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The cast of Avatar win at the Golden Globe Awards - Source: Reuters -
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A pair of box office sensations, Avatar and The Hangover, earned
top film honors at the Golden Globe Awards on Monday in a ceremony
that took on a somber tone after the recent earthquake in
Haiti.
Action adventure Avatar, whose 3-D effects have wowed critics and
fans and helped it earn $1.6 billion at global box offices, claimed
best film drama and top director for Titanic filmmaker James
Cameron.
"3D is going to be the future," Cameron told reporters backstage.
"The one thing Avatar could do because of its success - especially
its critical success - is give permission to other filmmakers to
think of 3D."
Among actors, Sandra Bullock earned the title of best film actress
in a drama for football movie The Blind Side, while industry
veteran Jeff Bridges was best dramatic actor for his turn as a
down-and-out country singer in Crazy Heart.
The Hangover, about guys on a trip to Las Vegas that goes woefully
wrong ($277 million at US and Canadian box offices), claimed best
film comedy. It showed that after recent years of favoring art
house films like last year's big winner Slumdog Millionaire, Golden
Globe voters at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA)
liked crowd pleasers of 2009.
"It is such a wonderful trip this film, we just set out to make a
funny comedy," director Todd Phillips told reporters.
Robert Downey, Jr. won the Golden Globe for best comedy actor for
his turn as super sleuth Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes, and
Meryl Streep was the top actress in a comedy for cooking film Julie
& Julia.
Germany's The White Ribbon, a major success at the 2009 Cannes film
festival, was named best foreign language movie.
Haiti weighs on Hollywood
The Golden Globes are given out by some 90 members of the HFPA, and
a win here can give movies the momentum they need in Hollywood's
race for Oscars, the world's top movie honors given out in
March.
But awards seemed less on the minds of many Hollywood stars than
did the recent disaster in Haiti as several acceptance speeches
were filled with statements of thankfulness by A-list celebrities.
Many stars wore yellow, blue and red ribbons to show their support
for victims.
Streep said she had to remember "my happy movie self, in the face
of everything I'm aware of in the real world."
Elsewhere, Inglourious Basterds star Christoph Waltz was named best
supporting actor in a film, and Mo'Nique earned best supporting
film actress, going against her reputation as a comedienne and
playing an abusive mother in dark drama Precious: Based on the
Novel Push by Sapphire.
Disney adventure Up won two early Golden Globes, best animated
movie and original score.
Among television awards, Mad Men, about the lives of Madison Avenue
advertising executives, claimed its third straight Golden Globe for
best drama and upstart musical Glee was named best comedy or
musical in an upset over past winner 30 Rock.
"This is for anybody and everybody who ever got a wedgie in high
school," said creator Ryan Murphy, the brains behind the quirky
show about a high school singing and dancing troupe.
Former ER star Julianna Margulies won best actress in a drama in
The Good Wife, playing the spouse of a disgraced public official,
and "Dexter", a profile of a serial killer, won best actor in a
drama for lead Michael C. Hall.
Alec Baldwin won the Golden Globe for best actor in a TV comedy
playing a network executive in 30 Rock, and Toni Collette was best
comedic actress for United States of Tara.
