GOLDEN GLOBE, GARBAGE & GLAMOUR

Who is Ricky Gervais? Pleading relative ignorance of television and its massive audience appeal; my viewing hours spent primarily in the dark, velvety caverns of movie theatres,  I was stunned and sickened, finally bored by Mr. Gervais’s antagonistic, pejorative, cruel and “below the belt” undignified comments about presenters, nominees and winners at Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards. Most celebrities have developed a leather shield, protecting themselves from “gossip” and salacious innuendo, constantly being the fodder of the paparazzi and rag publications. But Mr. Gervais exceeded all boundaries in taste and civility; his angst, envy and vindictive behavior tainted, maligned and overshadowed many powerful, sensitive, and joyous moments; leaving a dark, ugly scum, dulling the glimmer, glamour and glory of the evening.

Many comedians attack the controversial, no topic or subject sacrosanct: Don Rickles, Shecky Green, Mort Saul, George Carlin, Joan Rivers coating their barbs with levity, devoid of malicious, castrating comments. Herein lies Ricky Gervais’s (The Office) primary sin, the total absence of humor; there is no penance or castigation that can redeem him from this mortal error.

“Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder”; the evening served gorgeous, chimerical, luminous “eye candy” , a flavor for all discriminating palates. The list is endless, but a few surpassed and moved beyond the ultimate scale of magnificence: Nicole Kidman, Olivia Wilde, Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Claire Danes, Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, Helen Mirren;  even the electrified look of Helena Bonham Carter, Annette Bening, Scarlett Johansson added zest to an otherwise old fashioned 40s’-stylish, elegance. The gentleman ubiquitously locked in primeval werewolf mode: Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, barely discernable; Brad Pitt, Jake Gyllenhaal, fuzzily hiding their handsomeness. Colin Firth (winner of the Best Actor Award, motion picture “The King’s Speech”) and Chris Colfer (supporting actor, TV series, “Glee”); facial -hairless heroes whose acceptance speeches will rank in the rarefied echelons of past Golden Globe erudite victors.

It is a fervent wish that the Academy Awards would follow the erstwhile example of the Golden Globes and segregate the movie and acting categories; eliminating the vying between the comedic and serious; Natalie Portmans and Annette Bennings, Colin Firths and Paul Giamattis, “The Social Network”, “The Kids Are All Right” erasing the tension and concentrating on recognizing and rewarding the positive aspects of both genres.

Every year we criticize, finding fault with the length, disappointment with the loss of our choices; the winners who flounder, citing shock at their victory (they’ve known for months that they have a 20% chance; they are actors… be prepared). We are loyalists, no matter how much we protest, as the days diminish, calendars cleared, previous Golden Globes evaporate and once again we are anchored to our couches, cheering, crying, complaining as if this was our initiation into the starlit world of wonderment.

TWO & 1/2 STARS!!

For Now………..Peneflix