BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — The Iran hostage thriller Argo was a surprise best-drama winner at Sunday’s Golden Globes, beating out the Civil War epic Lincoln, which had emerged as an awards-season favorite.
Argo also claimed the directing prize for Ben Affleck, a prize that normally bodes well for an Academy Award win - except he missed out on an Oscar nomination this time.
In a breathless, rapid-fire speech, Affleck gushed over the names of other nominees presenter Halle Berry had read off: Steven Spielberg for Lincoln, Ang Lee for Life of Pi, Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty and Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained.
“Look, I don’t care what the award is. When they put your name next to the names she just read off, it’s an extraordinary thing in your life,” Affleck said.
Les Miserables was named best musical or comedy, while Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway claimed acting prizes.
Besides the three wins for Les Miserables and two for Argo, the show was a mixed bag, with awards spread around a number of films. Lincoln came in leading with seven nominations but lost all but one, for Daniel Day-Lewis as best actor in the title role of Lincoln.
Zero Dark Thirty star Jessica Chastain won the Globe for dramatic actress as a CIA agent obsessively pursuing Osama bin Laden.
Other acting prizes went to Jennifer Lawrence as best musical or comedy actress for the oddball romance Silver Linings Playbook and Christoph Waltz as supporting actor for the slave-revenge tale Django Unchained.
Les Miserables, the musical based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel, earned Jackmanthe Globe for musical or comedy actor as tragic hero Jean Valjean. Hathaway won supporting actress as a single mom forced into prostitution.
“Thank you for this lovely blunt object that I will forevermore use as a weapon against self-doubt,” Hathaway said.
Former President Bill Clinton upstaged Hollywood’s elite with a surprise appearance to introduce Spielberg’s Civil War epic Lincoln, which was up for best drama. The film chronicles Abraham Lincoln’s final months as he tries to end the war and find common ground in a divided Congress to pass the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.
Amy Poehler, co-host of the Globes with Tina Fey, gushed afterward, “Wow, what an exciting special guest! That was Hillary Clinton’s husband!”
Lawrence won as best actress in a musical or comedy for her role as a troubled widow in a shaky new relationship.
Waltz won supporting actor for his role as a genteel bounty hunter who takes on an exslave as apprentice.
The win was Waltz’s second supporting-actor prize at the Globes, both of them coming in Tarantino films.
Tarantino won the screenplay prize for Django Unchained.
The Scottish tale Brave won for best animated film. It was the sixth win for Disney’s Pixar Animation unit in the seven years since the Globes added the category.
Austrian director Michael Haneke’s old-age love story Amour, a surprise best-picture nominee for the Oscars, wonthe Globe for foreign-language film.
Show hosts Fey and Poehler had a friendly rivalry at the Globes. Both were nominated for best actress in a TV comedy series, Fey for 30 Rock and Poehler for Parks and Recreation.
“Tina, I just want to say that I very much hope that I win,” Poehler told Fey at the start of the show.
“Thank you. You’re my nemesis. Thank you,” Fey replied.
Neither won. Lena Dunham claimed the comedy series Globe for Girls.
Among other TV winners, Julianne Moore won a bestactress Globe for her role as Sarah Palin in Game Change, which also was picked as best TV miniseries or movie and earned Ed Harris a supporting-actor prize. Best actor in a miniseries or movie went to Kevin Costner for Hatfields & McCoys. Homeland was named best TV drama series, and its stars Claire Danes and Damian Lewis received the dramatic acting awards. Maggie Smith won as supporting actress for Downton Abbey.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 01/14/2013