The Screening Room

Thank you, Hollywood Foreign Press for wrapping up tonight's show in just two minutes over 10 p.m. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences? Take a lesson.

So Slumdog Millionaire score Best Motion Picture. Well played, Danny Boyle. Does this signal Oscar gold in the future? Time will tell.

I don't know whether to love or hate his outfit, but, man, I sure do respect it. Parts Johnny Cash, parts Elvis, parts Plastic Man (or Elongated Man, you pick), parts Waylon Jennings ... I could go on.

Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) says it's been a long way back for him, this winner of tonight's best-actor award. He would be right. Let's see if that face gets him some more real, meaty roles. Judging from the wild applause and cries when his name was announced, I'd say there's hope. Plus, he talked about his dog ... Wow, if anyone deserved to ramble, it's Mickey.

While I would have been happy to see any of these shows win (Dexter; House; In Treatment; True Blood), I'm glad to see the AMC show's sophomore season was just as strong as its first.

Kate Winslet was shocked when she was named for her second acting award of the night. After receiving the best supporting actress award for her turn in The Reader, she took Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for Revolutionary Road.

Oh, SNAP. The audience seemed to be less than underwhelmed at Cohen's jokes this evening. Personally, I thought the comment that "Victoria Beckham hasn't eaten in three weeks" deserved a chuckle or two. But Charlie Sheen not paying for sex? Madonna firing personal assistant Guy Ritchie? C'mon! I didn't get the feeling he was being particularly vitriolic. It makes me wonder if another comedian could have gotten away with the same comments.

Slumdog Millionaire earns its second award of the night (the first was for Best Original Score) as Danny Boyle wins Best Director - Motion Picture.

Then Colin Farrell beats In Bruges co-star Brendon Gleeson and three others for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy.

I loved the walk down cinematic memory lane that Steven Spielberg's clip show just provided.

the best part: I had completely forgotten that Spielberg direction one of my all time favorite TV episodes: The Night Gallery pilot, "Eyes," starring none other than Joan Crawford. So while you're thanking Cecile B. DeMille for starting your film career, Steven Spielberg, thank you for helping create the science fiction/horror fan I have become.

First, Ricky Gervais turns his introduction into a stand-up routine and then Tracy does a role reversal with Tina Fey and turns an acceptance speech into a bit of impromptu performance art. A hilarious sequel to his and Tina's back-and-forth on SNL when she appeared on Weekend Update, with her "Bitch is the new Black" endorsement of Hillary Clinton and Tracy followed up the next week with his "Black is the new president, bitch" retort.

Explaining that "Tina and I agreed that if Obama won I would speak for the show from now on," Mr. Morgan went on a freeform riff that demonstrated that if you abuse substances long enough, at some point it ceases to matter if you're technically sober.

Hilarious. Another Only at the Golden Globes.moment.

Oh, Tracy Morgan. Way to sweep away with "Best Acceptance Speech of the Night," speaking for 30 Rock as "the face of post-racial America."

"Tina Fey and I had an agreement that if Barack Obama won, I would speak for 30 Rock from now on," he said.

I wonder then: If McCain/Palin had won, would Tina Fey have accepted the award with a heartfelt "you betcha!"?

Not taking home the award tonight: Showtime's Californication and Weeds, HBO's Entourage or NBC's The Office.

OK, so I'm a little late with this, but ...

Paul Giamatti won best actor for miniseries or made-for-TV movie for you know what. Maybe the Globes could just play back the acceptance speeches from awards shows past when a cast member from HBO's John Adams wins an award tonight.

I'm just saying.

Uh, I meant Renee Zellweger. What is she wearing?! My grandmother would say she dyed a croaker sack black. For those of you not versed in the old Southern ways, that's the rough bag they used to put flour in. Emphasis on the rough.

If you think you've heard it all before, well, you have. John Adams swept the SAG Awards and the Emmys last year (!) and now we get to watch them win all the awards again. "My," you say, "that must be some miniseries. I've got to see that." Well, you'd have to rely on HBO's programmers to run it back for you. And if they're worth any of the salary that they're making, they'll do a John Adams marathon. Or at least make a big DVD push.

I mean, people want to see what all the fuss is about. Right? I'm just saying that two years of honoring this could be quite enough. The Thorn Birds didn't get this type of hype. And I'll bet your grandmother saw that one.

The award goes to... Waltz With Bashir, the animated war film from Isreal, which opens here in Dallas on Jan. 23.

Director Christopher Nolan accepted the drama award for late actor Heath Ledger. The Globes had enough foresight to prepare a scene of the character's winning work as the Joker in The Dark Knight, since we all knew the well-liked and talented actor would win.

I don't know about a "hole ripped in the future of cinema" that Nolan mentioned opening upon Ledger's death, but his acceptance speech was respectfully brief. I thought Ledger's performance in the film was fearless, edgy and just what the Batman series of films needed. I mourn the passing of the once and future Joker (sorry, Jack and Cesar).

A bit out of sequence, but I hate to leave out the award for my favorite film of the year, WALL-E, which beat out Bolt and Kung Fu Panda for best animated feature film. True love meets technology: what's not to love?

There's two wonderful reasons to love the Globes over the Oscars:

1. Efficiency. The organizers of this show know to just plow through the awards. Yes, by all means, let the winners have their moment or 10 to shine and be gracious. But otherwise, get on with it. So far, so good.

2. Booze. No really. The attendees seem a lot more comfortable, chatting around a table of their co-stars and friends, noshing and drinking. And can you really imagine (1) the audience talking over the first Oscar presenter or (2) said presenter announcing "Hey! Mama's talkin'!" to get their attention? And how cute was Demi Moore mouthing "Hey baby!" to her daughter, Miss Golden Globe Rumer Willis, or Emma Thompson laughingly encouraging Happy-Go-Lucky's Sally Hawkins?

Why was Johnny Depp speaking that way? Is it his Dillinger voice? He's set to play the folk hero bank robber in a movie later this year. Or is it more Method nonsense?

It almost brought the show to a crashing halt, subduing it beyond recognition. I love you, Johnny, but really?

Of course, it was followed by a teary acceptance speech from Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky), who won actress in a film/comedy or musical. Is she still talking?

I didn't know they gave a Globe for "Worst Southern Accent in a TV Show." Oh, Anna, I kid. Well, not really. But as a fan of True Blood, I'll be the first to admit that her accent takes more suspension of disbelief than the vampires.

Ms. Paquin beat out Sally Field, Mariska Hargitay, January Jones and Kyra Sedgwick for Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama.

Anna Paquin of True Blood takes home the statuette for actress/TV drama. She must have been as surprised as I was, since her speech lasted all of a two seconds. I was hoping she wouldn't win so we wouldn't get more of that awful accent that she uses on the show.

I'm a child of the South, and we don't all talk alike. And I watch and listen to that show. That's a lot of different dialects for what's supposed to be a small, vampire-ridden town. Ah, well.

Let's hear it for Gabriel Byrne of In Treatment, who won actor/TV drama and Laura Dern (Recount), who won supporting actress/TV series, miniseries or movie.

A voice just introduced us to what happens during a commercial break at the Golden Globes. He says they find old friends and make deals. Really?! Make deals? Come on ... the Globes' reputation as a freewheeling drink-a-thon belies that.

Maybe it's just a lot of "I'll call you" and "Let's do lunch" and "I haven't seen you since Surfer Dude!"

Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or TV movie (enough categories woven into one?!) went to Tom Wilkinson for John Adams, in probably the first of more than a few awards for that miniseries.

So glad it went to him. One can only hope he sweeps his categories. He's such a wonderful presence in anything he decides to act in. He's also nominated for best actor in a miniseries or made-for-TV movie.

It was nice to see Blair Underwood nominated, though. He should get some sort of longevity award ...

Of course, Globes voters couldn't resist giving Bruce Springsteen the song award for "The Wrestler" from The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke. Even he remarked on the fact that he was against Clint Eastwood (!) for the award. I'm torn between whether I want the Globes to start getting the nominees to sing the songs. Or not.

I mean, sometimes it's a welcome respite from all the star- and navel-gazing. And other times, it's some sort of random torture tactic dreamed up in a madman's world.

And in a category that I hoped would give us a surprise, we get Kate Winslet as Supporting Actress/Drama. She looks really good in the black dress, even if her present form makes me wish for Kate past. (Hold on, Viola, who also looked remarkably happy and relaxed. Remember, this isn't the Oscars.)

They're all so shiny. Jennifer Lopez, who always looks good in gold, presented the award.

The often-nominated actress takes the Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role as a German woman with a secret past in The Reader.

We'll be talking about the awards and the clothes, the winners and the losers tonight when the show starts at 7 p.m.

For now, check out David Ninh's take on the red carpet at the Shopping blog.