Golden Globes: Live Blogging

Yes, I know that Grandpa Jack Bauer starts his eighth really bad day tonight, and that there's a new Desperate Housewives and the second installment of Big Love . . . but the event of the evening is, of course, the Golden Globe awards with the deliciously unpredictable Ricky Gervais as host. Thank goodness for DVRs so I can catch up on the missed eppies later after I shamelessly root for for Jon Hamm, Mad Men and Modern Family.

After I jump back and forth between E (the Exclamation! Point! Channel) and the TV Guide channel for the arrival show in the rain, I'll live blog here. Feel free to chime in on your biggest surprises/disappointments/pleasures while watching the TV/film extravaganza. (Plus Lauren Graham -- of Gilmore Girls -- is going to be presenting and looks lovely.)

Comments on Gervais' Opening:
Update: Mocked the NBC version of The Office and Steve Carell and NBC, a wee bit. Held up the DVD set of HIS version of The Office. Then skewered sanctimonious actors/actresses and complimented their plastic surgeons.

Update: "Let's get on with it before NBC replaces me with Jay Leno," Gervais' parting shot before handing off Nicole Kidman and her immobile face.

Awards:

Update: Best supporting actress in a motion picture award went to Mo'Nique from Precious. I really need to see this movie, not playing widely or as wildly as I wish it would. THIS is what acceptance speeches should be, not those irritating, phoned in laundry lists.

Update: For best actress in TV/comedy, I wanted it to be Edie Falco from Nurse Jackie. (No offense Tina.) But it went to Toni Collette from Showtime's United States of Tara, for her tough role as a suburban mom with multiple personalities. Good show, risk-taking.

Update: Best supporting actor in TV. I chanted, "Ben Linus . . . Ben Linus . . . Ben Linus" silently in my head. But the Golden Globes people didn't hear me, apparently. Went to John Lithgow for Dexter. I've never seen Dexter but really like Michael C. Hall. Have to admit I'm disappointed. Michael Emerson kicks it, totally owns one of TV's best villains.

Update: How tacky for the Golden Globes orchestra to start playing music while the guy from Up was still speaking. He hadn't gone on that long and was genuine, real. It's a pet peeve of mine when awards shows cut off non-celeb winners because the show's top brass are afraid that seeing too much of faces made of flesh and not plastic will kill the ratings.

Update: Hey Ricky, I already saw The Invention of Lying. Thought it was amusing, not belly-laugh inducing like Gervais can be when he knows he's not going to serve as a Golden Globe host again.

Update: Best actor TV/drama . . . goes to Jon Ha . . . whoa, wait, what?! Jon Hamm had an awesome year on Mad Men. Fantastic. Fantastic. This is unbelieveable. But damn, knowing that Michael C. Hall, for Dexter, is recovering from cancer treatment, that makes this so poignant, even though he didn't invoke it specifically.

Update: Best actress TV/drama, good for Julianna Margulies for The Good Wife. Good for her. Could they have seated Margulies any farther away from the stage? Didn't apparently think she'd win by seating her back there. Wonder what Silda Spitzer, Elizabeth Edwards and the other betrayed wives think of her show and her win . . .

Creepy Christmas Greetings from 'Big Love's' Juniper Creek & Its Deceased Prophet

In an attempt to remind people of the dramatic goodness that is Big Love -- the show which netted three Golden Globe nominations this week -- in advance of its season four premiere on January 10, HBO has released a creepy set of Christmas videos/songs featuring the Juniper Creek prophet, Roman Grant, and his many wives singing in harmony.

But wait a second, didn't Roman die in the season three finale? The show's co-creator confirmed that Roman had passed away by telling the Los Angeles Times, and I quote, "Roman is 100 percent absolutely completely dead." I guess Roman came back from the dead for the sole purpose of delivering the likes of the video below, "A Juniper Creek Christmas."



In other Big Love news, TV Guide is reporting that the wonderful Amanda Seyfried -- who plays the disillusioned Sarah Henrickson who's repulsed by her parents' entry into the world of polygamy -- will be leaving at the end of the fourth season in order to pursue a film career. After making a big splash with Mamma Mia! last year, she's got two new films coming out soon, Letters to Juliet and Dear John.

Golden Globe Nominations: The Good, the Bad & the Odd

Meryl vs Meryl. Meryl Streep is legend for her superb, award winning dramatic acting chops. Now it appears as though she’s conquered the world of comedy as well. This morning’s announcement by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, that she’s competing for a Golden Globe best actress in a comedy film award against herself, just makes it official: Meryl is the greatest actress of all time. This year she was nominated for her portrayal of Julia Child in Julie & Julia, and for her dramatization of a divorced mom who has an affair with her ex (Alec Baldwin) in the yet-to-be-released It’s Complicated.

Love for the Families. HBO's Big Love got three nominations for its solid third season in the categories of best TV drama, best TV actor in a drama for Bill Paxton and best supporting TV actress for Chloe Sevigny. ABC's Modern Family – which just aired one of the funnniest Christmas episodes I’ve seen – got a nod with a best comedy show nomination. I hope it kicks some comedy behind at the Golden Globes.

Enough with the Boring, Spoiled Boys Already. Why is Entourage even in the best comedy series running this year? Why not Parks & Recreation instead? Entourage was wildly uneven and I found myself getting seriously bored on many occasions and feeling as though the adolescent boy/never grew up/has no responsibilities shtick was getting tiresome.

In Dire Need of Some Texas-Sized Love. Where was Friday Night Lights, trusty Coach Eric Taylor and Principal Tami Taylor in the mix here? This show gets no love, honestly, it’s like the Gilmore Girls of the awards set.

Baffling TV Comedy Actress Selections. Why on earth did Courteney Cox get nominated for the abomination that is Cougar Town? Certainly Amy Poehler from Parks & Recreation is loads funnier, in that wry, Bob Newhart kind of way in its much-improved second season. The Association could’ve also, instead, put Sofia Vergara from Modern Family into that slot, or even Patricia Heaton from The Middle.

And while I’m on the subject of comedy actresses, why is Edie Falco’s excellent Nurse Jackie depiction competing in the comedy category? I really like Showtime's Nurse Jackie but as a comedy? Dramedy maybe. Straight out comedy, no. Ditto for the United States of Tara, also from Showtime and whose lead actress, Toni Collette, is nominated in the comedy category.

HBO Crushes Other Networks. One stat that is likely horrifying the brass at the broadcast networks: HBO got 17 nominations, one less than the combined number of nominations of ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. AMC – home of Mad Men which got three nominations for best drama, best actor (the exquisite Jon Hamm), best actress (January Jones) -- got as many nominations as did ABC.

Anything please/displease you about the slate of Golden Globe nominees (find the whole list here)?

Image credit: Adam Taylor/ABC.