Golden Globes 2013 Winners: Girls Win Big at the Golden Globe Awards

It feels good to be a winner, doesn't it? Especially if you're one of the few recognized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The Golden Globes awarded some of its top categories to shows such as HBO's Girls and recognized the efforts of female leads like Anne Hathaway. It was inspiring to watch the funny ladies, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, headlining the show as hosts. 

Unlike the environment that females face in the corporate workplace, in Hollywood the visible success of women enables opportunities that weren't available to previous generations.

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler did a marvelous job and injected moments of comedy while stretching the boundaries just a bit. While award show hosts are given freedom in exercising their comedic chops, I'm sure some Hollywood executives were relieved with the whimsical duo, given last year's reaction to Ricky Gervais — whose jokes were at the expense of the celebrities.

The award show started with a bevy of females winning. First, Maggie Smith won for her role in Downton Abbey, Julianne Moore lead in Game Change, the miniseries where she played the character of Sarah Palin. Next, Adele won for Best Original Song for "Skyfall." the theme song for the James Bond movie. Although she was expected to win in this category — given her talent and popularity, it was delightful for viewers to see that her hard work paid off. 

The snarky but colorful Jennifer Lawrence "I beat Meryl" secured her place in Golden Globe history as Best Actress in a movie comedy for Silver Linings Playbook. I didn't quite get why a young starlet felt that she had the "right" to step on respected actors that have worked years in Hollywood. But then Anne Hathaway's gracious acceptance speech for Best supporting actress in Les Miserables reminded us of why she is such a seasoned professional.

The night topped off with Lena Dunham's win as Best Actress in a TV comedy for Girls as well as securing the Best TV Series award. With this phenomenal high, the 26 year old who is creator/producer/writer manages to secure a $3.6 million book deal at the pinnacle of her career. Although some have criticized the lack of ethnic diversity in this television series (and rightly so), her win may inspire others to aspire to great heights. I think that's one reason that the public is so mesmerized by award shows. You can aspire to become anything you want, with hard work and opportunities. I am an ardent believer in the American Dream.

Next, Jessica Chastain's humble acceptance speech for best actress in a motion picture (drama) validated her early struggles as an actor. Finding success after years of hardship makes one appreciate success much more so than if it was fast-won. The window of opportunities is short in a competitive place like Hollywood where power players often hold the reins in making movie deals.

Strong and capable women is a running theme in director Kathryn Bigelow's movie Zero Dark Thirty. Jessica's role as a CIA analyst in the hunt for Osama bin Laden necessitates that her job, not as a woman but as someone who is crucial to the overall success of the mission. Let the work stand for itself and not base it on one's gender.  

Jessica Chastain thanked her director who held the view that "filmmaking is not about breaking gender roles [but] when you make a film that allows your character to disobey the conventions of Hollywood, you’ve done more for women in cinema than you can take credit for." This is an extremely powerful and moving statement. The comedic duo also managed to take a swing at James Cameron, to whom Kathryn Bigelow was previously married. Only in America, people.

Lastly, Jodie Foster was awarded the Cecile B. De Mil Award for her "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment." This was the most public display of her "outing" herself. I'm glad that our culture has a growing acceptance of LGBT individuals. At this point in her life, she's comfortable with who she is.

Here's an excerpt from her acceptance speech that shows she values privacy and that she won't conform to the conventional standards that Hollywood places on its stars:

So when I'm here being all confessional, I guess I just have a sudden urge to say something that I've never really been able to air in public. So, a declaration … that I'm a little nervous about, but maybe not quite as nervous as my publicist right now, huh Jennifer? But you know, I'm just gonna put it out there, right? Loud and proud, right? So I'm gonna need your support on this. I am … single. Yes I am, I am single. No, I'm kidding. But I mean, I'm not really kidding, but I'm kind of kidding. Thank you for the enthusiasm. Can I get a wolf whistle or something? 

In those very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends and family, co-workers, and then gradually, proudly to everyone who knew her, to everyone she actually met. But now apparently, I'm told that every celebrity is expected to honor the details of their private life with a press conference, a fragrance, and a prime time reality show. You guys might be surprised, but I am not Honey Boo Boo Child. No, I'm sorry, that's just not me, it never was, and it never will be. 

List of 70th Annual Golden Globe Winners:

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - MOVIE

Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – TV SERIES, MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE

Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

BEST MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE

Game Change

BEST ACTRESS - MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE

Julianne Moore, Game Change

BEST ACTOR – TV SERIES DRAMA

Damien Lewis, Homeland

BEST TV SERIES - DRAMA

Homeland

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MOVIE

Michael Danna, Life of Pi

BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MOVIE

Adele, “Skyfall”

BEST ACTOR - MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE

Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys

BEST ACTRESS - MOVIE COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – TV SERIES, MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE

Ed Harris, Game Change

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - MOVIE

Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

BEST SCREENPLAY- MOVIE

Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained

BEST ACTOR – TV SERIES COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Don Cheadle, House of Lies

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Amour, Austria

BEST ACTRESS – TV SERIES DRAMA

Claire Danes, Homeland

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Brave

BEST ACTRESS – TV SERIES  COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Lena Dunham, Girls

CECIL B. DEMILLE AWARD

Jodie Foster

BEST DIRECTOR -  MOVIE

Ben Affleck, Argo

BEST TV SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Girls

BEST ACTOR - MOVIE COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables

BEST MOVIE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Les Miserables

BEST ACTRESS - MOVIE DRAMA

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

BEST ACTOR  – MOVIE DRAMA

Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

BEST MOVIE – DRAMA

Argo