As we bemoaned when nominations were announced for 2017’s Golden Globe awards, Latinos got the short end of the stick this year. I mean, how do you deprive us of J. Lo’s fabulousness on the red carpet by not nominating Shades of Blue? And of the four Latinos nominated, not one took home a statuette. That’s right, zero. Thankfully, the actual ceremony delivered plenty of memorable moments reminding us that Latinxcellence is all around (though, not, as it turns out, in Jimmy Fallon’s star-studded opening musical number). But more than that, the entire ceremony felt like a rebuke to the current political climate and a celebration of difference.
As Hugh Laurie quipped when he won for his performance in The Night Manager, the night was, after all, hosted by an association that contains the words “Hollywood,” “Foreign,” and “Press” in its title, three of the most vilified things in our post-election country. In powerful speeches and gestures, Hollywood’s best and brightest seemed to be fighting back against the hateful rhetoric put forth by the president-elect. More tellingly, perhaps, none gave him the benefit of uttering his name.
While La La Land swept, Moonlight managed only to nab Best Motion Picture – Drama, and Gina, Lin-Manuel and Gael all lost their respective nods (!), there were still plenty of moments from the ceremony worth singling out. Find below our list of the best and worst moments from this year’s Globes.
Worst: Zero Latino Winners
We had four chances to win this year. Latino nominees included: Gina Rodriguez for Best Comedy Actress, Gael García Bernal for Best Comedy Actor, Lin-Manuel Miranda for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture, and the Chilean film Neruda for Best Foreign Language Film. The grand total of Latino winners? Zero, zilch, nada.
Best: ‘Y tu mamá también’ Boys Giving Us Squad Goals
Even before the show began, Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal were lighting up the red carpet. The Rogue One and Mozart in the Jungle stars were beaming as they made their way across the crowd, making all of us Y tu mamá también fans extremely happy to see how far the charolastras Julio and Tenoch have come. Seriously though, find yourself someone who looks at you like Gael does at Diego. That’s pure love.
Best: Gina Rodriguez Celebrating Tracee Ellis Ross’ Win
Taking a page out of the Viola Davis playbook, Black-ish’s Tracee Ellis Ross took her time after winning the award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical in Television to speak to the great work her fellow actresses were doing and for the narratives they were telling. “This is for the women of color whose stories, ideas and thoughts are not always considered worthy and valid and important but I want you to know that I see you. We see you!” And no one seemed happier for her than Jane the Virgin’s Gina Rodriguez who won this category two years ago.
Worst: Sofia Vergara Joking (Again!) About Her Accent
Oh Sofia. You are so talented. Why must awards show (and Modern Family) writers continue to saddle you with cringe-worthy lines about how you can’t pronounce words correctly? While presenting this year’s Ms Golden Globes (Sylvester Stallone’s three daughters) she was given this gem: “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has an anal tradition… oh no, they have an anus tradition… they have a tradition they do every year.” Come on!
Best: Ryan Gosling Honoring Eva Mendez In His Speech
Upon winning the award for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical Film, La La Land’s Ryan Gosling got a Ryan Reynolds joke out of the way before acknowledging his Cuban-American partner, Eva Mendes, as his major support system. As he was singing, dancing, and playing the piano on the set of his film, he noted, Mendez was at home taking care of their eldest child and pregnant with their second. Furthermore, she was helping her brother who was then battling cancer. Needless to say, he wouldn’t be standing on that stage if it weren’t for her. He ended his speech dedicating the award to his late brother-in-law, Carlos Mendes.
Best: Diego Luna Presents Best Screenplay
We knew Luna and his Rogue One co-star Felicity Jones would make an appearance. They are starring, after all, in the biggest film in the world right now. But that he pulled out his Spanish while announcing the winner as if it wasn’t a big deal — because it’s not! — was a subtle but radical gesture that speaks volumes about the need to champion bilingualism as the new norm in the U.S. Here’s hoping many more Latinos continue to feel empowered by Luna’s unapologetic attitude about his accent and his mother tongue.
Best: Meryl Streep's Speech Celebrating Immigrants
Being feted with the Cecil B. DeMille Award, Meryl Streep opted out of giving a speech about herself. Instead, and despite having lost her voice earlier in the week, the Florence Foster Jenkins actress delivered an impassioned political speech that celebrated immigrants as well as the need for a strong press to hold those in power accountable. It was the most touching and powerful moment of the night, one that spoke of the power of empathy to understand one another. Speaking directly to Trump’s stated goal to deport millions of immigrants, Meryl was blunt, arguing that many in the room would not even be there: “If we kick ’em all out we’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts.”