78th Annual Golden Globes Are Successful Despite The Pandemic
The late Chadwick Boseman’s wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, accepts the award on his behalf.
March 8, 2021
For the 78th year in a row, the Golden Globes, a ceremony that celebrates accomplishments in film, has come to pass. Hosted in two different cities by Tina Fey in New York and Amy Poehler in Beverly Hills, on February 28th, this year’s Golden Globes was like nothing before— it was completely virtual! Celebrities, who typically sit directly under the stage, attended the show from home on Zoom. First responders and essential workers replaced celebrities as a live audience in both New York and California. All of the live audience members were required to wear masks and were tested for Covid-19 before the event.
The night began with a comedic speech from Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. The speech was full of pop-culture references and relatable jokes that earned the audience’s laughter. Towards the end of the introduction, Tina Fey addressed some of the controversy surrounding the lack of diversity in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that creates the nomination list, and their exclusion of several popular Black-led shows and films saying, “Inclusivity is important, and there are no Black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press, but you’ve gotta change that. So, here’s to changing it.”
Afterward, they began to announce the award winners. With 25 categories and 150 nominations, it was no short task. A complete list of those honored for their achievements are as follows:
Film
Best Motion Picture (Drama)
- The father
- Mank
- Promising Young Woman
- The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Motion Picture (Comedy)
- Hamilton
- Music
- Palm Springs
- The Prom
Best Performance in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Actors
- Riz Ahmed
- Anthony Hopkins
- Gary Oldman
- Tahar Rahim
Best Performance in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Actresses
- Viola Davis
- Vanessa Kirby
- Frances McDormand
- Carey Mulligan
Best Performance in a Motion Picture (Musical/Comedy)
Actors
- James Corden
- Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Dev Patel
- Andy Samberg
Best Performance in a Motion Picture (Musical/Comedy)
Actresses
- Maria Bakalova
- Kate Hudson
- Michelle Pfeiffer
- Anya Taylor-Joy
Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture
Actor
- Sacha Baron Cohen
- Jared Letto
- Bill Murray
- Leslie Odem Jr.
Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture
Actress
- Glenn Close
- Olivia Colman
- Amanda Seyfried
- Helena Zengel
Best Director
- Emerald Fennell
- David Fincher
- Regina King
- Aaron Sorkin
Best Screenplay
- Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
- Jack Fincher – Mank
- Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller – The Father
- Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
Best Original Score
- Alexandre Desplat – The Midnight Sky
- Ludwig Göransson – Tenet
- James Newton Howard – News of the World
- Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Mank
Best Original Song
- “Fight for You” D’Mile, H.E.R, and Tiara Thomas
- “Hear My Voice” Celeste and Daniel Pemberton
- “Speak Now” Sam Ashworth and Leslie Odem Jr.
- “Tigress and Tweed” Andra Day and Raphael Saadiq
Best Animated Feature
- The Croods: A New Age
- Onward
- Over the Moon
- Wolfwalkers
Best Foriegn Language Film
- Another Round (Denmark)
- La Llorona (Guatemala)
- The Life Ahead(Italy)
- Two of Us (France)
Television
Best Television Series (Drama)
- Lovecraft Country
- The Mandalorian
- Ozark
- Ratchced
Best Television Series (Musical/Comedy)
- Emily in Paris
- The Flight Attendant
- The Great
- Ted Lasso
Best Performance in Television Series (Drama)
Actress
- Olivia Colman
- Jodie Comer
- Laura Linney
- Sarah Paulson
Best Performance in Television Series (Drama)
Actor
- Jason Bateman
- Bob Odenkirk
- Al Pacino
- Mathew Rhys
Best Performance in Television Series (Musical/Comedy)
Actress
- Lily Collins
- Kaley Cuoco
- Elle Fanning
- Jane Levy
Best Performance in Television Series (Musical/Comedy)
- Don Cheadle
- Nicholas Hoult
- Eugene Levy
- Ramy Youssef
Best Performance in Miniseries or Television
Actress
- Cate Blanchett
- Daisy Edgar-Jones
- Shira Haas
- Nicole Kidman
Best Performance in Miniseries or Television
Actor
- Bryan Cranston
- Jeff Daniels
- Hugh Grant
- Ethan Hawke
Best Supporting Performance in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Actress
- Helena Bonham Carter
- Julia Garner
- Annie Murphy
- Cynthia Nixon
Best Suporting Performance in a Series, Miniserires or Television Film
Actor
- Brendan Gleeson
- Dan Levy
- Jim Parsons
- Donald Sutherland
Best Miniseries or Television Film
- Normal People
- Small Axe
- The Undoing
- Unorthodox
The viewers’ reactions to this year’s Golden Globes were mostly positive. Many people were excited about the nominations and awards for this year. Sophomore Olivia Pace notes that “I was happy to see that some of the actors and shows I love won, including actor John Boyega!” John Boyega’s performance in the series Small Axe won him the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series.
One of the most memorable and touching moments of the night was the acceptance speech given by Chad Boseman’s widow, Taylor Simone Ledward. Boseman passed away in late August of 2020, but his memory was honored 6 months later at the Golden Globes awards. Sophomore Vivian Nguyen remarks, “I was so happy when I heard Chadwick Boseman won Best Actor at the Golden Globes. Although I have not watched “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” [a role that earned him the Best Performance in Motion Picture award], I really loved his role in Black Panther. I was devastated when I heard he passed away from cancer back in August. He was a huge role model for fans of the Marvel franchise, especially since he was their first Black hero. His wife’s acceptance speech on behalf of him was very beautiful and emotional.”
Her speech can be found here.
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