Byrne, Linney, Baldwin Win Golden Globes; Stage-to-Screen Adaptations Shut Out
Byrne, who was not present, won for HBO’s miniseries In Treatment, Baldwin was honored for 30 Rock, Linney and Giamatti won for playing John and Abigail Adams in HBO’s John Adams and Anna Paquin was honored for True Blood. The evening’s surprise winner was Colin Farrell, who praised a smiling Martin McDonagh for urging him to take the role of a reluctant hitman in McDonagh’s In Bruges.
Top honors went to the films Slumdog Millionaire, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Wall-E and to the TV series 30 Rock and Mad Men. Kate Winslet was a double winner for her performances in Revolutionary Road directed by her husband, Sam Mendes and The Reader directed by Stephen Daldry. As expected, Heath Ledger won a posthumous prize for his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
A healthy-looking Jeremy Piven nominated for Entourage made the red-carpet scene with his producer, Mark Walhberg, but got little sympathy in a pre-show interview with former NFL player Tiki Barber. When Piven compared his abrupt departure from the Broadway production of Speed-the-Plow to a team doctor ordering Barber out of a football game, Barber replied that he had often ignored those orders and continued to play.