Golden Globes 08

"And the award goes to Cate Blanchett!"—Complete Silence
How awkward is that? 60 reporters including five international TV stations covered this night to be remembered. This year's Golden Globes lasted a record breaking-32 minutes. No celebs, no red carpet, no trophies, no performances, and no acceptance speeches. While the awards 'conference' was dull, the winners were also flawed and dubious.
Many new shows premiered this year, therefore there were new winners. House was beaten by Mad Men, and The Office was beaten by the British show, Extras. As usual, many of the winners were expected:

• No Country for Old Men for Screenplay
• Javier Bardem for Best Supporting Actor
• Diving Bell and the Butterfly for Best Foreign Language Film
• Ratatouille for Best Animated Picture

However they were many surprises:

• Best Director won to Diving Bell and the Butterfly(Beating the Coen Brothers)
• Best Motion Picture on TV-Longford (Who the hell saw or even heard of it?)
• Sweeney Todd for Best Musical or Comedy(Thank god that Juno didn't win even though was the top choice)
• And the worst award of the night....Best Motion Picture-Drama: Atonement???

Everybody's mind was set on No Country for Old Men, but this came as a shock. The Globes went completely off beam with giving the award to Atonement. Why? Because Atonement has the foreign accent, the period look, sex, teenage love, rising actors, a soft soundtrack, a war setting, and lavish sets. A perfect awards winning film. But then why didn’t the other awards go to this tedious film. While one of the jury members mentioned that No Country for Old Men was just a slasher thriller without an ending. Don't be surprised if the Oscars went to Atonement as well.
Finally, the most disappointing award of the night, for me especially, was the Best Actor in a Motion Picture. While everyone supported the Shakespearean actor, Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood, I hoped for Viggo Mortenson for Eastern Promises to win it. This man definitely deserved it for his perfect Russian accent, the mafia look, and the perfect portrayal of the quiet, yet tough chauffer. His courageous act in the ten-minute fight sequence, in complete nude, is worth to be rewarded.
However, I was glad for the underrated Javier Bardem to finally win the Oscar. Unfortunately, he couldn't be there to accept it. While many are disappointed that the writers ruined the Golden Globes this year, but I believe that the Globes couldn't save themselves anyway. Dull and disappointing, the 2008 Golden Globes sucked. Let's hope the strike is over before the Oscars, so at least they can think more towards the awards than the ceremony.
-KZ Musafir