Polly Katherine Hilton

It’s the morning after…the morning after the Golden Globes, that is, and the internet is hot with praise and criticism directed at last night’s broadcast.  From the glittering gowns to the quick quips of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the ceremony’s hilarious and well suited hosts (Ummm… Yes Please!...Okay, that pun was just bad), the show was an enjoyable look back at the best and brightest films and television shows of the past year.  With movies such as Boyhood and The Grand Budapest Hotel stealing the top honors, it’s safe to say the race for Oscar gold is going to be a tight one.  From the fearless fashion to weepy and inspirational acceptance speeches, on the whole the 2015 Golden Globes were without a doubt the most tame, entertaining, and non-awkward award show that has happened within the past few years.         

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How can we ever hope to have our stories, women’s stories, properly told on screen if we are not willing to get up and tell them as directors?

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Fearless and Fabulous Fashion

As someone who was glued to the red carpet arrivals special on NBC while simultaneously watching the live photo updates on E!, when it came to award show fashion, last night did not disappoint.  On the whole there were very few faux pas to speak of (surprisingly) and celebrities opted for classy instead of shocking or trashy.  While E!’s Fashion Police favored the likes of Kate Hudson and Jennifer Lopez’s scandalous and bare-all ensembles,  Vogue favored the ethereal and creative looks of Homeland’s Claire Danes and Birdman star, Emma Stone (who was brave enough to show up wearing a killer pair of pants and pumps. You go girl!). 

However, this bSmart blogger’s favorite ensemble of the evening was that of the ever - inspirational millennial, Lupita Nyong’o, who wore a stunning gown by Giambattista Valli Couture.  In a purple splashed, textured dress, that was a beautiful as the soul of the lady wearing it, Miss Nyong’o epitomized the grace and poise of a superstar and continues to remind this wanna-be actress what immense power female storytellers and advocates can have within the entertainment industry.

The 2015 Golden Globes were without a doubt the most tame, entertaining, and non-awkward award show from past few years.    

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Movies that Matter   

While it’s safe to say the wealth of awards was spread far and wide last night (with no clear cut frontrunners in a year with such stiff competition in both categories pertaining to film and television) there were certainly some triumphant wins for women in the industry, as well as for movies and television shows in which the subject matter is instigating important social conversation.  The three awards that really epitomized this exciting trend was Matthew Bomer’s individual win for his work on HBO’s The Normal Heart and the wins of Jeffrey Tambor and the rest of the cast and creative team for Transparent, which took home the big prize of Best Television Show in the Comedy or Musical category.  Both of these shows center around the LGBTQ community in some capacity (The Normal Heart focuses on the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and the effect this had on the homosexual community, while Transparent, tells the story of a family discovering that their father is transgender, a topic that is typically taboo in mainstream entertainment) and both of these pieces advocate social change, equality and understanding of the human condition.  

It is my humble opinion that The Normal Heart was actually snubbed last night in the Best Mini-Series category, as well as with Mark Ruffalo’s loss, and in the lack of nomination for leading lady Julia Roberts, because quite frankly, it was the best piece I have ever seen on television (and this is coming from someone who also adamantly watches Fargo, True Detective, Orange is the New Black, and American Horror Story, which were all contenders across the various categories for the Mini-Series or TV Movie genre).  All this to say, movies and television shows that matter…well, really matter.  Here’s hoping this trend to award thought-provoking and change igniting work (while it may not have occurred in every capacity I would have liked) continues on through the Oscar race (Selma anyone?).  

It is my humble opinion that The Normal Heart was actually snubbed last night in the Best Mini-Series category because quite frankly, it was the best show I have ever seen on television.

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Something is Missing… Oh yeah. Women.         

I tweeted it last night, but I’ll reiterate, there is a desperate need for more female directors within the industry and that fact was painfully clear during last night’s award show.  While the various actress categories brimmed over with a wealth of innovation, talent and class, so much so that every announcement made my heart hurt (as one amazing woman won a Globe, another one of my favorites lost out…Oh Emily Blunt, my heart hurt for you.), there was a sole female nominee within the Best Director category, Ava Duvernay for her work on Selma.  I genuinely believe this disparity between the amount of nominees truly stems from the fact that there are less women pursuing careers in directing than men, and ladies, it’s time for a call to action.  How can we ever hope to have our stories, women’s stories, properly told on screen if we are not willing to get up and tell them?

A while ago, I watched a challenging documentary film called Missrepresentation, which examined women within the entertainment industry and women within the political sphere.  The film suggested that women wait to be asked to go out for high profile jobs, leadership opportunities and the like, while men simply just go for them unasked.  While I find that fact in and of itself troubling, this is me asking, sending out a blaring call to action… women directors are what’s missing within this field, there need to be more.   This is me, asking like-minded and passionate millennial women to stand up and become storytellers.  Thus, I give a resounding bravo to Ava Duvernay and will be rooting for her come Oscar announcement day to be represented within the best director category.  

I genuinely believe this disparity between the amount of female nominees truly stems from the fact that there are less women pursuing careers in directing than men.  

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Going for the Gold: Oscar Gold

Now that the 2015 Golden Globes have wrapped, we can only wait with baited breath to see what films reign superior in this year's Oscar race (see the full list of Golden Globe winners HERE).  With the wealth of Golden Globe awards and nominations spread out among many amazing films (Into the Woods, Foxcatcher, The Theory of Everything and Birdman being amongst my favorites), it really is anyone’s game.  Tune in on ABC’s live stream Thursday, January 15th, at 5:30 am (I’ll be up sipping my coffee) for the Academy Award Nomination list to officially see who is in the running for Oscar gold.  Comment below to share your thoughts about last night’s broadcast or your favorite films you saw this past year, recognized or otherwise!     

 

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