BLACK IS THE NEW RED CARPET
Winfrey, women in black lead #MeToo moment ‘Billboards,’ ‘Lady Bird’ best films
MOVIES ABOUT a mother’s relentless protest and a high school girl’s coming of age took center stage at Sunday night’s Golden Globes Awards — along with the #MeToo movement and Oprah Winfrey’s rousing speech that pulled back the curtain on sexual harassment in Hollywood and beyond.
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” which follows a mother seeking answers to her daughter’s unsolved murder, took the prize for best dramatic film, while “Lady Bird,” which explores themes of sexual manipulation, was best musical or comedy.
The films also led to awards for Frances McDormand, who won best actress in a drama for “Billboards,” and Saoirse Ronan, who was best actress in musical or comedy for “Lady Bird.”
But it was the show behind the show that had the entertainment world buzzing.
The 75th annual Golden Globes in Los Angeles — the first major awards show since the fall’s sexual harassment scandals that took down Hollywood royalty, including producer Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey — was not shy about addressing the topic.
A parade of stars made bold political and fashion statements with stunning black ensembles.
Oprah Winfrey accepted the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award with an impassioned speech about empowerment.
“We all have lived too many years in a culture broken by brutally powerful men,” Winfrey said. “For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up.” Other winners of the awards, chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, included James Franco, best actor in a comedy or musical, for playing a legendarily bad director in “The Disaster Artist,” and Guillermo Del Toro, best director for “The Shape of Water.” “Big Little Lies” picked up the award for best TV limited series, along with cast members Nicole Kidman getting best actress and Laura Dern honored as best supporting actress. Dern ended her acceptance speech with a message to the women who have come forward with their stories of sexual abuse. “Many of us were taught not to tattle,” Dern said. “It was a culture of silencing, and that was normalized. I urge all of us to not only support survivors and bystanders who are brave enough to tell their truth, but to promote restorative justice.”
In a moving moment, 101-year-old Kirk Douglas appeared with his daughter-inlaw Catherine Zeta-Jones to present a screenplay award.
Big-name presenters also included Barbra Streisand and comedy legend Carol Burnett.
Host Seth Meyers had the task of walking the fine line between funny and sensitive. The late-night talk show host and “Saturday Night Live” alum dived right in, quickly addressing the scandal and making jokes about Weinstein and Spacey.
“Good evening, ladies and remaining gentlemen,” Meyers greeted the nervous crowd. “Welcome. Happy New Year, Hollywood. It’s 2018, marijuana is finally allowed and sexual harassment isn’t. It’s going to be a good year.”
Meyers acknowledged the discomfort of many in the audience at the Beverly Hilton
Hotel.
“It’s been years since a white man was this nervous in Hollywood,” he said.
“For the male nominees in the room, it’s the first time in three months it won’t be terrifying to hear your name out loud.”
Meyers got his biggest reaction when he hammered Weinstein, who became the ugly face of harassment when a stream of actresses and women behind the scenes accused him of sexual misconduct or rape, often in hotel rooms he had summoned them to for “meetings.”
Calling Weinstein the elephant not in the room, the host pointed out his notable absence.
“Harvey Weinstein isn’t here tonight because, well, I’ve heard rumors that he’s crazy and hard to work with,” Meyers (photo right) said, echoing the careerwrecking smear Weinstein allegedly made against noncompliant women. “Don’t worry. He’ll be back in 20 years when he becomes the first person ever booed during the ‘in memoriam.’ ” The darkened Golden Globes also coincided with the launch of Time’s Up, an initiative aiming to fight sexual harassment and assault in the workplace that more than 300 Hollywood actresses began. Elisabeth Moss said it’s no surprise Hulu’s womencentric apocalyptic epic “The Handmaid’s Tale” resonated with viewers and won the Golden Globe for best TV drama. “We want to tell stories that reflect our lives back at us,” Moss told the Daily News. “And many, many, many women watch television and many, many women go to the movies, sometimes more than men,” she said.
“So, we want to see those stories. We want to see ourselves.”
Actress Blanca Blanco bucked the black-dress trend by donning a frock that was more red than the red carpet — and got torched on social media for her choice of attire.
Actor Sam Rockwell wore black from head to toe Sunday night.
“It’s really powerful that women feel empowered to say something. I think they deserve that. I think the rest of us should just listen,” Rockwell said backstage after winning best supporting actor in a motion picture for his role in “Billboards.”
Asked what men can do to help end sexual harassment, support equality and sustain long-lasting change, he admitted he wasn’t sure.
“I don’t really know the answer to that,” he said. “I think really the issue is bullying. People have to stop being bullies. That’s really what it comes down to. It starts with compassion, not being a bully.”