The Twitter Golden Globes Were an Embarrassing Mess
“Succession,” “The Power of the Dog,” and “West Side Story” won big at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, while “Pose” actress Mj Rodriguez made history.
HBO
After going out in a blaze of infamy, from allegations of racism (a grand total of zero Black voting members in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the bizarre outfit composed of star-fucking quasi-film writers that doles out the trophies) to bribery (voters being treated to a luxury vacation in the City of Love for Netflix’s Emily in Paris, resulting in a number of nominations for the show), the 79th Golden Globe Awards were a decidedly toned-down affair.
Given the award show’s banishment from longtime home NBC and its failure to secure a new broadcaster, this year’s Globes were tweeted out from its official Twitter account. While there was still an in-person edition of the Globes at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles, it came sans red carpet, celebrity presenters, or recipients. Instead, as Variety reported, “Staff members of various non-profits supported by the HFPA have been enlisted as presenters” and were able to give a little spiel about their respective organizations while presenting.
“We’re going to be outspoken about what we’re learning and challenge others to join us with members from more than 50 countries. We have a unique place in the awards universe,” HFPA President Helen Hoehne declared during Sunday’s ceremony, nodding to the Globes’ newfound respect for diversity in the wake of the scandal.
Unfortunately, as The New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan noted, the Golden Globes’ Twitter account wasn’t “outspoken” enough, failing to so much as mention the projects many of its recipients won for, leading to a degree of confusion (and Googling) online:
And then there was this downright bizarre description of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, a romantic musical-drama that ends in tragedy:
If that weren’t enough, they then deleted the West Side Story-is-a-comedy tweet and replaced it with this one, coining a new phrase in the process:
Oh, and good luck deciphering what this one means (“lean on me” because supporting actress, or something?):
Anyway, the night’s biggest winners were Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, a drama about family and masculinity currently streaming on Netflix which took home Best Motion Picture–Drama, Best Director (Campion), and Best Supporting Actor–Motion Picture (Kodi Smit-McPhee); Spielberg’s West Side Story, winning Best Motion Picture–Musical or Comedy, Best Actress–Musical or Comedy (Rachel Zegler), and Best Supporting Actress–Motion Picture (Ariana DeBose); and HBO’s Succession, which won Best Television Series–Drama, Best Actor in a Television Series–Drama (Jeremy Strong), and Best Supporting Actress–Television (Sarah Snook).
The night’s most noteworthy win went to Mj Rodriguez, who took home Best Actress in a Television Series–Drama for her remarkable performance in FX’s Pose. Rodriguez became the first trans woman to win a Golden Globe in a lead acting category.
See the full list of winners here.