Los Angeles: The song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from the Indian film RRR directed by S.S. Rajamouli was named the Best Original Song in Motion Picture, The Fabelmans won Best Picture, Drama and ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ bagged Best Picture, Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes Awards.
House of the Dragon won best TV drama and Abbott Elementary received the prize for best TV comedy. In a marathon telecast that stretched over three hours, The White Lotus, was named best limited or anthology series for its Sicily-set second season.
Their victories came as the tarnished awards show attempted to relaunch itself as a star-studded celebration of movies and television after being forced off the air in 2022 in the wake of a series of controversies, reports ‘Variety’.
The Banshees of Inisherin,’ a comic look at the dissolution of a friendship, won leading three prizes, including awards for its screenplay and the lead performance of Colin Farrell.
The Fabelmans, a warm-hearted look at Steven Spielberg’s childhood, also won a directing prize for the filmmaking icon.
If the evening had a theme, it was one of reinvention and renewal.
Several of the winners described themselves as being given golden opportunities after being cut out from or overlooked by a business that failed to appreciate their talents. That included best actress in a motion picture musical or comedy winner Michelle Yeoh, an action star turned awards season darling with her turn in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” who talked about the ageism and racism she faced.
It was a theme that was amplified by Farrell, who thanked his ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ writer and director Martin McDonagh for helping to rechart his career path when he cast him in the 2008 black comedy “In Bruges.”
And echoed by best-supporting actor winner Ke Huy Quan, a former child actor who had stopped acting before he was cast as Yeoh’s husband in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
There were also several speeches that reached emotional crescendos, such as best supporting actress winner Angela Bassett, honoured for her turn as a grieving monarch in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She used her time on stage to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman, the actor who rocketed to fame as the king of Wakanda, but whose career was cut short when he died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 43.
Other top acting awards went to Austin Butler, honoured as best actor in a motion picture drama for his shape-shifting performance as Elvis Presley in Elvis, and to Cate Blanchett, named best actress in a motion picture drama for her work as an abusive conductor in Tar.
Zendaya was named best actress in a TV drama for her work as a troubled high schooler in Euphoria, while Kevin Costner won the prize for best actor in a TV drama for his work as a rancher in Yellowstone.
Lead actors in TV limited or anthology series awards went to Amanda Seyfried in The Dropout and Evan Peters in Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Eddie Murphy and Ryan Murphy were the recipients of the Cecil B. DeMille Award, recognisng career achievement in movies, and the Carol Burnett Award, honouring career achievement in television, respectively.
Ryan Murphy used his speech to recognize openly gay or trans performers he worked with such as MJ Rodriguez, Jeremy Pope, Niecy Nash, and Billy Porter, calling them signs of “hope and progress.”
“Use them as your north stars,” Murphy told viewers who might not see themselves reflected often on screen or who might feel under attack because of their race or sexual orientation.
Eddie Murphy was more irreverent in his time on stage, poking fun at a viral moment from last year’s Oscars, while telling the audience that he followed a simple blueprint for success in the movie business.
“Pay your taxes, mind your business and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out your fucking mouth,” Eddie Murphy said, referencing the actor’s assault on Chris Rock.
The focus of the evening was on the fantasies and fables being spun on the big and small screen alike, but glimmers of the painful reality being experienced in parts of the world managed to break through the glitz and glamour.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, appeared on video to rally viewers to his country’s cause as it continues to be locked in an existential battle with Russia.
“The tide is turning and it is already clear who will win,” Zelensky said to loud applause.