Golden hour

I love watching the television and movie awards shows on television, and tonight's Golden Globes ceremony was no exception. It is wonderful to see the ladies in their gorgeous dresses and shoes and gems and the men decked out in their tuxedos. The glamour and appeal of Hollywood is never as evident it is during the awards' show season. It is also exciting to celebrate the wonderful films and television shows, and root for the performances that I enjoyed over the past year.

I was really excited that both "Glee" and my boy Robert Downey, Jr. took home awards. I was disappointed that Carey Mulligan didn't win for An Education, but I loved her sparkly headband, and Sally Hawkins looked awesome with her short haircut and her mod dress. (Also, boo hoo for "Little Dorrit".) Kate Winslet, who is by far my favorite actress (and has been so since she won my heart in Sense and Sensibility after punching me in the gut in Heavenly Creatures), looked absolutely stunning. I was also pleased that Up won for best animated feature and score (it was such a sweet film), although I really wanted the darker Coraline to take home the prize (and I can't believe that Coraline's score was overlooked - it was awesome!) [I have no opinion about Avatar. I am not interested in seeing it in the theater; maybe I will rent it when it comes out on dvd.]

However, I found myself growing irritated with the rush to get done that seemed to be coming from the audience, not the producers. (Maybe it was the alcohol.) You could hear this constant din during the presentations and the speeches, even though the presenters most likely had isolation microphones. In retrospect, I think that it is crummy that the celebrity audience at the Golden Globes wanted the show to be over and to get the hell out of there when all they are doing is giving themselves a pat on the back in fabulous clothes and eating and drinking free stuff. I can understand that they are interested in getting to the parties and what not, but as someone who enjoys the escapism of the awards shows, it would be nice if the audience felt like the participants actually "bought in" to being there.

I have to give props to George Clooney, who is organizing a big telethon for Haiti relief. He should have gotten a standing ovation from the crowd for that. I was pleased that a number of people mentioned the people of Haiti and were supporting the relief effort. (I gave some money to Jesuit Relief in the second collection at Mass today.) As much as I appreciate the escapism of the award shows, I would much rather see these folks throw their star power behind a good cause like the relief work. I hope that the telethon raises a lot of money. I know that many people in America are hurting right now financially, but, if there is one thing that we Americans are really good at, it is pitching in to help the less fortunate.