By Rocco Collela
Last Sunday, the red carpet was unrolled and the stars made their way to the 62nd annual Golden Globe awards in Los Angeles, celebrating the achievements in television and movies from the past year. The show featured Hollywood’s brightest stars, from the hordes of new talent to the timeless movie stars past generations have admired for years.
The Globes have long been known as the precursor to the Oscars, which are presented Feb. 27.
“The Aviator” and “Sideways” took home the Globes for best motion picture drama and musical/comedy, respectively. Leo-nardo DiCaprio and Hilary Swank won the top dramatic acting awards for their roles in “The Aviator” and “Million Dollar Baby.”
In the musical/comedy lead acting categories, Jamie Foxx won for his portrayal of musical great Ray Charles in “Ray,” while screen favorite Annette Bening won for her role in “Being Julia.”
The film “Closer” swept the supporting acting categories, with Clive Owen and Natalie Portman both winning awards.
Clint Eastwood’s day was made when he won best director for his champion “Baby,” beating out other high rollers like Mike Nichols and Martin Scorsese.
Critical darling “Sideways” won the best screenplay award, given to scriptwriters Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor.
“Sideways” and “Million Dollar Baby” have won acclaim already from such prestigious circles as the National Board of Review and the Boston Society of Film Critics. With two Globes for both films, a few Oscars may be in their futures.
In respect to individual awards, the Globes have been known to predict the Oscar winners. Many past Globe winners have gone on to receive the even more prestigious Oscar. Last year’s four acting Oscar winners (actor, actress and supporting) each won a Golden Globe for their acting performances. “Mystic River’s” Sean Penn and Tim Robbins won, along with “Monster’s” Charlize Theron and “Cold Mountain’s” Renee Zellweger.
Since 1995, a Golden Globe winner for best picture has gone on to win an Oscar for best picture.
Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” did not win a Globe (“Sense and Sensibility” took home the best drama Globe in 1995), but went on to snag the Oscar that year.
For more information about the recent Golden Globe awards, check out the official Web site at www.goldenglobes.org. Oscar information can be found at www.oscars.org, the official Web site.
