Underdog

Things are fine when I sit down, but when I stand up, things go round and round.

The quote is from that wise philosopher, Underdog, the superhero canine who spent days as a mild mannered shoeshine boy, but whenever anyone was in trouble (particularly his girlfriend Sweet Polly Purebred, for whom our Polly is named) he turned into Underdog and fought the bad guys like Simon Bar Sinister.

I was feeling a bit queasy and dizzy when I got up, hence the Underdog quote, which sparked a spate of quotes we threw back and forth at each other.

I wonder if our kids remember the cartoons they watched as children as much as I do.

I spent the day in the recliner with an NCIS marathon, when I wasn't rushing off to the bathroom.  NCIS marathons are perfect for days like this because I have seen every episode of NCIS many times so if I fall asleep in the middle of one and wake up in the middle of the other it doesn't matter because I know how the previous one ended and know how the current one started.  I can just doze off whenever the mood strikes me and not lose the plot lines.

In the evening (when I was feeling better), it was time for the Golden Globes.  I didn't blog them like I have in the past, but I have some good memories.  The thing I wanted to know ever since the red carpet is .... why do women not brush or comb their hair any more. Logic tells me that those messy heads are actually carefully fixed by hairdressers, but to me it just looks like they never got around to combing their hair--or got caught in a strong wind on the way to the show.

There were lots of beautiful gowns on the red carpet (doesn't anybody wear Indian headdresses or swans around their neck any more?), but the one that took my breath away whenever I saw it was Kate Hudson's.  Just gorgeous.

I thought Tina Fey and Amy Pohler's opening monologue was fun, but probably good this is their last time hosting.  They really raked Bill Cosby over the coals.  I think even the audience was surprised.

The evening started on a good note, with J.K. Simmons winning an award as supporting actor for Whiplash.  Now most people know Simmons more for his Farmers Insurance commercials...and I'd never heard of Whiplash, but I do enjoy watching him and liked his sitcom last year (apparently not renewed).

I was also delighted with Joanne Froggatt's win in the supporting actress category.  I love the character of Anna on Downton Abbey and was happy to see her getting an award for it.

Another win that made me happy was Matt Bomer for The Normal Heart.  I have liked him since the very first episode of the now-defunct White Collar and thought his performance in a serious drama was wonderful.  I liked that he thanked his husband and their three children.

I was also pleased that Jeffrey Tambour won for Transparent.  I binge watched that show a couple of months ago was impressed with the sensitivity that the series brought to the lives of transgendered people.  

There were shows and movies I'd never heard of, and some I had chosen not to watch because I didn't have the time, but The Affair had so many nominations that I may have to binge watch that and see what I've been missing.

I had not heard of the movie Still Alice, for which Julianna Moore won an award, but apparently it's about Alzheimers, so I'll have to find that to watch.

The Foreign Press awarded so many of the oddball choices that I wonder if it's going to be any indication of what will happen later at the Oscars and Emmys.

But I'm an awards show junkie, so I'll be watching, and maybe by the time the Emmys roll around, I'll be better informed about the shows I should have watched last season.

Despite, as George Clooney pointed out, 80% of the room were losers, from the quality of performances represented, I'd say not a one of them was an Underdog.

Tweeting the Golden Globes

Walt isn't one for awards shows, and I'm a sucker for them.  I love the Golden Globes, so I was happy to have rediscovered Twitter in the last few months, because I was able to tweet my comments on the ceremonies.  I don't kid myself that anybody read them, but it was fun to read things that others had written, and occasionally respond to a comment that hit me. 

It also made it a snap to put together this journal entry, because all I had to do was to read back over what I wrote during the two hours of the ceremonies, and perhaps expand on some things.

Starting with the red carpet, I was surprised at how homogeneous the women looked.  It seemed that everyone had a long, slim dress, some with a flare at the bottom.  I'm sure that if you were into fashion it would be easy to tell the difference in fabric and stitching, but to me, they all looked similar (except for Anne Hathaway, in sparkly splendor).  Most were beautiful, but similar.  It wasn't until Lisa Ling came on stage in a flowered print with a huge full skirt that I saw something different in the presenters (well, except for JLo, who had the most beautiful lace number of the evening).

OK...that excludes Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who were outstanding in royal blue and scarlet red as they opened the ceremonies.  Their comments were just great and such a refreshing, entertaining change from Ricky Gervais, whose humor I found uncomfortable.

Kate Hudson looked lovely with a sort of gold treatment around the top of her dress.  I think she helped announce one of the first winners, Christopher Waltz for Django.  Don't think I want to see that movie, but it certainly has had a lot of comment.

I suppose it's not surprising that Maggie Smith and Sophia Vergara were both up for the same award, but somehow Modern Family and Downton Abbey seemed in entirely different classes.  I was happy that Smith won, though sad she was not there to accept.

I was thrilled that Damien Lewis won for Homeland, leading the series of awards that show received.  Claire Danes also won and the show itself won for best dramatic series.  Mandy Patinkin didn't win, but I've been raving about Homeland since the first episode and it was nice to have my opinion (finally) backed by competent authorities!  I was surprised to find that Lewis is actually British.  I guess I've never seen him interviewed before.  Certainly does a convincing American accent!

The first commercial break was long enough for me to get the dogs fed their dinner, which was good since it was going to be frustrating to try to watch the next section of the awards with them leaping and begging for food (even though they ended up getting fed early!)

I don't know singer/songwriter Adele, but her acceptance speech for the song she wrote for the new James Bond film was very cute.  

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler appeared in the audience, in disguise, as faux nominees for awards.  Very funny idea. Poehler especially with ugly false teeth in her mouth.

It was a shock to everyone when Bill Clinton came on stage to introduce the film clip for Lincoln.  He got a standing ovation, which was nice.  He certainly has achieved respectability in his old age.  I wonder what Monica is doing these days...  Amy Poehler's comment after he left the stage:   "That was Hillary's husband!"  Perfect.

Will Farrell and Kristen Wig were very funny, attempting to give a synopsis of the films they were introducing, which they obviously had never seen (or if they had, weren't admitting to).

Jennifer Lawrence won the award for Silver Linings Playback, a movie I know nothing about, except that it seems to have an amazing cast.  I had noticed her red dress on the red carpet and wondered then what was holding it up.   I continued to wonder as she climbed the stairs to the stage and gave her acceptance speech.

Anne Hathaway's acceptance speech (was anybody surprised she won?) was one of only two speeches which brought me to tears.  The other was Jodi Fosters after she received her lifetime award.  A very classy speech, with just the right touch of irreverence.

A show called House of Lies won an award.  I'd never heard of it.  How is there something award-worthy on television that I've never heard of?

Schwarzenegger and Stallone presented something together.  An award? An announcement? I don't know what it was, I was laughing so much at the LOOK of them that I wasn't paying attention.  Neither one of them have faces that move and neither one of them look anything like themselves at a younger age.  Plastic surgery run amok.

Girls is also a show I don't know.  I guess it's on HBO, and in its second season.  The show won and its star won.  I found out it is on tonight, so I have recorded it just to check it out.  Heck it must be good to beat out Big Bang Theory, which I think is one of the funniest shows on TV.

There was great shock when the Academy Award nominations were announced last week, because Ben Afleck was not nominated for direction (nor was the woman who directed Zero Dark 30).  So it had to have been a huge vindication that Ago won best picture and Afflec was given the award as best director (his second award this week--he also won the Critics Circle award earlier). Take that, Academy!

It's nice that they separate movies in to comedy/musical and then a separate category for drama. That meant that BOTH Daniel Day Lewis could win for Lincoln and Hugh Jackman could win for Les Miserables.  I was happy about both awards....and that Les Mis won for best musical.

So the awards are over and I had more fun tweeting about it than just sitting there with Polly watching it.

I can hardly wait until the Oscars roll around next month!