Golden Globe Awards

Diminished This Year to a Press Conference

The 65th Golden Globe Awards had no red carpet, no screaming fans, no acceptance speeches -- because there were no stars. The Writers Guild of America refused to let its union members work for the show, and so the actors boycotted the proceedings rather than cross a threatened picket line.

Instead, the winners were announced by six glib infotainment journalists, from shows such as "Extra" and "Inside Edition," who ripped open the envelopes to underwhelming applause.

Washington Post TV columnist Lisa de Moraes and Post staff writer William Booth were online Monday, Jan. 14, at 1 p.m. ET to discuss this year's version of the awards, the status of the strike and what may lie ahead this awards show season, particularly with the Oscars which are scheduled for Feb. 24.

A transcript follows.

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William Booth: Welcome any and all to our chat about the rather surreal Golden Globes proceedings. No red carpet, no fans, no stars. But some winners and losers, among them the audience. But it's the strikers strike and war is never pretty -- so let's get to it.

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Registration Blues, Va.: My wife wanted to watch Jane Austen on PBS last night at 9. What's a Globes-lovin' fella to do when there's only one TV in the house?

So I logged on to NBC.com to watch the Globes. Guess what? They asked me to register! No way. Not doin' it. I'm not gonna type in my e-mail, then wait for a confirmation e-mail to then log on to watch someone hand out awards from a podium, or however they did it. Nope. Instead, I just tooled around the Web, reading news updates on blogs as the winners were announced. I watch NBC's other stuff sometimes without having to "register," so I don't get why the Globes required the extra step.

My big discovery: I didn't miss the Globes at all. That's too bad, because I've enjoyed the broadcasts in the past. But if going online to seek them out isn't enough, then forget it.

William Booth: What happened with that Jane Austen? Who was she wearing?

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Princeton Junction, N.J.: Any word yet from the negotiations between the Directors Guild of America and the studios to arrive at a new contract? I am hopeful that if the DGA and studios can come to agreement this week that will break the logjam on this ridiculous and costly writers' strike. If not, then I am looking to Gov. Schwarzenegger to step in, crack some heads and get the two sides back to the table. Am I just a cockeyed optimist on all of this?

William Booth: The Directors Guild and the studios met over the weekend for formal negotiations and reports leaking from the meetings suggest they could be close to a deal. If the DGA strikes a deal, then the pressure is on for the Writers Guild to either accept a similar contract or convince themselves that they can do better.

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Washington, D.C.: Julian Schnable for Best Director? Best Dressed would make more sense, if the writers are still on strike this time next year and one can only hope, cancel GGs.

William Booth: Julian does favor pajamas for evening and daytime attire. But they are fantastic pjs, designed by his wife, the actress who also appears in his "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly," which won him the best director win. Did he earn it? Sure. His film won a Golden Globe for best foreign film -- and has been on most of critics best ten lists. Have you seen it? Did you think it worthy?

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Yikes!: I had to turn the TV off. Billy Bush's hair frightened me.

Lisa de Moraes: Is he growing a Sanjaya-esque faux-hawk? Seriously, what was going on in the back of his head? I could not get focused on anything he was saying -- yes, he has that effect on me in the best of times, but this time it was because something was clearly growing out the back of his head during the NBC news-conference coverage.

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Arlington, Va.: I caught a little bit of the Golden Globes last night, mostly to see what the Oscar ceremony would be like in the event that it too went "press conference." I also logged onto IMDb during the show to see some of the previous awards of the evening (I only caught the last 20 minutes of the show).

That was when I noticed something rather strange: IMDb had announced a couple of winners BEFORE they were announced on TV!

Did anyone else catch this?

Lisa de Moraes: Were you watching the winners announcement on NBC? If so, this is not surprising. NBC was way behind the actual news conference, because, of course, NBC was airing the stripped down Globes News Conference they had been planning for the better part of last week, complete with ad breaks. Meanwhile, the actual news conference being held by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hands out the trophies, was moving forward at quite a clip. You could see it on E! or, better yet, TV Guide Channel, which had no interruptions for Ryan Seacrest Moments.

So when, say 'Sweeney Todd' was being named best musical/comedy flick NBC's "live coverage" of the winners announcement was taking one of its many commercial breaks, and they got to that win later. NBC was still "announcing" winners half an hour after the actual news conference had ended. That final moment of NBC's coverage, in which Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell threw it to some pundit to "predict" which flick would be named best dramatic movie, was a total faux moment, because the winner had been announced nearly 30 minutes earlier. Yes, NBC News -- (last I heard NBC's coverage of the winners was still technically being done under the news division, though things were changing at such a clip on Friday it was hard to keep up) -- got beat in reporting the news by TV Guide Channel!...And Ryan Seacrest. And, it appears, IMDB.

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Vienna. Va.: If the Golden Globes had any backbone they would have canceled the awards entirely. Why give awards to actors who boycott your event and stab you in the back?

Lisa de Moraes: The Hollywood Foreign Press Association makes a great deal of money off the license fee it receives to broadcast this trophy show...And the writers guild kept stressing they were not picketing the HFPA, just NBC and Dick Clark Productions. But I take your point...

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Mississippi Gulf Coast: Pookie: This telecast has settled once and for all that entertainment "reporters" are tongue-tied idiots with absolutely nothing to say and saying it very poorly. Boring and annoying.

Lisa de Moraes: There were two parallel universes of celebrity suck-up reporters going on last night during the Globes announcement. Are you speaking of the Billy Bush/Nancy O'Dell tongue tied idiots over on NBC's slo-mo "news conference" or the HFPA one in which celebrity suck-up reporters were actually announcing the wins -- the one in which Mary Hart was the biggest star of the Golden Globes Awards announcement (sob).

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I'm probably in the minority (a former Angeleno): I think taking a collective national breather from the self-indulgent, overly entitled, prettified, richified narcissism of .... Hollywood (thought I was gonna say D.C. politics, didn't you? But that's a diff story). .... is a GOOD thing for a reality check (except for the industry's regular working folks who get screwed every which way on this stuff).

I won't mind NOT seeing the Oscars either. Time for a step back, put things in perspective and focus on some stuff that actually matters in a pivotal, world-altering campaign for a change. Aren't we so addicted to fluff that we NEED a time out?

You/we/our superficial celeb-obsessed culture can survive one season without admiring the ultra-rich, shallow and selfish, can't we?

Lisa de Moraes: Sorry, pookie, but I have to disagree. I think I'm speaking for millions of Americans when I say that, in these troubled times, now more than ever we need our fluff...

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Roanoke, Va.: My wife insisted we watch Sunday's show. Together. What struck me about it was that it looked like Election Day meets Entertainment Tonight. "NBC projections show that Cate Blanchett will win the Best Supporting Actress race." Cut to a graphic with a little picture of the winner and the title of the category. All that was missing was the check mark next to the winner's name. Oh, and then they'd cut to the "interview area," where election night analysts talk about trends. Next time, I want Brian Williams...

William Booth: I think Brian Williams could give Brooke and Dayna and Lara and Brooke a run for their money.

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Allentown, Pa.: I'm trying to think of something clever to say about Tina Fey being the only broadcast TV Golden Globe winner, but really, it just makes me a little sad inside.

William Booth: Wait. I'm flipping through the list again. My God! You're right.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Do you think Globe wins alter the outlook for Johnny Depp or Sweeney Todd at the Oscars? I'm thrilled to pieces for wins in both categories and, until last night, had been pessimistic about their Oscar chances.

William Booth: What Oscars?

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Fairfax, Va.: I think after having an award show canceled, I support the writers more than ever. Keep it up, guys! I've still got some DVDs to catch up on while you all aren't rehashing some old jokes with slightly modified characters!

William Booth: You're not from the Leno show, are you?

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"Persuasion": It was nice last evening to be able to watch "Persuasion," PBS's opening salvo in its Jane Austen-athon (sorry for the mixed metaphor!) this winter, without any temptation from an award ceremony.

Lisa de Moraes: Yes, the competition did really well on a Globe-less night. Even CBS's "Comanche Moon" clocked a decent number -- nearly 15 million viewers. Meanwhile the Globes logged just 5.8 million viewers on NBC -- about 71 percent fewer viewers than last year (20 million). This Globe number is about what TBS and TNT average together in their broadcast of the Screen Actors Guild Awards. But, of course, the SAG Awards are going to do a bigger number this year because, with the strike playing out the way it has, it could be this year's only trophy show in which A-listers show up -- the writers guild has given the SAG trophy show a waiver..

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Anonymous: As an unapologetic awards show/red carpet junkie, I was crestfallen when they canceled the Globes. Watching the NBC announcements last night made it even worse. I wanted to look away but couldn't -- such a trainwreck. That Billy Bush is some on-screen personality, huh? Yikes. Nice hair, too.

Lisa de Moraes: Still hoping someone out there can explain Bush's hair to us. Is he playing Sanjaya in the upcoming NBC telepic: "American Idol: The Movie"?

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Hollywood, Fla.: Well my goodness why not just have the big party and let the stars ad-lib? -- not really a problem except for some of those stars with the thick accents...

William Booth: That is my vote. Old school. But funny, with all the spontaneity of the Internet, it sometimes feels like with live in a more scripted world. Reality shows, politicians, awards shows. They don't like to leave anything to chance.

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Washington, D.C.: Do you think it'll be settled by Oscars time?

Lisa de Moraes: The Directors Guild began discussions with the AMPTP -- Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers -- over the weekend. They have a blackout in place in re leaking info to the press about details of their talk but it's been widely presumed from the start of this strike that resolution would not happen until the DGA talks began...

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Iowa City, Iowa: Overall, I was very pleased with the choices that received Golden Globe Awards. However, I find that I did not miss the attendant "show" with the gowns, the glitz and who wore what designer's clothes. It's not that I, on some level, did not enjoy such display, but in truth, it had been a bit like watching a party to which you were not invited.

William Booth: What is with you people from Iowa! You dominate the political awards season and now you're pushing to get invited to Globes parties. Isn't it enough to decide the leader of the free world -- and you want goodie bags, too.

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Fairfax, Va.: How can the SAG awards go on? Aren't they affected by the strike?

Lisa de Moraes: The striking Writers Guild of America gave the SAG Awards a waiver, even though the SAG trophy show is produced by a struck company AND it's being telecast on TNT and TBS which are owned by a member of the AMPTP with which the WGA is in its death-match -- because SAG has been so supportive. But the WGA also said it had no beef with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association which hands out the Globes and that trophy show was also going to be produced by a struck company --- Dick Clark Prods., and air on a network owned by an AMPTP member... It's all very subjective who gets a waiver and who does not.

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Anonymous: What will happen to all those leftover swag bags? I sure could use a new phone...

William Booth: The swag suites were mostly shuttered around town, to be redeployed in force during upcoming Screen Actors Guild awards.

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Washington, D.C.: What happened to Kathy Griffin? The only reason I tuned in NBC was to see/hear what outrageous things she would contribute and all I saw (okay, I was late to the show) was what appeared to be her in bed watching TV. What a disappointment.

Lisa de Moraes: You missed the good bits with Kathy. She was actually the highlight of the "Dateline: Two Hours Of Your Life You Will Never Get Back" Golden Globe News Conference walk-up special. Her commentary was fun, particularly about the mermaid gowns favored by starlets these days,....She needs to take over somebody's coverage of the Globes going forward; maybe NBC News will deputize her permanently...

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Golden Globes: Good Lord, was that last night?

William Booth: It was a necessary cleansing tonic.

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Arlington, Va.: Did you get the feeling that Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell really don't like each other? He looked like he smelled something foul during the whole thing and she just looked orange. They should have just had people on the street open the envelope and read the winner. Because Billy and Nancy's "commentary" was wretched.

Lisa de Moraes: She did look orange -- too many carrots. Yes, they seemed very unhappy to be there...

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Four Corners, Md.: I didn't realize the awards were announced on E before NBC. I was watching NBC waiting for two specific categories, only to see the winners already being discussed online. What was the logic for not having live announcements on NBC?

Lisa de Moraes: When NBC thought they had the announcements exclusive, they went ahead and sold advertising with the intention of dragging out the announcement of winners into a one hour special. Then, when the HFPA took back control of the announcements and opened it up to TV Guide Channel and E!, NBC was stuck with its one-hour special or lose all the ad revenue. Meanwhile, TV Guide and E! covered it live-live (as opposed to NBC's faux live) with no ad breaks...

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Baltimore, Md.: Were either of you shocked that Mad Men won best drama? I love the show, but it's amazing that a show from a basic cable channel (AMC) that does only a small amount of original programming could beat out the broadcast nets and the likes of HBO and Showtime.

Lisa de Moraes: But it's from one of the "Sopranos" guys and the HFPA has historically wet its pants over all things Sopranos-esque...

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Agree with Former Angeleno, sortof: As a former and soon to be returning Angeleno (hello Mexican food!), I have to agree that the self-importance of the Hollywood award show season can seriously be too much to take -- esp. if you're there. I watched the CNN broadcast of the Globes last night and felt afterward like I didn't miss much not having everyone to look at. The broadcast was dismal at best and made me feel like we could probably skip all this self-congratulating and really not miss it at all. I'll take the train-wrecks and celeb blogs over stuffy "we're so great" evenings any day!

Lisa de Moraes: You missed nothing, what with there being no pretty dresses to look at and no Jack Nicholson sightings.. Turns out, nobody cares who won, it's the pageant that makes it worth watching...

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Might be off topic, but...: Lisa, the strike has taken away my favorite shows. My guy and I have taken to watching shows on DVD instead. We're currently in the last couple seasons of both West Wing and Scrubs, and we've already done Buffy and Angel. With those as a guideline, what should we watch next? Please help!

Lisa de Moraes: First season of "House" before it became a reality competition series....is 'Keen Eddie' out on DVD? If so, watch it for sure...

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Arlington, Va.: Do you think Juno's chances of winning any Oscars have been dimmed by its poor showing at the Golden Globes?

William Booth: No. I think a movie is helped by a win at the Golden Globes and the attending hype of being nominated for a GG. So I think Juno is in about the same shape now. The question is whether it will go into Little Miss Sunshine territory.

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Disgruntled: The HFPA should have just posted the results of their voting on their Web site at 2:00 a.m. I'll wager that audience would be about the same size as the one that has viewed most of their "winners." It also would have erased the need for the wholly pathetic sham news event on NBC.

Lisa de Moraes: NBC only did the show in an effort to recoup some of its lost ad revenue from the trophy show...

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Falls Church, Va.: Was Nancy O'Dell wearing an orange shirt underneath her dress, or did she just spend too long at the Mystic Tan? And what the heck was going on with Billy Bush's hair? Is he growing it out in sympathy with the writers, a la Conan and Dave's beards?

Lisa de Moraes: A strike faux-hawk! Leave it to a Bush to come up with something that original...

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Arlington, Va.: Really? Atonement? Best Picture? Discuss.

William Booth: Funny you should ask. Not that the press really matters in these things, but when Atonement was announced/read as best picture, there were groans from the hack assembly. If you read the critics and talk in the town, it appears that Atonement peaked early and may now fade.

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Springfield, Va.: If Billy Bush would have broken out into a rendition of "Twist and Shout," I would have confused him with Sanjaya...

Lisa de Moraes: You mean "Besame Mucho" of course... yum.

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Idiot reporters: Brian Williams and other good reporters are busy doing other things, like you know, mediating presidential debates.

William Booth: Good point. You're right, of course, we see that now. Brian Williams shouldn't have replaced Dayna Devon of "Extra" last night. What were we thinking...

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Holy moly: I watched the first 20 minutes of last night's non-festivities on NBC and was praising the lord above when I made the switch to E! I miss the drunken speeches by stars, but I'd FAR rather have the awkward, straightforward press conference than to have to hear Billy Bush pontificate. Like anyone cares what he has to say.

Lisa de Moraes: I wonder why, once WGA announced it would not picket because the press conference had been thrown open to all networks, NBC didn't swap out the craptastic Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell for some of its primetime stars. Steve Carrell would have been a hoot...

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NYC: I think the Golden Globes are a joke, but that being said, I'm glad "Extras" won Best Comedy.

That show is on one of the HBO's every day, and yet nobody I know has seen nor heard about it.

It's really quite awkward/funny, and am glad it's getting even more recognition.

Also, to what extent can we associate Alec Baldwin loss last night and at the Emmy's to one leaked voice mail?

Lisa de Moraes: Not at all, in re Baldwin's loss and his leaked voicemail rant to his daughter. And, in re "Extras," the HFPA does tend to favor shows starring Brits -- not that there's anything wrong with that. We're out of time. Thanks for joining us.

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William Booth: This was a pleasure. Thanks all -- and let's see what new adventures await during the writers strike.

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