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Golden Globes Fuel Fun Speculation Even If 'Foreign Press' Seems Bogus

By WALT BELCHER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 17, 2007

Joan Rivers has one of the best lines about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group that presents the Golden Globes:

"I know them all because they wait on me during the year in various restaurants," she quipped at the 2000 awards.

To the film and television industries, a Golden Globe is the Rodney Dangerfield of awards. It gets no respect. But winning one is good for the ego and the publicity it generates outside Hollywood.

For decades, the Globes were a joke because some of the members were notorious for taking freebies and never saying no to expense-paid junkets.

Only a few members of the "foreign press" are full-time journalists working for respectable newspapers and magazines in foreign lands. Most are Americans who work as part-time stringers. They have day jobs in other fields. The association has fewer than 100 members.

The Globes honor both films and television series, and most of the publicity goes to the feature films.

But for couch potatoes, the annual awards show is entertaining because it offers another chance to see stars all glitzed up for a night out.

I will be tuning in to the Jan. 13 event on NBC just to see what people are wearing.

I will be rooting for "Mad Men," "Pushing Daisies," Tina Fey, Minnie Driver and Hugh Laurie.

But if none of my favorites wins, I won't be bummed.

Judging from the nominees, the foreign press likes cable television but apparently didn't think highly of the final season of "The Sopranos." It wasn't nominated for best drama. A curious omission is Showtime's kinky "Dexter," which ranks high on just about every critic's list.

The nominees for best TV drama are HBO's "Big Love," Showtime's "The Tudors," FX's "Damages," AMC's "Mad Men," Fox's "House" and ABC's "Grey's Anatomy."

"The Tudors" is an interesting choice, and it makes sense that a randy, bloody series about a ruthless European king would be a hit with the foreign press.

However, my vote would go to "Mad Men," a haunting tale of cultural mores in the 1960s. It may have been the best drama on television in 2007.

The best comedy series nominations are ABC's offbeat romance "Pushing Daisies," NBC's "30 Rock," Showtime's "Californication" and HBO's "Entourage" and "Extras."

Notably missing from this list is ABC's "Ugly Betty," which won the Golden Globe last year. My vote would go to "Pushing Daisies," the most refreshing broadcast series in years.

It has a foreign actress in the cast, Brit Anna Friel, who also has been nominated for best actress in a comedy.

"Ugly Betty" star America Ferrera (last year's winner) also is in the running for best comedy actress along with Christina Applegate ("Samantha Who?"), Fey ("30 Rock") and Mary-Louise Parker ("Weeds").

For best actor in a comedy, I'd pick Steve Carrell ("The Office") or Lee Pace ("Pushing Daisies") over Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"), David Duchovny ("Californication") or Ricky Gervais ("Extras").

Two Brits are in the running for best actor in a drama: Laurie ("House") and Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("The Tudors"). Also nominated are Michael C. Hall ("Dexter"), John Hamm ("Mad Men") and Bill Paxton ("Big Love"). Hamm gets my vote.

For best actress in a drama, the choices are tough. Glenn Close was downright scary as a manipulating lawyer on "Damages," while Kyra Sedgwick has always been good as the quirky police detective on "The Closer."

I like Driver (another Brit) as the con artist, wife and mother on "The Riches" (which also deserved a best drama award).

Other nominees are Patricia Arquette ("Medium"), Holly Hunter ("Saving Grace"), Edie Falco ("The Sopranos") and Sally Field ("Brothers & Sisters").