Hollywood gets back to business
Critics’ Choice Awards inch us closer to Oscar
Hollywood got back to the business of focusing on awards at Thursday’s Critics’ Choice Awards.
The weeknight event, at an airport hangar in Santa Monica, was more colorful and lower key (airing on CW) than last Sunday’s Golden Globes. But it still featured plenty of drama.
Here’s what you might have missed:
1. ‘The Shape of Water’ won big.
Director Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Wa
ter jumped into the awards glory position, taking best picture (along with best director, production design and score) after Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,
Missouri dominated at the Globes. The show’s closing moments found Del Toro onstage, hoisting his best-picture trophy. Even if the play-off music did drown out the end of his speech: “You don’t know what you’re missing,” he said over the music.
2. Color came back on the red (well, blue) carpet.
Hollywood donned black at the Globes in solidarity with the Time’s Up initiative, which is dedicated to confronting abuse of power and promoting racial and gender equality in the workplace.
But Thursday’s carpet featured Hollywood’s finest — Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman and Jessica Chastain among them — bringing light and bright back.
“The decision to wear black at the Golden Globes was the easiest decision I ever made. I wanted to show solidarity. That conversation continues today,” Rachel Brosnahan ( The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) told USA TODAY.
But “I wore this because it makes me feel fabulous,” she added.
3. Walton Goggins reluctantly filled in for James Franco.
The Disaster Artist director and star James Franco won an early award during the online portion of the awards show for best actor in a comedy.
Embroiled in a growing controversy following a bombshell Los Angeles Times report detailing accusations of sexual misconduct, Franco didn’t show up to accept his award.
Goggins, who presented the award, had to awkwardly step back to the microphone and accept the award on Franco’s behalf.
4. Olivia Munn saved her best barbs for Mark Wahlberg.
The former Daily Show correspondent didn’t bring a biting social or political edge in a hosting performance that missed more than it hit.
But Munn landed some shots as she hoisted glasses of champagne with Niecy Nash in a sarcastic toast to the “good guys” of Hollywood. All the
Money in the World star Mark Wahlberg took the best zinger: USA TODAY learned last week that he earned $1.5 million to reshoot his scenes with Christopher Plummer compared to co-star Michelle Williams’ $1,000.
“I want to say ‘thank you’ to the producers for paying Niecy and I the same amount of money and Mark Wahlberg a million dollars,” Munn said.
5. Brooklynn Prince cried onstage, and stole the show.
Prince, the 7-year-old star of The Florida Project, burst into tears as she walked to the stage to accept her award for best young actor/actress. Wearing a sparkly red dress, Prince cried “happy tears” throughout, suggesting that she and her fellow nominees in the category “go and get ice cream afterward.” The crowd melted.
Later, Prince was spotted speaking with fellow nominee Jacob Tremblay, 11, who gave her a congratulatory hug. “It was so nice of him to stop by and see how I was,” Prince told USA TODAY.
6. Brosnahan nailed her speech.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel continued to bring Brosnahan to the winner’s podium: She won best actress in a comedy series and the Amazon show won best comedy series.
After pausing during her Globes acceptance speech to nervously say “Hi, Oprah” to Oprah Winfrey in the front row, Brosnahan told USA TODAY she was more “relaxed” than during “my now-infamous ‘Hi, Oprah’ ” moment and gave a soaring oratory.
“I was still overwhelmed,” she said. “But I wanted to thank the critics for the success of our show. They helped us get the word out so quickly.”