Zahra Banday, BA English
Image Credits: Creative Commons
It’s that time of year again where the red carpet is rolled out and glitterati emerge to celebrate one thing: themselves. Yes, award season has officially begun. Starting off the onslaught was the 76th Annual Golden Globes Awards. Hosted by Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”) and Andy Samberg (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), the show opened with a slew of some funny some not-so-funny jokes from the pair. A particular mention should go to Oh’s quip, that “Crazy Rich Asians” is “the first studio film with an Asian American lead since Ghost in the Shell and Aloha” to which Emma Stone could be heard in the background shouting, “I’m sorry”.
At the end of the monologue, Oh touchingly noted that she only took on the challenge of hosting because she wanted to “look out to the audience and witness this moment of change”. However, she soberly adds that, “I’m not fooling myself, next year it could be different, it probably will be but right now this moment is real”. Perhaps, in a time where gargantuan strides are taken in the forms of films like “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Black Panther”, there is also a level of trepidation, that you have to hold on tight to these moments because the cold reality is that they might not happen again. Inclusivity and accountability are relatively new movements in Hollywood, and perhaps Oh was reflecting on the constant fight that must continue for this to become a fixed reality in the industry.
“Proving that if there are a hundred people in the room and ninety-nine don’t believe in you, but all it takes is one… you still won’t win best picture.”
Favourite to win and Bradley Cooper’s baby, “A Star is Born”, lost Best Drama Motion Picture to Rami Malek’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Just proving that if there are a hundred people in the room and ninety-nine don’t believe in you, but all it takes is one…you still won’t win best picture. The rest of the night was less political than it had been in previous years, there was no grand presidential speech from Oprah nor did every woman wear black in solidarity with Time’s Up, and there were hardly any badges to catch the lenses of cameras. Grand moments like the inaugural Carol Burnett Award, given to the comedy legend herself as the first recipient, were just disappointing. Burnett focused more on the state of television and how they didn’t make em’ like they used to, rather than her achievements as a woman in the male dominated arena of comedy. However, some light was found in Regina King’s speech, as she won Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for If Beale Street Could Talk”. King addressed the importance of actors speaking out at these types of events noting that celebrities have bigger microphones to get the message out to a wider audience than most. She also made a vow that everything she will go onto produce in the next two years will be “fifty percent women”, and she challenged all industries to “stand in solidarity”.
In recent years, award shows have become markers of how much progress has been made not only within the industry, but in the wider world. Oh, the first Asian to host the Golden Globes and also the first Asian woman to win two awards, represents that progress has been made but the fight is far from over. Only time will tell if the fast-approaching Oscars will continue on in this apolitical vein.