The 2017 Golden Globe Awards are just around the corner. The annual awards ceremony is entering its 74th iteration this Sunday at 8pm EST. Can you believe it? 74 years! No doubt we are bound to be surprised by some big wins and losses, and with nearly all of Hollywood royalty in attendance things are sure to be pretty interesting to watch. Before we feast on events to come, join us on a look back at the 7 most shocking moments in recent Golden Globe history.
Leo Wins Big
Last year’s dark horse, The Revenant, took the world by storm and became the vehicle for Leonardo DiCaprio’s first Oscar win. At the Globes, no one expected much from the avant-garde film by Mexican director, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. But after 4 nominations and 3 wins, it became instantly clear who the big winner of the night was. Up against a bevy of heavy hitters including Bryan Cranston (Trumbo) and Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs), Leo took home the coveted award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama.
The 2008 Writers Strike
The 2008 Golden Globe Awards was just one of the many things affected by the writers strike which began in November of 2007 and ended in the middle of February 2008. The strike was caused when labor unions representing roughly 12,000 screen and tv writers, demanded more pay to close the gap between them and wealthy studio producers. When negotiations failed, Hollywood went dark for a total of 100 days. As a result, the Globes ceremony for that year was stalled and replaced by a simple press conference.
The Gina Rodriguez Speech
Gina Rodriguez is on fire. Her show, Jane the Virgin (now in its 3rd season), was an instant score for The CW and was responsible for bringing in the network’s first Globe win back in 2015. But what people remember the most is not Gina’s historic win (Best Actress in a Comedy Series), but her inspirational acceptance speech that went viral. Her father was clearly a big influence for Gina as she praised him in the final moments of being on stage: “My father used to tell me to say every morning, ‘Today is going to be a great day. I can and I will.’ Well dad, today is a great day. I can and I did.”
50 Cent Vs. Hollywood
Power, 50 Cent’s show based loosely on his own life, is the focal point for the latest drama involving the rapper-turned actor. The beef all started when Power was passed for a nomination at the 2017 Globes ceremony. In true 50 Cent fashion, the hip hop mogul took to Instagram on the morning of the nominations to let the world know exactly how he felt: “Golden Globes can suck a d**k. I accept my series POWER was not intended to be a signature show for the network but it is the highest rated show.” Yeah…
The Other F-Word
No one will ever forget that time Isaiah Washington, former co-star of Grey’s Anatomy, allegedly used a homophobic slur to describe then cast mate T.R. Knight during an onset incident. Things got worse when Washington claimed he “did not call T.R. a f****t” in a backstage interview at the 2007 Golden Globes. When news spread it didn’t take long before fellow Grey’s co-stars–spearheaded by Katherine Heigl–publicly distanced themselves from Washington’s comments. Hollywood eventually followed suit and dropped the actor like a bad habit.
That Awkward Moment
In 2011, comedian Ricky Gervais returned to host the Golden Globes for the second year in a row. Only this time, his crude jokes and personal attacks didn’t bode so well with the star studded room. Right from the start (with a full glass of beer in hand) Ricky was in a no holds barred type of mood when he said: “It’s gonna be a night of partying and heavy drinking or as Charlie Sheen calls it, breakfast.” But that was just the beginning. Ricky tackled everything from Scientology to those bribery rumors involving the Hollywood Foreign Press. Yeah, it was that kind of night.
Not All Latinas Look Alike
This blunder on behalf of the Hollywood Foreign Press was so egregious, it’s hard to believe it really happened. When actress America Ferrara announced nominations for the 2016 Golden Globes, she was mistakenly tagged in a Twitter post by her superiors as fellow Latina, Gina Rodgriguez. Fans on social media responded immediately, sparking claims of racism and prejudice. Someone clearly got the message as the Twitter post was later deleted, and a statement was issued by the Foreign Press: “What occurred this morning was an unfortunate error. Our sincerest apologies to both America and Gina.” America poked fun at the blunder when she presented a month later at the Awards with Eva Longoria by her side saying: “I’m America Ferrara–not Gina Ridgriguez.”
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