2018 Golden Globe Awards: ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,’ ‘Big Little Lies’ are the top winners

January 7, 2018

by Carla Hay

With four awards each, the darkly humorous drama “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and the limited TV series “Big Little Lies” were the big winners at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards, which took place at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on January 7, 2017. “Three Billboards” and “Big Little Lies” both examine violence and abuse in society, as well as how victims fight back. So it’s perhaps not a coincidence that this year’s Golden Globes will also be remembered as the year that attendees took  a very loud and visible stand against sexism, sexual harassment and abuse. Almost all the celebrities wore black in a show of support for Time’s Up, a new coalition aimed at fighting and preventing sexism, sexual harassment and abuse worldwide. Many of the attendees also worn a Time’s Up pin in support of the cause. And speaking out against sexism, harassment and abuse was at heart of speeches by several celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey (recipient of the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. deMille Award), Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Elisabeth Moss and Frances McDormand.

The 2018 Golden Globe Awards ceremony (which was telecast in the U.S. on NBC) was the first major televised award show for the entertainment industry since the wave of sexual harassment scandals that hit the industry in late 2017. Seth Meyers, who hosted the show, predictably made insulting jokes about Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, two former Hollywood heavyweights who were among those who had epic falls from grace because of sexual misconduct accusations made against them.

The Golden Globe Awards are presented and voted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). Dick Clark Productions (DCP) produces the telecast.

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri” won Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Drama; Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama (for McDormand); Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (for Sam Rockwell) and Best Screenplay (for writer/director Martin McDonaugh). “The Shape of Water” went into the award show with the most nominations (seven) and ended up winning two: Best Director (for Guillermo del Toro) and Best Original Score (for Alexandre Desplat). “Lady Bird”  also won two awards: Best Motion Picture  – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (for Saoirse Ronan).

In the TV categories, many of the winners were those who also won Emmys in September 2017, such as “Big Little Lies” and the series’ cast members Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern and Alexander Skarsgård; “The Handmaid’s Tale” and its lead actress Elisabeth Moss; Sterling K. Brown from “This Is Us”; and “Master of None” creator Aziz Ansari, who won an Emmy for writing and a Golden Globe for starring in the series. Meanwhile, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and the show’s star Rachel Brosnahan won Golden Globes on their first nominations.

Presenters at 2018 Golden Globe Awards included Jennifer Aniston, Roseanne Barr, Halle Berry, Carol Burnett, Mariah Carey, Jessica Chastain, Emilia Clarke, Kelly Clarkson, Common, Darren Criss, Penelope Cruz, Viola Davis, Geena Davis, Kirk Douglas, Zac Efron, Gal Gadot, Greta Gerwig, John Goodman, Hugh Grant, Kit Harington, Neil Patrick Harris, Salma Hayek, Garrett Hedlund, Chris Hemsworth, Christina Hendricks, Ron Howard, Kate Hudson, Isabelle Huppert, Allison Janney, Dakota Johnson, Dwayne Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Michael Keaton, Shirley MacLaine, Ricky Martin, Helen Mirren, Sarah Jessica Parker, Robert Pattinson, Sarah Paulson, Amy Poehler, Natalie Portman, Edgar Ramirez, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Susan Sarandon, J.K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Sebastian Stan, Sharon Stone, Emma Stone, Barbra Streisand, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Keith Urban, Alicia Vikander, Kerry Washington, Emma Watson, Reese Witherspoon and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

The following are the nominees and winners of the 2018 Golden Globe Awards:

*= winner

1.       BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA