64th Annual Golden Globes: The Men

Tonight, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association held its 64^th Annual Golden Globe ceremony. There were only enough categories to honor 7 of the 35 talented actors nominated.

Leonardo DiCaprio squared off against himself in the category of "Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama", having received nominations for his work in both Blood Diamond and The Departed. He didn't win for either of those portrayals. Forest Whitaker was named "Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama" to edge out DiCaprio, Peter O'Toole (Venus), and Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness).

The only other male actor who received multiple nominations was Chiwetel Ejiofor, who was nominated for his roles in Kinky Boots ("Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical")and Tsunami, the Aftermath ("Best Actor in a MiniSeries or Motion Picture Made for Television"). He was unable to take home the award in either of those categories.

Jack Nicholson tried to increase his current individual Golden Globe count up from its record-breaking six, but lost "Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture" to Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls). Rounding out the Best Actor awards was Sacha Baron Cohen, who won "Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical" for his portrayal of the title character in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. He thanked "every American in [the] room who has not sued [him] so far."

Alec Baldwin was honored as "Best Actor in a TV Series - Comedy" for his role on 30 Rock. Upon receiving the Golden Globe he upheld his comical relief by stating, "I'm glad this isn't too heavy because I've just had hernia surgery December 21. I wanted to share that with you."

Among the other winners were Bill Nighy (Gideon's Daughter), Hugh Laurie (House), and Jeremy Irons (Elizabeth I).

In a special Golden Globes tribute, Tom Hanks honored Warren Beatty, who in 1962 was titled "Most Promising Newcomer." Hanks said, "I think you will all agree with me when I say, What balls this man has." To clarify, he added, "And by balls I mean artistic vision." He then quoted Beatty himself in saying, "A true professional achieves success when you don't know if what you're doing is work or play."

Beatty accepted the tribute by beginning, "It isn't easy being humble when you're married to Annette Benning." He then spoke of Jack Nicholson and Clint Eastwood and their contribution to the great art of cinema, and shared, "The greatest gift that God can give a man is to enjoy the sound of his own voice." The second great gift is to get someone to listen, which he did.