Recapping the Golden Globes

I would like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press — for taking all the fun out of the Golden Globes this year.

As many of you may know, last year’s host Ricky Gervais pushed the envelop with his comedy when it came to his opening monologue. It was harsh ... but it was the harsh truth at that. And it was funny. He was told he wouldn’t be invited back.

Well, he was — to many people’s chagrin. This year, as he approached the podium during his opening monologue, he spoke his best line of the night: “So, where was I? Nervous?” he asked the audience.

Unfortunately, the audience had nothing to worry about.

Gervais’ jokes centered on people he would never come in contact with. His jokes were mediocre and tame, taking jabs at Justin Bieber, Kate Middleton and Kim Kardashian (“The Golden Globes are to the Oscars like Kim Kardashian is to Kate Middleton — bit louder, bit drunker, bit trashier, and more easily bought. Allegedly. Nothing’s been proved.”), Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler (“Between the two of them, they played all the parts in ‘The Help.’ ”) and NBC, the network the ceremony was aired on (“You get Britain’s first comedian, hosting the second-biggest awards show on America’s third-biggest network”). Easy targets, if you ask me. All thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press.

If you’re going to invite someone back to host for a third time, there must be a reason. And I would think making people laugh would be one of those. Last year’s audience might have been uncomfortable with Gervais’ risky humor, but at least a large part of the audience was laughing. I can’t say the same for this year’s group.

Overall the night was fairly predictable, as were the recipients of the awards themselves, and the Oscars will surely have the same results, aside from Billy Crystal who will bring his all, as usual, as host. For now, here’s a quick look at who took home the gold this year.

Pleasant surprises

• Christopher Plummer wins Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in “Beginners” as Hal, an elderly man who comes out as gay after his wife passes away, only to find out that he has terminal cancer. Plummer has won many awards over his longstanding career, but never a Golden Globe.

• Jessica Lange outdoes Maggie Smith and Evan Rachel Wood, among others, to win the honor for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, for her stint on “American Horror Story.” “American Horror Story” was a risky show, not one likely for nomination. But Lange’s perfect performance as Constance, the next-door neighbor to a house full of ghosts made for an easy win.

• Martin Scorsese takes home Best Director for “Hugo” — a film he said he made at his youngest daughter’s request so that she would be able to see one of her father’s films for once. Keep racking them up Marty.

Unpleasant surprise

• Kelsey Grammar beats Bryan Cranston and Steve Buscemi for Best Actor in a Television Series — Drama. Grammar took the award home for his role in Starz’ “Boss,” after Buscemi won last year for his role in “Boardwalk Empire.” I’m sure Grammar’s performance was superb, as he is a seasoned actor, but Cranston’s performance on this year’s “Breaking Bad” was his best yet, and everyone was abuzz about it — apparently, just not the Hollywood Foreign Press.

• “Bridesmaids” goes home empty handed. It was a longshot for a raunchy, yet well-developed comedy to take home any hardward. Comedies usually get shafted at the elite award shows, and it would have been a nice surprise to see all of Kristin Wiig’s hard work pay off with a win in either of the two categories it was nominated for — Best Supporting Actress — Musical or Comedy (for Wiig), or Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy.

No surprise there

• Peter Dinklage of “Game of Thrones” wins Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. He scooped up the Emmy in the fall for the same role, both well-deserved.

• Silent black and white film “The Artist” picks up Best Picture — Comedy or Musical and actor Jean Dujardin wins for Best Actor — Comedy or Musical. It’s nice to see people can still appreciate a great silent film, no matter what day and age.

• “The Descendants” wins Best Picture — Drama, as does its star, George Clooney, for Best Actor — Drama. Director Alexander Payne is a noted director, especially for his previously winning film “Sideways.” It was no surprise that after seven years he came back and won it again.

• Octavia Spencer wins Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal as outspoken maid Minny Jackson in “The Help.” According to author and longtime friend Kathryn Stockett, Spencer inspired the character of Jackson, who was then cast by mutual friend and director Tate Taylor. Looks like Spencer couldn’t go wrong with a role made — literally — for her.

• Kate Winslet wins for Best Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for HBO’s “Mildred Pierce.” How many awards does she have now? It seems if you’re up against Winslet, you barely have a fighting chance.

Well-deserved wins

• Clair Danes is three for three as she took home the award in the Best Actress in a Television Series — Drama for her role in HBO’s “Homeland.” She first won a Golden Globe at the age of 15 for her role on the TV series “My So-Called Life” and last year she took home another for the television mini-series “Temple Grandin.”

• “Modern Family” wins Best Television Series — Comedy or Musical. Believe it or not, it’s the show’s first Globe win in the three years it’s been nominated. It lost out to “Glee” in the previous two years.

• Morgan Freeman, the man with the golden narrative voice and a prolific film career, is honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award. It’s about time.

Mid-season TV schedule full of familiar faces

Now that the holidays are over, it’s time for our favorite shows to resurface. And along with our usual favorites, there’s always a new crop of mid-season shows hoping to capture our attention. This year, it’s all about the familiar faces.

Ashley Judd makes the leap to television — after a fairly prolific movie career — with “Missing” (Wednesday, March 15). “Missing” takes Judd’s character overseas to find her son after he disappears while studying abroad.

The entire original cast of 2004’s underground hit “Napoleon Dynamite” return (Sunday, Jan. 15) in an animated series on Fox. Should be friggin’ sweet.

Laura Prepon, best known as Donna on “That 70’s Show,” takes a stab (Wednesdays) at playing comedian and late night host Chelsea Handler (along with Handler, who plays the best friend, not herself) on NBC’s “Are You There, Chelsea?”

And who can forget about SNL vet, Mr. Deuce Bigalow himself, Rob Schneider. He’ll return (Thursdays on CBS) to television with aptly named comedy “Rob” — a sitcom that follows Rob’s newlywed life and the very close Mexican-American family he inherits, which includes cult-icon Cheech Marin.


Aside from those, here are five more shows that I think will fare well among viewers, all with a familiar face, or two, in the cast.

“Alcatraz” (Monday, Jan. 16 — Fox — 8 p.m.)

A J.J. Abrams-produced show that reunites him with former “Lost” actor Jorge Garcia, “Alcatraz” explores the mystery behind a group of criminals who begin to reappear after a supposed 50-year disappearance from the famed prison.

Abrams brought us “Alias,” “Lost” “Fringe” and most recently “Person of Interest,” and I have no worries that “Alcatraz” will bring forth the great storytelling that Abrams is known for.

“Luck” (Sunday, Jan. 29 — HBO — 9 p.m.)

The one-and-only Dustin Hoffman stars as the central character in HBO’s newest alongside Nick Nolte in a story about the world of competitive horse racing, the gamblers involved and the people who run the show. It’s an easy bet we can’t go wrong by watching.

“Smash” (Monday, Feb. 6 — NBC — 10 p.m.)

“Will and Grace’s” Debra Messing, and former “American Idol” contestant Katherine McPhee join forces in the newest sing-song sitcom “Smash.”

If you’re any fan of “Glee” I’m sure this will be right up your alley, as it follows the production of a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe and all the behind-the-scenes drama that ensues.

Veteran actress Anjelica Huston also stars, so you’ll be sure to get a big enough bang for your buck.

“GCB” (Sunday, March 4 — ABC — 10 p.m.)

Much like Diablo Cody’s newest film “Young Adult,” “GCB” tells the story of a former bully of a girl returning to her hometown after her marriage goes kapute, only to find she must make nice with the women she once played mean girl to in high school.

These women are all out for payback, including Miss Adorable “Wicked” star Kristin Chenoweth. Chenoweth’s character, once the ugly girl in high school, now has the picture-perfect life and the picture-perfect looks to go with it, and she’s not pleased to find her nemesis return.

“GCB” reads like a soap opera, but it combines the gossip and rumor-filled drama with the perfect amount of comedy. It’s sure to be a good fit now that “Desperate Housewives” is on its way out.

“Touch” (Monday, March 19 — Fox — 9 p.m.)

Kiefer Sutherland returns to Fox not as action-adventure man Jack Bauer of “24,” but as a widowed father whose autistic son can predict the future. “Touch” will follow a group of seemingly unrelated characters who eventually affect each other in one way or another. With Sutherland at the reigns, and a puzzle-like plot, “Touch” will surely grab our attention.

Stay away from the 'House of Lies'

Don Cheadle. The man who wooed us over in “Hotel Rwanda” and “Crash,” — heck, even in “Ocean’s Eleven” as an explosive enthusiast — Cheadle’s charm always shows through his work. With Cheadle at the helm, as he is with the new 30-minute Showtime comedy “House of Lies,” you can’t go wrong, right?

Very wrong indeed, my friends.

But first, let’s go off course for a bit.

Showtime. It’s a network filled with characters we shouldn’t relate to, yet somehow we find ourselves living vicariously through them, time and time again.

We have Dexter Morgan, a vigilante serial killer with a “dark passenger”; Nancy Botwin, a drug-dealing mother simply trying to support her family; Hank Moody, a sex-aholic writer; and the Gallagher family, a bunch of gypsy thieves, among others. With “House of Lies” we can add money-hungry management consultants to the list.

And this is where Cheadle comes into play. Cheadle tackles the role of central character Marty Kaan, a cut-throat consultant who will do anything to land the client. Which is all good and well if his character wasn’t portrayed as a complete sleezball.

When we first meet Kaan, he is waking up next to his drugged-out ex wife - who happens to be his main competition in the consulting world. Following this shameful incident, we meet Marty’s other half, his pre-pubescent son who is discovering his other side of his sexuality — he really wants to nab the role of Sandy in his elementary school’s performance of “Grease” — to which Marty tries to ignore. And that’s just in the first five minutes.

Cheadle, an actor so refined, really takes a big step down with this role. What’s written for him is an over-the-top, sloppy, crude and disrespectful guy to all those involved. Including another fine actress who gets pulled into the “House of Lies” undertow, Kristen Bell — of “Veronica Mars” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” fame. Bell plays Jeannie Van Der Hooven, an Ivy-leaguer and right-hand woman to Kaan within his team of consultants — which also includes “Parks and Recreations” actor Ben Schwartz and Australian actor Josh Lawson, as Clyde and Doug, respectively. Bell’s character is meant to be strong and independent, but she’s so entwined with Marty in the overall scheme of things, that it creates a turn-off. I realize that Showtime is a prolific network, but Bell can do so much better.

It’s a fast-paced world when it comes to management consulting — which is probably why “House of Lies” feels the need to stop every five minutes or so in freeze-frame style and explain things to us, a tactic that gets real old, real fast — and I think the creators of “House of Lies” will soon come to find that it’s all a little too much. Viewers aren’t going to want to sympathize with Marty’s character as they do with other Showtime faves. Unless the creators of “House of Lies” can clean the show up a bit and make it smarter rather than sleazier, than I’m sorry to say the creators are the ones lying to themselves if they think “House of Lies” will make it past a first season.

•

“House of Lies” debuts tomorrow at 9 p.m. on Showtime, but if you want to take a look sooner, though I highly recommend you don’t waste your time, TVGuide.com is showing the first episode online for free.