80th Annual Golden Globes Awards: A spectacular comeback

Last year the 79th Annual Golden Globes did not air. The gala was minimized to a small ceremony that many watched online due to controversy regarding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, but on Tuesday, January 10th, 2023, the awards ceremony returned to the screen for its 80th run. Despite the altercation last year with NBC and the HFPA, the Golden Globes made a fantastic comeback all while clearing the issue with the HFPA advertising it as a changed organization.

Many beloved celebrities such as Jamie Lee Curtis, Letitia Wright, Donald Glover, Ana De Armas, and Paul Dano attended the awards ceremony. Jarrod Carmichael, most known for being a stand-up comedian, hosted the Golden Globes cracking jokes left and right making it a fun experience for those who attended and those watching at home. 

Many spectacular films, television shows, and songs were nominated for this year’s Golden Globes, but out of the 135 nominations there were only 27 winners. Some of the notable winners of the 80th Golden Globes were Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once for best performance by an actress in a motion picture – musical or comedy, Zendaya in Euphoria for best performance by an actress in a television series, and Kala Bhairava, M.M. Keeravani, and Rahul Sipligunj’s song “Naatu Naatu” in RRR for best original song – motion picture.

Like all award shows, hilarious and heartfelt moments occur making it an unforgettable show. Various memorable moments made the 80th Golden Globes one to remember, like Ke Huy Quan’s wholehearted speech or Eddie Murphy’s speech that made a hilarious reference to the 2022 Oscars. One of the more heartening moments of the show was Ke Huy Quan’s speech.

Quan was nominated for and won best supporting actor in a motion picture, after receiving the award Quan made audiences tear up with his speech. “As I grew older, I started to wonder if that was it, if that was just luck,” said Quan referring to his role as a child in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. “For so many years, I was afraid I had nothing more to offer, that no matter what I did, I would never surpass what I achieved as a kid,” he continued. “Thankfully, more than 30 years later, two guys thought of me, they remembered that kid, and they gave me an opportunity to try again”. Not only did Quan probably have the most heartwarming speech of the century but he also made history, Quan became the first Asian actor since 1984 to receive the award for best supporting actor in a motion picture.

Another noteworthy moment from the 2023 Golden Globes was Eddie Murphy’s acceptance speech for the Cecil B. deMille award where Murphy made a humorous joke referring to the 2022 Oscars. As most know, at the 2022 Oscars Will Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock on stage and yelled at Rock telling him to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith (Will Smith’s Wife) and her alopecia condition. This year at the 2023 Golden Globes, Eddie Murphy mentions the moment in his acceptance speech, “I want to let you know there’s a definitive blueprint that you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, and peace of mind. It’s very simple, there’s three things: pay your taxes, mind your business and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out your ******* mouth!” This moment got a roaring laughter from the audience as they recalled the incident last year. 

This night was a big one for The Banshees of Inisherin, Abbot Elementary, and The Fablemans. The Banshees of Inisherin was nominated for seven awards and won three of the seven; the movie won best picture for musical or comedy, Colin Farrell won best actor for his role of Pádraic Súilleabháin in the movie, and Martin McDonagh won best screenplay for the movie. Abbott Elementary had great success throughout the night as then won three of its four nominations. The show won awards for best musical or comedy series, Quinta Brunson won best actress in a comedy or musical series for the show, and Tyler James Williams won best-supporting actor in musical-comedy or drama for the show. The Fablemans was nominated for five awards but only won two of the five. However, the two awards were arguably the more significant ones, The Fablemans won best drama motion picture and Steven Spielberg won best director for the movie. 

Needless to say that the Golden Globes had a smooth comeback for its 80th run after being discarded last year. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has changed itself for the better and has fixed its past mistake regarding inclusivity and equality. Now the program includes over 200 voters where 22.3% are Latinx, 13.6% are Black, 11.7% are Asian, and 10.7% are Middle Eastern according to Time Magazine. The foreign press association also announced what they call a “Reimagine Coalition” where they will be working with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to help reform the program, the HFPA says the move is “a stepping stone to creating a more inclusive space in Hollywood”. Many are delighted that the HFPA is taking steps to resolve its issues from the past and are also delighted that the awards ceremony has returned to the screen.