Steven Spielberg emerged as a big winner at the Golden Globe awards for his coming-of-age film The Fabelmans.
(Bloomberg) — Steven Spielberg emerged as a big winner at the Golden Globe awards for his coming-of-age film The Fabelmans.
The veteran Hollywood filmmaker won best director, while the movie, which is based on his life, won best drama.
The awards show on NBC, was about marking a new era, but still highlighted more conventional Hollywood platforms. Abbott Elementary, an ABC sitcom created by Quinta Brunson prevailed as the night’s top-performing TV show, even as streaming services become more popular than ever.The Fabelmans appeared exclusively in theaters, and received critical acclaim but didn’t top the box office.
The show also confronted past wrongs that left it shunned by Hollywood. The Golden Globes didn’t air on TV last year after a 2021 Los Angeles Times report revealed the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which votes on awards, didn’t have any Black members. The group promised a number of reforms, and many big stars, including Brad Pitt and Eddie Murphy, came back.
Host Jerrod Carmichael didn’t shy away from the tension in the room. He started the show with a monologue in which he questioned whether the HFPA is racist. Carmichael, who is Black and gay, said he got the gig presenting the awards on because of his race.
“One minute you’re making mint tea at home, the next you’re invited to be the Black face of an embattled White organization,” Carmichael said. He is the first solo Black host in the award show’s eight-decade history.
A diverse set of actors also acknowledged the hurdles they cleared on their way to success. Michelle Yeoh won an acting award for her performance in the A24 sci-fi film Everything Everywhere All At Once, and referenced how hard it was to break into Hollywood as a minority. Abbott Elementary’s Brunson accepted an acting award from presenter Niecy Nash who said, “We’re just going to keep the Black girl magic rolling!”
Walt Disney Co.’s Marvel juggernaut, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever took home an award, with Angela Bassett taking home the trophy for best supporting actress in a motion picture.
The awards may offer a preview to the Oscars in March, where Disney and Comcast Corp.’s Universal Pictures have a chance at beating the streaming services that have swept nominations in recent years. The Banshees of Inisherin, a dark comedy from Disney’s Searchlight Pictures, won for writing, while Colin Farrell won for best actor in a comedy or musical. Universal’s Amblin Entertainment got the biggest prize with the win for The Fabelmans.
Warner Bros Discovery Inc.’s HBO took home several trophies for the dark comedy White Lotus. Netflix Inc. took home a few awards in TV, for Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and Ozark.
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