Shocking finish to Golden Globes
Morning Briefing
Monday, March 1, 2021
The Golden Globes concluded with a shocking result as “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” was named best picture (musical or comedy) and its creator and star, Sacha Baron Cohen, best actor.
The movie is generally described as a “mockumentary,” or maybe more accurately just ridiculous satire. But then again, the nightly news has often crossed over into that realm.
HBO, which hosted one of Cohen’s early shows from 2000 to 2004, described his work like this: “Through his alter-egos, he delivers an obvious satire that exposes people's ignorance and prejudice in much the same way `All in the Family’ did years ago.”
More accurately, Cohen managed to convince people to drop their guard and expose their true beliefs with his cameras rolling. That was often embarrassing to public and private people alike. His latest movie made news last summer when he was able to persuade Rudy Giuliani to not only drop his guard, but almost his pants when being interviewed by a sexy blonde TV reporter.
You couldn’t help but wonder if the honors for Cohen and his movie from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was a way to stick it to the former president.
There were two other important moments of clarity that should make us all think about where our country is at this moment in time.
After Aaron Sorkin, writer of the West Wing and the Newsroom, won for his screenplay, “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” he said this about one of the defendants in that case, Abbie Hoffman:
“I don’t always agree with everything the characters that I write do or say,” Sorkin said.
“But here’s something Abbie (Hoffman) said, ‘Democracy is not something you believe in or a place to hang your hat. But it's something you do. You participate. If you stop doing it, democracy crumbles.’ I don't need any more evidence than what happened on Jan. 6 to agree with this."
It’s something for all of us to think about.
The second came after Chloe Zhao won best director honors for her film “Nomadland.”
The film is based on Jessica Bruder’s book “Nomadland: Surviving American in the Twenty-First Century.” It recounts the reality of transient older Americans living on the road in RVs and vans, picking up seasonal work and trying to survive.
Zhao used some of the real nomads in the movie and Sunday night recounted what one of them told her: “Compassion is a breakdown of all the barriers between us. A heart-to-heart bonding. Your pain is my pain. It’s mingled and shared between us.”
Perhaps, that is what we need to understand today more than ever.
It’s why I still watch the movies as I try to understand the world and the people around me.
JG3 and Syracuse
Syracuse and its NCAA Tournament hopes took a significant hit with a defeat at the hands of Georgia Tech on Saturday. It was good to see Joseph Girard III back in the scoring column with 10 points and a lot more playing time than the previous game.
Syracuse is back in action tonight on ESPN against North Carolina’s 7 p.m. It is a must-win for Syracuse.
Girard, after going scoreless against Duke last Monday, had 10 points - all in the first half - and coach Jim Boeheim said he was solid. He played 26 minutes, had 2 steals, 2 assists and shot 4 for 11. He missed all three shots from 3-point range.
It’s March
For years, I convinced myself that the beginning of March meant the end of winter. It was a psychological ploy on my part. We might have a thaw or two along the way, but March is still winter here.
I’ve got plenty of wood to get me through the rest of the winter. The problems is getting to the wood. This has been one of those years where the snow has been just moderate. But it never melts.
Share the newsletter
If you like what you are reading, share the newsletter with your friends and get them to subscribe.