FINAL LAP
Greatest moments in history of awards ceremony
BOOKIES and the critics expect Ali G star Sacha Baron Cohen to lead Britain’s bid for glory at tonight’s Golden Globe Awards.
He is in the running for Best Comedy Performance for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, as well as Best Supporting Actor in drama The Trial Of The Chicago 7.
Tonight’s virtual ceremony, put back almost two months by the pandemic, will be the first ever “bi-coastal event”, with comics Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting live on TV from New York and Beverly Hills.
Here, MIKE PARKER looks ahead to the big night and reflects on 77 years of Golden Globes…
The Crown reigns supreme on TV, with six nominations tonight – the most for a single show across multiple categories. Movie legend Meryl Streep is the undisputed Golden Globes Queen. with a record eight wins and the most nominations – an astonishing 32. Awards given out at the first ceremony in 1944 were goldplated scrolls. The globe was first introduced the following year. Other Brit contenders tonight include Olivia Colman, Carey Mulligan, Hugh Grant, Riz Ahmed and James Corden.
The Globes were all about movies until 1956, when the small-screen categories began. These days, a total of 25 main awards are handed out on the evening – 14 for film and 11 for TV. The awards are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association – entertainment journalists from 55 countries. In 2017, musical romance La La Land broke the record for most wins by a film after landing seven Golden Globes.
In his 1996 Best Supporting Actor acceptance speech for 12 Monkeys, Brad Pitt praised his diarrhoea remedy. He said: “I’d like to thank the makers of Kaopectate. They’ve done a great service for their fellow man.” Jack Nicholson told the 2003 ceremony he was shocked to win Best Actor In A Drama for About Schmidt as he thought it was a comedy. According to organisers, it costs around $22million – over £15.5m – to stage the event. Tonight’s awards presenters include Renée Zellweger, Joaquin Phoenix, Kevin Bacon and A-list couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
In 2015, Jennifer Lopez asked co-presenter Jeremy Renner if she should open the envelope as “I’ve got the nails”. He drew gasps by staring at her cleavage before declaring: “You’ve got the globes, too.”
If Sacha Baron Cohen wins for both his movies tonight, he will become the fourth British star – but only the first male – to manage the feat.
Previous double awards on the same night for different movies have gone to Sigourney Weaver in 1989 and Britons Joan Plowright (1993), Helen Mirren (2007) and Kate Winslet (2009). The youngest-ever winner is Ricky Schroder, who was nine when he won Best New Star for 1980 film The Champ.
The oldest winner is Ennio Morricone, the composer who was 87 when he grabbed Best Original Score for 2015’s The Hateful Eight.
Five-time host Ricky Gervais opened his first show in 2010 with: “Looking at all the wonderful faces here today reminds me of the great work that’s been done this year… by cosmetic surgeons.” Each globe costs barely £500 to make. It has a zinc top plated in 24-carat gold and set on a marble base.
Enjoy more favourite Golden Globes quotes throughout the rest of today’s paper.
GAVIN Sullivan is set to get a rubbish send-off on EastEnders.
The villain, played by Paul Nicholas, will be killed off on the BBC soap this spring.
And we can reveal that his daughter Sharon Watts, played by Letitia Dean, certainly isn’t going to give him a dignified resting place.
In dramatic scenes, she will chuck his ashes into a bin.
A show source said: “Gavin and Sharon had a turbulent relationship as father and daughter.
“His death is an emotional time for her. And when it comes to scattering his ashes, she isn’t interested in honouring his memory respectfully.”
The scenes will also see Sharon row with Gavin’s ex-wife Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth).
There is bad blood between the pair because Kathy recently discovered Sharon was plotting to kill Ian.
Show stars Letitia and Gillian filmed the emotionally charged scenes on location in Bushey, Herts, last week.
They are due to air in a few weeks.
During his time in Walford,
Gavin killed his sister Margaret Midhurst (Jan Harvey) by throwing her off a balcony.
He tried to convince
Sharon to lie to the police and say she fell.