Lessons learned from the Golden Globes

In 1999, Christian Bale starred as a serial killer in the film American Psycho, and to this date it's difficult for me to remember he's neither. Well, I can't really say for certain about the psycho part, but he's definitely not American. But still it's difficult for me to grasp that the latest Batman was actually born in Wales and to remember that his first prominent role was as an English kid in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun. And his portrayal of a Boston street junkie in The Fighter is so convincing, so beyond the realm of most British actors, it undoubtedly led to his Golden Globe win for best supporting actor and probably means he'll win the Oscar for that performance as well.

Listening to Bale accept his award speaking in his normal accent drove it all home again. Other things I learned from watching the Globes telecast were:

• I probably need to see an episode or two or three of Glee on television one of these days.
• For the the second consecutive year, the best picture Oscar is actually going to go to the best picture.
• Colin Firth is a shoo-in for best actor.
• I got distracted and didn't catch either Robert Downey Jr.'s bit or Anette Bening's acceptance speech, both of which, from the little I did see, seemed to be show highlights.
• Ricky Gervais is today's answer to Don Rickles, but lacks both Rickles's sharpness and the hilarity he could provoke. Rickles, at his best, could make me laugh so hard my sides would hurt. I find Gervais somewhat and sometimes mildly amusing.
• Jane Fonda looked great but Robert DeNiro's acceptance of the Cecile B. DeMille award was embarrassing.
• The Globes telecast just ain't the same without Jack.
• The Hollywood Foreign Press hasn't realized that Megan Fox's 15 minutes ended at least 15 minutes ago.

Some thoughts on Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet is a superb actress and deserves most of the recognition she is receiving for her performances. Much has been said about the fact that she has been nominated for so many Oscars without ever winning the thing. There's a very good reason why she hasn't won -- while she turned in wonderful performances, she never gave the best performance of any one year.

The same is true for her 2008 film work. It's a shame that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association felt it had to bend over and give Ms. Winslet two Golden Globes, not because she deserved them -- she didn't -- but because they felt she had gone trophy-less long enough and was trying to goad the Motion Picture Academy into follow suit with some hardware. I'm hoping the Academy doesn't get sucked into that "Well, I guess it's her time" argument, although it has often handed out many Oscars for exactly that reason.

I'm also hoping the Academy doesn't fall sway to Harvey Weinstein's fanatic push to have Ms. Winslet nominated for a supporting performance in "The Reader." Anyone who sees that film must realize that is NOT a supporting role, it is the lead role, much more of a lead role, in fact, than, say, Frances McDormand's was in "Fargo." Weinstein bought that undeserving GG nomination for Ms. Winslet and I know he's lobbying the actor's branch of the Academy for the same kind of double Oscar nomination.

The problem with awarding someone because someone feels they have been shortchanged in their career is that it robs more deserving actors of the recognition they have earned -- in this case, actors such as Penelope Cruz and Anne Hathaway.

I am hoping Academy voters, unlike the whores in the HFPA, will recognize talent and not decide to give the Oscar to someone out of feelings of guilt and regret. Plus it would be criminal for the Academy to do for Ms. Winslet what it would not do for the much more deserving Peter O'Toole.

Golden Globe Predictions

For what it's worth, here are my predicted winners for tonight's Golden Globes:

Movie categories
Drama Picture: "Slumdog Millionaire"
Comedy-Musical Picture: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Foreign Language Picture: "Waltz With Bashir"
Director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Drama Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk"
Drama Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Comedy/Musical Actor: Dustin Hoffman, "Last Chance Harvey"
Comedy/Musical Actress: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Animated Film: "Wall-E"
Screenplay: 'Slumdog Millionaire"
Original Score: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Butler"
Song: Bruce Springsteen, "The Wrestler"

Television Categories
Dramatic Series: "Mad Men"
Actor Drama: Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Actress Drama: Anna Paquin, "True Blood"
Comedy Series: "30 Rock"
Comedy Actor: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Comedy Actress: Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Actor in TV Miniseries or Movie: Paul Giamatti, "John Adams"
Actress in a TV Miniseries or Movie: Laura Linney, "John Adams"
Supporting Actor miniseries or movie: Jeremy Priven, "Entourage"
Supporting Actress miniseries or movie: Laura Dern, "Recount"