Tina Fey’s ‘30 Rock,’ ‘Mad Men’ top Golden Globes
Associated Press
Monday, January 12, 2009
Beverly Hills, Calif. — Tina Fey officially rules the world and has the Golden Globe awards to prove it.
The “30 Rock” star and creator was named best actress in a TV comedy and her NBC series was picked as best comedy Sunday by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, capping a run of honors for the series and general acclaim for her Sarah Palin impersonation.
Paul Drinkwater/NBC
While accepting the Golden Globe award for best TV comedy actress, Tina Fey took the opportunity to shoot back at her online critics.
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“I want you to know that I really know how very lucky I am to have the year that I’ve had this year,” Fey said.
But there’s a dark side, she said.
“If you ever start to feel too good about yourself, they have this thing called the Internet. And you can find a lot of people there who don’t like you,” she added, drawing laughs and applause from the celebrity-studded ballroom audience.
“I’d like to address some of them now,” she continued. “Babs in La Crosse, you can suck it. Diane-fan, you can suck it. Cougar-letter, you can really suck it, ‘cause all year you’ve been after me. All year.”
Fey, whose winsome take on Republican vice presidential candidate Palin was last year’s highlight of “Saturday Night Live,” introduced a political note to the Globes ceremony with the help of “30 Rock” star Tracy Morgan.
“Tina Fey and I had an agreement that if Barack Obama won, I would speak for the show from now on,” Morgan said in accepting the best-series award. “Welcome to post-racial America. I’m the face of post-racial America — deal with it, Cate Blanchett.”
Morgan thanked the press association, especially on his own behalf “because a black man can’t get no love at the Emmys.”
Last year, “30 Rock” won three Emmys, including for best comedy series, writing and for Fey’s performance.
Alec Baldwin, who plays Fey’s boss in the behind-the-scenes comedy about a TV variety show, was honored with the Golden Globe for best comedy actor.
“When you do this show, the first thing you want to say is, `Thank you Tina, thank you Tina, thank you Tina,’” Baldwin said.
“Mad Men,” AMC’s retro drama about 1960s America as seen through the prism of Madison Avenue, repeated its victory as best TV drama. But this time, without the writers’ strike that quashed the ceremony, the cast and series creator Matthew Weiner were on hand to accept the award.
“We are thrilled. We missed this party, and this is an amazing party,” Weiner said.
Last fall, “Mad Men” became the first basic cable series to win a best drama Emmy.
Anna Paquin won as best actress in a TV drama for “True Blood,” HBO’s series about vampire life in the backwoods of Cajun country, besting competitors that included Sally Field of “Brothers & Sisters” and Kyra Sedgwick of “The Closer.”
“This is awesome,” said a delighted Paquin.
Best-actor honors went to Gabriel Byrne for his portrayal of a therapist in HBO’s “In Treatment.”
“John Adams,” HBO’s miniseries about the second U.S. president, was richly rewarded. Tom Hanks, who was an executive producer on the project, accepted the award for best miniseries or TV movie.
Paul Giamatti, who played Adams, won a best actor trophy. Laura Linney was named best actress for her portrayal of Adams’ wife, Abigail.
“Well, this was a helluva job, a helluva job, this little costume drama we put on,” Giamatti said.
Tom Wilkinson, who played Benjamin Franklin in “John Adams,” was honored as best supporting actor.
“You’ve made me very happy indeed,” said Wilkinson.
Backstage, he said it was unsettling to accept an award, especially in front of certain famous faces: “You see Clint Eastwood there, and Bruce Springsteen. You think, `If I make a mistake, they’ll come and beat me up.’”
Laura Dern, who in HBO’s “Recount” portrayed Katherine Harris, the Florida secretary of state who figured in the disputed 2000 presidential election, won best supporting actress for a series, miniseries or TV movie.
It was this year’s contest and Obama that were on her mind as she accepted the award.
“I will cherish this as a reminder of the extraordinary, incredible outpouring of people who demanded their voice be heard in the last election so we can look forward to amazing change in this country,” Dern said.
