February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The show, which was cancelled last year when celebrities refused to cross the Hollywood Screenwriters’ Guild picket lines, was a star-studded affair, with A-listers — including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise, Pierce Brosnan and Bruce Springsteen — packed into the crowded hall like (very elegant) sardines in an exclusive can.
It was a great night for Irish and Irish American actors. Gabriel Byrne won for Best Actor in a TV Series (Drama) for “In Treatment”; Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey won Best Actor and Actress (respectively) in a TV Series (Comedy) for “30 Rock”; Laura Linney won Best Actress in a TV Miniseries for “John Adams” (which also won top honors in the category).
In film, top acting honors went to Colin Farrell in the comedy category for his performance in “In Bruges,” and to Mickey Rourke in the Drama category for his comeback performance in “The Wrestler.” In his acceptance speech, Farrell said that since the award belonged equally to his costar, fellow Irishman Brendan Gleeson, he would cut it in half and give him “a hemisphere.” Farrell had drawn a laugh earlier in the evening, when he noted that the sniffles that kept interrupting his award-preseting duties were due to a cold. “It’s not the other thing it used to be,” he added mischieviously, referring to his more, um, party-hearty days.
Kate Winslet won both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in a Film (Drama) for her work in “Revolutionary Road” and “The Reader,” respectively. Winslet seemed absolutely gobsmacked by her Best Actress win, as her stammering, teary-eyed acceptance speech made clear. She paid tribute to the other actresses in the category. Well, the ones she remembered, anyway.
“I’m so sorry, Anne [Hathaway], Meryl [Streep], Kristin [Scott-Thomas],” said Winslet. Then she realized that she had left out someone. “Who’s the other one?” she gasped, pausing for a hilariously cringe-inducing moment. Happily for Winslet, the penny dropped.
“Angelina!” she practically shouted, as Brad’s other half attempted to shift her pout into a good-natured smile. “Now forgive me, is this really happening?”
Bruce Springsteen (who is half Irish) took home the prize for Best original Song for a Motion Picture, for “The Wrestler.” He joked that this was his first — and probably only — opportunity to beat Clint Eastwood at something. The craggy actor / director was also nominated in the category, for music he composed to accompany his new film, “Gran Torino.”
Posthumous honors went to Aussie actor Heath Ledger, who won for his performance as The Joker in “The Dark Knight.”
The big winner of the night was the film, “Slumdog Millionaire,” which is set against the background of a game show in Mumbai, India. The film won for Best Motion Picture (Drama), with top honors for director Danny Boyle (best known for “Trainspotting”) screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (who won an Oscar for his work on “The Full Monty”), and Best Original Score.
Oscar nominations will be out by the end of the month. And common wisdom dictates that the Globes are a good indicator, so maybe there will be a few pre-St. Patrick’s Day presents for the Irish . . .