Babel, Dreamgirls Among Winners At Golden Globes
Posted January 16, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Oscar race often shapes up to be a race between the winners in the two major film categories at the Golden Globes – and if that’s the case this year it comes down to Babel and Dreamgirls.
Babel, a global drama interweaving several stories, was named top drama picture at the Globes Monday night, while voters feted Dreamgirls, about a Supremes-style musical group’s rise in fame, as the top musical or comedy.
“I think the power of cinema is universal and at the end, emotion doesn’t need translation and that’s the beauty of it,” said Babel director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
That’s not to say there might not be a dark horse or two – consider that the best director statuette, which doesn’t split into genres, was awarded to Martin Scorsese for The Departed. Scorsese has never won a best director Oscar despite several nominations. He won a Globe in previous years for The Aviator.
The lead drama acting awards went to Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland, in which he plays Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, and Helen Mirren, for The Queen. Whitaker was victorious over Will Smith, Peter O’Toole, and two nominated performances by Leonardo DiCaprio (for Blood Diamond and The Departed).
“(Winning) was like a jolt of lightning,” he said afterward.
Mirren, meanwhile, beat out Kate Winslet, Judi Dench, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Penelope Cruz.
In the lead musical or comedy award categories, Sacha Baron Cohen was named best lead actor for the searing satire Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan and Meryl Streep best lead actress for The Devil Wears Prada.
Cohen had one of the funniest and most memorable acceptance speeches of the night, referring to a scene from the film where his character wrestles in the nude with his road trip companion, played by Ken Davitian.
Addressing Davitian in the audience, Cohen said, “When I was in that scene, and I stared down and saw your two wrinkled Golden Globes on my chin, I thought to myself, I’d better win a bloody award for this.”
In the supporting acting categories, Dreamgirls stars Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy both won.
In the television categories, newcomer Ugly Betty made a beautiful entrance into the somewhat surreal world of award shows. It won best comedy series and star America Ferrera took home the award best comic actress on television.
Fererra, who plays Betty Suarez, was a heavy underdog going up against four past Golden Globe nominees, including two ‘desperate housewives.’
She made a teary acceptance speech saying she often hears from girls inspired by her character, adding the show “truly brings a new face to television.”
Grey’s Anatomy was named best drama, while Hugh Laurie of House and Kyra Sedgewick from The Closer won for best performances in a drama. Alec Baldwin was honoured for his work on the comedy series 30 Rock.
Photo Credit: Gabriel Bouys, AFP
Complete list of winners at Monday’s 64th annual Golden Globes presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in Beverly Hills, Calif.:
MOTION PICTURES
–Picture, Drama: “Babel”
–Actress, Drama: Helen Mirren, “The Queen”
–Actor, Drama: Forest Whitaker, “The Last King of Scotland”
–Picture, Musical or Comedy: “Dreamgirls”
–Actress, Musical or Comedy: Meryl Streep, “The Devil Wears Prada”
–Actor, Musical or Comedy: Sacha Baron Cohen, “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”
–Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson, “Dreamgirls”
–Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy, “Dreamgirls”
–Director: Martin Scorsese, “The Departed”
–Movie Screenplay: Peter Morgan, “The Queen”
–Foreign Language: “Letters From Iwo Jima,” USA/Japan
–Original Score: Alexandre Desplat, “The Painted Veil”
–Original Song: “The Song of the Heart” from “Happy Feet”
–Animated Film: “Cars”
TELEVISION
–Series, Drama: “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC
–Actress, Drama: Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”
–Actor, Drama: Hugh Laurie, “House”
–Series, Musical or Comedy: “Ugly Betty,” ABC
–Actress, Musical or Comedy: America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty”
–Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
–Miniseries or movie: “Elizabeth I,” HBO
–Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Helen Mirren, “Elizabeth I”
–Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Bill Nighy, “Gideon’s Daughter”
–Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Emily Blunt, “Gideon’s Daughter”
–Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jeremy Irons, “Elizabeth I”
–Cecil B. DeMille Award: Warren Beatty
