Silence sets as the rip of the golden envelope creates anticipation through the crowd. Cheering erupts as the host announces the Golden Globe winner. The acclaimed quickly make their way to the stage through the sea of congratulations. This is the 81st Golden Globes.

Broadcasted live from the Beverly Hilton, this year’s Golden Globes took place in Beverly Hills Jan. 7. The night was filled with a dazzling red carpet pre-show, followed by the ceremony of nominee and award announcements.

This year, 27 total categories appraised creations in television and film. Spotlighting other successes, two new categories were announced this year:  Best Performance in Stand-up Comedy and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement. 

“Oppenheimer,” “Barbie,” “Poor Things,” “Anatomy of a Fall” and “Killer of the Flower Moon” received the most nominations and awards in cinema. “Beef,” “The Bear” and “Succession” had the most nominations and awards for television (TV).

“I watched the second half [of the show] live and caught up on a bunch of clips from the beginning of the show and really enjoyed it. There were so many movies and TV shows that came out this year that I really loved so I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed with any winners,” Sammy Birritteri ‘24 said.

“Oppenheimer” swept the night, winning Best Motion Picture–Drama, Best Director–Motion Picture (Christopher Nolan) and Best Original Score–Motion Picture (Ludwig Goransson). Robert Downey Jr. and Cillian Murphy both received awards for their performances playing Lewis Strauss and J. Robert Oppenheimer.

“Barbie” received two Golden Globes of their seven nominations that evening. The Cinematic and Box Office Achievement genre was awarded for the first time in Golden Globe history. 

Released July 21, 2023, “Barbie” rocked the screens from summer into fall and raised 1.4 billion dollars in the box office, according to CBS. It’s one of the only female-dominated movies among the top-grossing films of all time, according to NPR. “What Was I Made For?” written by Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell won best Original Song–Motion Picture in collaboration with the film.

“Of course, I loved what Margot Robbie wore, I’m obsessed with any reference she makes to ‘Barbie’ through fashion. I also really liked what Ayo Edebiri, Elle Fanning and Florence Pugh wore,” Birritteri said. “My favorite part of the show was probably when Lily Gladstone won because I think she was so deserving.”

“Poor Things” and “Anatomy of a Fall” each won two Golden Globes. “Poor Things” received one Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture–Musical or Comedy. Emma Stone won Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture–Musical or Comedy for her role as Bella Baxter, the main character in the film. “Anatomy of a Fall” won Best Screenplay–Motion Picture and Best Motion Picture–Non-English Language. 

My favorite speech was given by Lily Gladstone, who plays Mollie Burkhart in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” She beautifully presented the first part of her speech in Blackfeet, honoring her Native American heritage. She received the second-to-last award of the night, winning Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture–Drama. 

“Killers of the Flower Moon” had seven nominations and won one Golden Globe.

In the TV category, both “The Bear” and “Beef” won three Golden Globes each. “Succession” had the most awards of the night, with a total of nine nominations and four wins.

Absent to accept, past host Ricky Gervais received the award for Best Performance in Stand-up Comedy on Television for the first time in Golden-Globe history for his show “Ricky Gervais: Armageddon.” The new category recognizes outstanding comedy performances in different layouts such as stand-up, broadcast, cable, streaming and pay-per-view. 

This year, tension buzzed as American comedian and host of the Golden Globes, Jo Koy, made some arguably questionable jokes in an attempt to lighten the room. 

“I’ve hit every single stage you can think of in this world, and this is going to be the biggest one,” Koy said in an interview with CBS. 

However, even with over two decades of stage experience, nearly none of Koy’s jokes hit. Instead of hearing laughter and cheers from the crowd, he gathered silence and even boos.

Koy made controversial jokes about pop star Taylor Swift, “Barbie,” “Saltburn” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which weren’t well received by the crowd. 

Yes, it’s a tough room, but his comedic choices were obviously not the right fit for the audience. 

“Barbie” and Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour took the world by storm. Women’s empowerment was the talk of the town. Starting your monologue with insulting jokes about Taylor Swift or one of the top-grossing films of all time was a poor choice.

At some point in his monologue, Koy seemed tense with the crowd’s response (or lack thereof) and began giving excuses about the quality of his speech. 

“Some [jokes] I wrote, some other people wrote. Yo, I got the gig ten days ago! You want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up! You’re kidding me right? I wrote some of these, and they’re the ones you’re laughing at,” Koy said, according to CBS.

Imagine blaming the writers and throwing them under the bus for lack of laughs. While it’s true that ten days is short notice, with over 20 years of experience, you would think he’d be able to present better jokes. 

To end on a better note, my favorite look from the star-studded night had to be Hailey Steinfeld. 

She was a presenter that evening and is the voice actor for Gwen Stacy in the “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse” series, which was nominated for Best Motion Picture–Animated. 

Steinfeld strutted the red carpet in a custom pink Prada gown with sheer black gloves. Her dress had a train in the back along with a bow at the top and was accessorized with Boucheron jewels. Her updo and outfit have been compared to Audrey Hepburn’s look in the 1961 film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” and I love it!

Hopefully, at the next Golden Globes, we’ll get some real laughs from the future host–and another round of fabulous looks!