LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Standout moments from the , which returned to television Tuesday night after a year's absence.
DON'T SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER
Pianist Chloe Flower had a sweet gig at the , playing TV and movie theme songs on camera as the show went to commercial breaks, but it turned temporarily sour when some in the viewing audience wrongly assumed she was the one deciding when annoyed had to wrap up their speeches.
鈥淪hut up, I can beat you up,鈥� said Michelle Yeoh, the star of many a kung fu movie, when piano music began playing her off about two minutes into her acceptance of the Globe for best actress in a musical or comedy film for 鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once.鈥�
鈥淵ou can forget that piano,鈥� Colin Farrell said over the music as he accepted the male version of the same award for 鈥淭he Banshees of Inisherin.鈥�
When Austin Butler won best actor in a drama film for 鈥淓lvis鈥� and the piano began, he pleaded for a song by the man he portrayed.
鈥淎t least play 鈥楽uspicious Minds鈥� or something,鈥� Butler said.
But none of that was Flower.
鈥淧eople on Twitter are mad like she鈥檚 playing people off, but it鈥檚 a track,鈥� host Jerrod Carmichael said during the show. 鈥淐hloe, we are lucky to have you.鈥�
on the topic herself mid-show.
鈥淚 would never play piano over people鈥檚 speeches!!" she wrote. 鈥滻鈥檓 only playing when you see me on camera!"
MURPHY SLAPS WITH TWO MINUTES AND A MIC DROP
Eddie Murphy certainly didn't need playing off. Many who win the Cecil B. DeMille Award, a lifetime achievement prize, use the moment to make a major speech. 's in 2018 inspired calls for a presidential run. But Murphy's acceptance took just two minutes, shorter than many of the night's regular winners.
He thanked a handful of people and quickly wrapped it up with a mic-drop joke about .
鈥淚've been doing this for a long time so I could stand up here and keep saying thank you until they play the piano,鈥� Murphy said. "But I'm gonna wrap it up and just say something to all the up-and-coming dreamers and artists that are in the room tonight. I want to let you know that there is a definitive blueprint that you can follow to achieve success, prosperity and peace of mind. Pay your taxes, mind your business, and keep Will Smith鈥檚 wife鈥檚 name out of your (expletive) mouth!"
TEARS FOR LEAN YEARS AND LOST FAMILY
Despite the Globes鈥� diminishment in recent years, winning them still brought plenty of tears, sometimes from unexpected people. set the emotional tone as he cried throughout his acceptance of the night's first award, best supporting actor in a film for 鈥淓verything Everywhere All At Once.鈥� He tearfully thanked Steven Spielberg for giving him his start in 鈥淚ndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom鈥� before talking about the decades he spent thinking he would never get to top it.
Spielberg, who has remained restrained winning bigger awards, got emotional when he won the best director Globe for 鈥淭he Fabelmans." Because this one was about his family. 鈥淚鈥檝e been hiding from this story since I was 17 years old," he said, his voice cracking. He called out each of his family members by name, ending with his late mother, Leah Adler, who inspired the at the heart of the film, saying 鈥渟he is up there kvelling about this right now.鈥�
Jennifer Coolidge, who always seems to be doing a bit when she speaks on stage, and frequently was Tuesday night as a presenter and winner, shed a few sincere tears when she effusively thanked creator Mike White for putting her in 鈥淲hite Lotus,鈥� for which she won best actress in a limited series.
鈥淵ou changed my life in a million different ways,鈥� Coolidge said. 鈥淢y neighbors are speaking to me.鈥�
White wept during the speech, and was still red-eyed minutes later when he accepted the best limited series award for the show.
EXCUSING ALL THE ABSENCES
On a night when some boycotted the show, Golden Globes presenters took the rare step of explaining, sometimes in detail, why some winners weren't there. Cate Blanchett, winner of best actress in a movie drama for 鈥淭谩r,鈥� 鈥渃ouldn't be here tonight because she's on production in the UK," presenter Henry Golding said.
Amanda Seyfried, winner of best actress in a limited series for 鈥淭he Dropout,鈥� 鈥渋s deep in the process of creating a new musical so she could not be here tonight," presenter Mo Brings Plenty said.
Regina Hall made it clear that she was reading from a teleprompter and mocked the explanation she had to give for Kevin Costner not accepting his best actor in a TV drama award for 鈥淵ellowstone,鈥� despite the serious subject matter of this week's .
鈥淗e so much wanted to be here,鈥� Hall said, shaking her head and laughing, 鈥渂ut because of the unprecedented weather, he has to shelter in place, in Santa Barbara.鈥�
鈥淟et's pray everyone,鈥� she said, before catching herself and saying 鈥渘o, that's awful.鈥�
CARMICHAEL CASUALLY COURTS CONTROVERSY
Host Jerrod Carmichael pulled no punches with his jokes, starting with his opening monologue, in which he said he was hired 鈥渂ecause I am Black.鈥� A few of his on-the-edge jokes, delivered in his laid back style, fell flat, including a dig at , and his calling the Beverly Hilton, the Globes' longtime home, 鈥渢he hotel that killed Whitney Houston.鈥� The superstar died in a room there in 2012.
But a joke based on the antisemitic statements of Ye, formerly Kanye West, got a strong laugh when Carmichael told Spielberg that he had seen 鈥淭he Fabelmans,鈥� which is based on Spielberg's Jewish family.
鈥淚 actually saw it with Kanye," Carmichael said, 鈥渁nd it changed everything for him.鈥�
Spielberg responded with a 鈥渢hank God鈥� gesture.
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Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
