be the Black face of a White embattled organisation,” Carmichael said, sitting on the steps at the front of the stage.
When he told a friend he was being paid $US500,000, he took the job and spent the night changing suits several times in high fashion moments, without missing a beat and keeping the show rolling along on schedule.
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Aussie Cate Blanchett takes home gold
The Globes returned to television after celebrities and broadcaster NBC abandoned the 2022 show because of ethical lapses at the HFPA.
A larger, more diverse membership and other changes by the HFPA persuaded many of the biggest movie and TV stars to support this year’s ceremony, which provides publicity for winners and nominees and often boosts their chances at the Oscars.
Australian Cate Blanchett won best actress in a film drama for playing orchestra conductor Lydia Tar in Tar, although she wasn’t in the room to accept the award due to film commitments in the UK.
Her win on Tuesday followed losses for fellow Aussies Hugh Jackman, Margot Robbie, Baz Luhrman and Elizabeth Debicki at the Beverly Hills ceremony.
However, his Elvis star Austin Butler won best actor, and House of the Dragon won best TV series drama, which starred Aussie rising star Milly Alcock.
Colin Farrell, Angela Bassett, Julia Garner, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Zendaya all took home golden statuettes (see below for full list).
Iconic Hollywood director Steven Spielberg won for his autobiographical film The Fablemans and best screenplay went to Martin McDonagh for The Banshees of Inisherin.
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Key moments
Moving on from Murphy’s advice to his audience, among the show’s big winners of the night included Butler, the young American actor who played Elvis in Luhrmann’s biopic (filmed entirely on location in Australia) for best actor in a film.
“I’m in this room with all my heroes,” Butler said while accepting the award. “I can’t believe I’m here.
“Brad (Pitt), I love you. Quentin (Tarantino), I printed out the script of Pulp Fiction when I was 12 years old.”
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Veteran actor Michelle Yeoh also took a top movie award for Everything Everywhere All at Once, beating Robbie for her role in Babylon.
“Hollywood was a dream come true until I came here,” the Malaysian actor descent said, noting that she was called a “minority” and asked if she could speak English early in her career.
Forty years later, “it’s been an amazing journey and incredible fight to be here today, but I think it’s been worth it”, she said.
Angela Bassett won a supporting actress award for playing Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a sequel that was rewritten after the death of star Chadwick Boseman.
“We showed the world what black unity, leadership and love looks like beyond, behind and in front of the camera,” Bassett said as she held her trophy on Tuesday.
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio won best motion picture (animated): “Some of us are drunk, what can be better … ”
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For best original song, it was a battle between Lady Gaga’s anthem Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick, Rihanna’s haunting Lift Me Up from Black Panther, Carolina from Where the Crawdads Sing and Ciao Papa from Pinocchio.
In the end, the surprise winner was Naatu Naatu from Indian Telugu-language epic action drama film RRR.
Actor Sean Penn introduced a message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and paid tribute to those struggling in conflict around the world.
All the winners:
Best supporting actor in a motion picture: Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best supporting actress in a motion picture: Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Best supporting actor in a musical comedy or drama TV series: Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary
Best original score: Justin Hurwitz – Babylon
Best motion picture animated: Guillermo tel Toro – Pinocchio
Best actor in a TV series musical or comedy: Jeremy Allen White – The Bear
Best actress in a TV series musical or comedy: Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary
Best actress in a TV series drama: Zendaya – Euphoria
Best actress in film musical or comedy: Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All At Once
Best actor in film musical or comedy: Colin Farrell – The Banshees of Inisherin
Best supporting actress in film musical or comedy or drama TV series: Julia Garner – Ozark
Best actor in a film drama: Austin Butler – Elvis
Best actress in a film drama: Cate Blanchett – Tar
Best film (non-English language) – Argentina, 1985
Best screenplay for a film: Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin
Best director for a film: Steven Spielberg – The Fablemans
Best supporting actor in a limited series made for TV: Paul Walter Hauser – Black Bird
Best supporting actress in a limited series made for TV: Jennifer Coolidge – The White Lotus
Best actress in a limited series made for TV: Amanda Seyfried – The Dropout
Best actor in a limited series made for TV: Evan Peters – Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Best TV limited series: The White Lotus
Best actor drama series: Kevin Costner – Yellowstone
Best TV series musical or comedy – Abbott Elementary
Best TV series drama – House of the Dragon
Best film musical or comedy – The Banshees of Inisherin
Best film drama – The Fablemans
