People’s Choice bonanza for Bullock
Gravity star, Timberlake big winners
Gravity star Sandra Bullock, Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. and heartthrob Justin Timberlake were the big winners at the 40th annual People’s Choice Awards in Los Angeles Wednesday night.
The show — held at the famed Nokia Theatre — has traditionally been the kickstart to awards season, giving fans a chance to reward their TV, music and movie idols.
The People’s Choice Awards nominees are determined by national ratings averages, box-office grosses, music sales, social media activity and peopleschoice.com data. Winners are selected by fans voting online.
According to the organization, more than 700 million ballots were entered this year. Trophies were handed out in 58 categories, ranging from favourite movie actor to favourite TV gal pals.
But there are few celebrities as beloved as Sandra Bullock.
Bullock won top honours for Favourite Dramatic Actress, Favourite Comedic Actress and — game, set and match — Favourite Movie Actress. In addition, her most recent movie, the galactic soap opera Gravity, won Favourite Dramatic Movie.
“I know this looks like I spent lonely Friday nights just voting for myself, but I didn’t,” Bullock said, adding that without the “hundreds of amazing people” who work alongside her, none of it would be possible.
Downey Jr. captured Favourite Action Movie Star and Favourite Movie Star. The latest instalment in his superhero franchise, Iron Man 3, also took home hardware as the Favourite Movie and Favourite Action Movie
Taking home top honours as Favourite Comedic Actor was Adam Sandler while The Heat, co-starring Bullock, won Favourite Comedic Movie.
In the TV category, trophies were handed out to a plethora of participants. Daytime action saw Ellen DeGeneres win favourite daytime TV host while chat show rookie Queen Latifah won favourite new talk show host.
The Big Bang Theory won Favourite Network TV Comedy and star Kaley Cuoco earned Favourite Comedic TV Actress. Glee’s Chris Colfer won Favourite Comedic TV Actor. The Good Wife nabbed Favourite Network TV Drama and star Josh Charles was the Favourite Dramatic TV Actor.
The Voice edged out Dancing With the Stars, The X-Factor and others for favourite competition TV show.
Grabbing top honours for favourite cable TV drama was zombie epic The Walking Dead. Lucy Hale won favourite cable TV actress for her role in Pretty Little Liars.
Timberlake got top nods for Favourite Male Artist, Favourite R&B Artist and Favourite Album for The 20/20 Experience. Pop tart Britney Spears won Favourite Pop Artist.
Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs hosted. Dennings’ dry delivery cutely blended with Behrs’ quirky disposition, making the stars of hit show 2 Broke Girls a savvy riot.
Dennings joked: “She’s the Hathaway, I’m the Franco,” referring to the acting duo who hosted the Academy Awards in 2011.
With help from fellow performers Ian Somerhalder, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Arsenio Hall, Ian Zeiring, Kaley Cuoco and Christina Aguilera, the duo — who play waitresses on their show — took the orders of some of the nominees for a hilarious introductory skit. Brad Paisley, Sara Bareilles and OneRepublic performed.
Jennifer Hudson received the humanitarian award for her work with the Julian D. King Gift Foundation, an organization she formed in 2009. It was Bullock who earned the show’s first humanitarian award in 2013 for her heroic efforts in New Orleans following deadly Hurricane Katrina.