The Real Golden Globe Winners: Peter Rice, David Unger, city of Mumbai and Axl Rose

It was a Slumdog Millionnaire kind of night and it was nice to see the totally unprepared Kate Winslet pick up matching statuettes — but the behind the scenes players were also the big winners of the night. The first that comes to mind as an afterthought from the ones mentioned and underlined in some of those acceptance speeches is Peter Rice. Fox Searchlight’s head honcho is the first name that comes to mind as an afterthought — this is the guy who is responsible for making sure that the now defunct WIP gave up control on Danny Boyle’s crowd-pleasing adventure film, and Rice was the one that snapped up the rights to The Wrestler.

When screenplays make the rounds, it’s the agents that deserve the cred for making sure that their clients not only get work but get great parts. The pair of agents that deserve a pat on the back include Winslet’s agent Hylda Queally who has a cool stable of female actresses and gets the scripts for strong female film characters and happen to think Winslet would be best suited for the roles, and David Unger (see clip below) looks like a genius having breathed some life back into Rourke’s career.

Who ever thought we’d find an independent film support in singer Axl Rose? By lending his Sweet Child O’ Mine to his acting friend, he in essence added a bit more credibility towards the plight of a has been professional wrestler.

And finally, India’s capital city had a chance to shine yesterday evening – time and time again. I’m not sure of there will be a boost in tourism in Mumbai (the city does need it after the tragic news) but it is perhaps the first time in many years that we find Hollywood embracing Bollywood.

Here is the complete list of winners:

BEST FEATURE – DRAMA

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” – Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures

“Frost/Nixon” – Imagine Entertainment, Working Title, Studio Canal; Universal Pictures
“The Reader” – Mirage Enterprises; The Weinstein Company
“Revolutionary Road” – An Evamee Entertainment BBC Films Neal Street Production; DreamWorks Pictures in Association with BBC Films and Paramount Vantage
WINNER: “Slumdog Millionaire” – Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.; Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.

BEST FEATURE – COMEDY

“Burn After Reading” – Working Title/Releasing Company; Focus Features in association with Studio Canal
“Happy-Go-Lucky” – Summit Entertainment, Film4, Ingenious Film Partners, Miramax Films; Miramax Films
“In Bruges” – Blueprint Pictures; Focus Features
“Mamma Mia!” – Relativity Media, Playtone, Littlestar; Universal Pictures
WINNER: “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” – Mediapro; The Weinstein Company

DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE

WINNER: Danny Boyle – “Slumdog Millionaire”
Stephen Daldry -“The Reader”
David Fincher -“The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button”
Ron Howard – “Frost/Nixon”
Sam Mendes -“Revolutionary Road”

ACTOR – DRAMA

Leonardo DiCaprio – “Revolutionary Road”
Frank Langella – “Frost/Nixon”
Sean Penn – “Milk”
Brad Pitt – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
WINNER: Mickey Rouke – “The Wrestler”

ACTRESS – DRAMA

Anne Hathaway – “Rachel Getting Married”
Angelina Jolie – “Changeling”
Meryl Streep – “Doubt”
Kristin Scott Thomas – “I’ve Loved You So Long”
WINNER: Kate Winslet – “Revolutionary Road”

ACTOR – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Javier Bardem – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
WINNER: Colin Farrell – “In Bruges”
James Franco – “Pineapple Express”
Brendan Gleeson – “In Bruges”
Dustin Hoffman – “Last Chance Harvey”

ACTRESS – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Rebecca Hall – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
WINNER: Sally Hawkins – “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Frances McDormand – “Burn After Reading”
Meryl Streep – “Mamma Mia!”
Emma Thompson – “Last Chance Harvey”

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Tom Cruise – “Tropic Thunder”
Robert Downey Jr. – “Tropic Thunder”
Ralph Fiennes – “The Duchess”
Philip Seymour Hoffman – “Doubt”
WINNER: Heath Ledger – “The Dark Knight”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams – “Doubt”
Penelope Cruz – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis – “Doubt”
Marisa Tomei – “The Wrestler”
WINNER: Kate Winslet – “The Reader”

SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE

WINNER: Simon Beaufoy – “Slumdog Millionaire”
David Hare – “The Reader”
Peter Morgan – “Frost/Nixon”
Eric Roth – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
John Patrick Shanley – “Doubt”

BEST SCORE

Alexandre Desplat – “The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button”
Clint Eastwood – “Changeling”
James Newton Howard – “Defiance”
WINNER: A. R. Rahman – “Slumdog Millionaire”
Hans Zimmer – “Frost/Nixon”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Down To Earth” from “Wall-E” – Music By: Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman; Lyrics By: Peter Gabriel
“Gran Torino” from “Gran Torino” – Music By: Clint Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens; Lyrics By: Jamie Cullum
“I Thought I Lost You” from “Bolt” – Music & Lyrics By: Miley Cyrus, Jeffrey Steele
“Once In A Lifetime” from “Cadillac Records” – Music & Lyrics By: Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott Mcfarnon, Ian Dench, James Dring, Jody Street
WINNER: “The Wrestler” from “The Wrestler” – Music & Lyrics By: Bruce Springsteen

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

“Bolt” – Walt Disney Pictures; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
“Kung Fu Panda” – DreamWorks Animation SKG; Paramount Pictures
WINNER: “Wall-E” – Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

“The Baader Meinhof Complex” (“Der Baader Meinhof Komplex”)(Germany) – Constantin Film Produktion GmbH; Summit Entertainment, LLC
“Everlasting Moments” (“Maria larssons eviga ögonblick”) (Sweden) – Final Cut Productions Aps; IFC Films
“Gomorrah” (“Gomorra”) (Italy) – Fandango; IFC Films
“I’ve Loved You So Long” (“Il y a longtemps que je t’aime”) (France) – UGC YM/UGC Images/France 3 Cinema/Integral Film; Sony Pictures Classics
WINNER: “Waltz with Bashir” (Israel) – Bridgit Folman Film Gang/Les Films D’Ici/Razor Films/Arte France/ITVS International; Sony Pictures

TV
TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

“Dexter” (Showtime) – Showtime/John Goldwyn Productions/The Colleton Company/Clyde Phillips Productions
“House” (Fox) – Universal Media Studios In Association With Heel And Toe Films, Shore Z Productions And Bad Hat Harry Productions
“In Treatment” (HBO) – Sheleg, Closest To The Hole Productions In Association With HBO Entertainment
WINNER: “Mad Men” (AMC) – Lionsgate Television
“True Blood” (HBO) – Your Face Goes Here Productions In Association With HBO Entertainment

MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

“A Raisin in the Sun” – Sony Pictures Television, Storyline Entertainment and Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment
“Bernard and Doris” – Trigger Street Independent Productions in association with Little Bird and Chicago Films and HBO Films
“Cranford” – A Co-Production of BBC and WGBH Boston.
WINNER: “John Adams” – Playtone in association with HBO Films
“Recount” – Spring Creek/Mirage Productions in association with Trigger Street Productions, Everyman Pictures and HBO Films

TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

WINNER: “30 Rock” – Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little Stranger Inc.
“Californication” – Showtime Presents in association with Aggressive Mediocrity, And Then…
“Entourage” – Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
“The Office” – Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC, Universal Media Studios
“Weeds” – Lionsgate Television

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

WINNER: Gabriel Byrne – “In Treatment”
Michael C. Hall – “Dexter
Jon Hamm – “Mad Men
Hugh Laurie – “House
Jonathan Rhys Meyers – “The Tudors

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

Sally Field – “Brothers And Sisters”
Mariska Hargitay – “Law And Order: Special Victims Unit”
January Jones – “Mad Men”
WINNER: Anna Paquin – “True Blood”
Kyra Sedgwick – “The Closer”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Christina Applegate – “Samantha Who?”
America Ferrera – “Ugly Betty”
WINNER: Tina Fey – “30 Rock”
Debra Messing – “The Starter Wife”
Mary-Louise Parker – “Weeds”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

WINNER: Alec Baldwin – “30 Rock”
Steve Carell – “The Office”
Kevin Connelly – “Entourage”
David Duchovny – “Californication”
Tony Shalhoub – “Monk”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Judi Dench – “Cranford”
Catherine Keener – “An American Crime”
WINNER: Laura Linney – “John Adams”
Shirley Maclaine – “Coco Chanel”
Susan Sarandon – “Bernard And Doris”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Ralph Fiennes – “Bernard and Doris”
WINNER: Paul Giamatti – “John Adams”
Kevin Spacey – ” Recount”
Kiefer Sutherland – “24: Redemption”
Tom Wilkinson – “Recount”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Neil Patrick Harris – “How I Met Your Mother”
Denis Leary – “Recount”
Jeremy Piven – “Entourage”
Blair Underwood – “In Treatment”
WINNER: Tom Wilkinson – “John Adams”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Eileen Atkins – “Cranford”
WINNER: Laura Dern – “Recount”
Melissa George – “In Treatment”
Rachel Griffiths – “Brothers And Sisters”
Dianne Wiest – “In Treatment”