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I live on the ocean, write women's fiction, love to read so much that it's an addiction rather than a hobby (I read an average of a book a day). I live on the wet west coast so it's a good thing that I like to walk in the rain.

Monday, January 17, 2011

It's definitely different!

Last night I watched the Golden Globe awards for the very first time. I'm an avid - and consistent - watcher of the Oscars. In fact, I have an Oscar party almost every year.

But this year I thought I'd watch the Golden Globes thinking that - perhaps because the Oscars have their ups and downs in terms of charm - I'd switch to a Golden Globe party.

Nope.

It's not that it wasn't interesting. It was. It's not that it didn't have the gorgeous red carpet clothes. It did. It's not that there weren't celebrities and surprises and you're kidding me, right? moments. There were. It's not even that Ricky Gervais wasn't his usual - perhaps more than usual - obnoxious self as the emcee. He was. And I have to admit I enjoyed the fact that they also gave awards for TV  work - some of the great writing and acting and directing of the day is done on TV series, movies and mini series.

But, for me, there was something missing.

There are things I don't like about the Oscars. It's much more scripted than the Golden Globes and they do tend to buzz people off very quickly when in many instances I want to hear what that obscure actor or director or writer has to say. Blockbusters often win when other, smaller and more creative movies don't. Sometimes they're too long, sometimes they're boring - and for the last couple of years the musical numbers have sucked.

The Golden Globes do some things right but what I didn't like? I didn't like the fact that the audience was so small that we spent half the time looking at two people not looking at each other (in case you missed it, I'm talking about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt). Because it's less scripted it's also sometimes cringeworthy - like Robert Downey Jr.'s not-so-funny speech about all the women who he might or should or did sleep with.  And Ricky Gervais' often meanspirited emceeing. The writing for the presenters isn't as good nor as funny.

There were some lovely moments - the standing ovation for Michael Douglas and his joke about "There must be an easier way to get a standing ovation", Chris Culfer of Glee's affirming acceptance speech. Seeing Jane Lynch get an award and watching the always beautiful and sexy Helen Mirren.

But, in the end, the Oscars are the Oscars. There's a reason they're the finale of the awards season - because, for many reasons, some good and some bad, they're as Fred Astaire would put it - they're the top. And this year, Anne Hathaway is going to host - and that's going to be interesting.

So I'm going to stick with my Oscar party. They may be flawed, but having seen the Golden Globes, they're flawed in a way I can live with.

Kate

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