One of the best Golden Globes

Though I rarely saw some of the past years' Golden Globes due to missing out on the live telecasts and the shortened repeated versions were not really as fun as watching it live as you would probably got or heard the results from someone by the time you watched the repeated ones. So, in conclusion, I definitely felt immensely satisfied with this year's show. A totally enjoyable three hours of my Tuesday morning well spent!

But getting to watch a live telecast awards show in its entirety is not the only thing that got me gushing about the 63rd Annual Golden Globes Awards. It's nothing short of surprises, many memorable acceptance speeches and most of all, for the first time, I actually felt happy about the winners, all of whom I thought to fully deserved their awards handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Ang Lee chalked up a memorable night for Asians, with his Brokeback Mountain bagging four awards - Best Director, Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Screenplay for Motion Picture & Best Original Song for a Motion Picture .

Who would've thought that some day, a Taiwanese director would win the Best Director award for an English movie - and one that is about a pair of gay cowboys of all subjects! It's priceless! I cannot help but applaud Mr Lee for his immense contribution to raising the profile of Asians in Hollywood and it might just pave the way for others to emulate him. Who knows? Maybe Wong Kar Wai and Stephen Chow might direct an award-winning English movie too!

Another surprise win for Asians would be Korean-American actress Sandra Oh's unexpected Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini Series or Made for Television Movie win over the likes of Candice Bergen, Camryn Manheim, Elizabeth Perkins and Joanne Woodward. If anyone had seen Grey's Anatomy one would feel hard pressed not to award Oh for her performance in the show as an ambitious medical intern who intends to become the best surgeon. Even Oh herself was shocked by her win, judging by her reaction when her name was announced. She was stunned to the point that she seemed to have lost her sense of direction as she made her way to the stage. And her stuttering accpetance speech was priceless enough to make you feel like you wanna hug her and calm her nerves and excitement over the win.

If you wanna talk about upset wins, look no further than Mary-Louise Parker's upset win over FOUR Desperate Housewives actresses for the coveted Best Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy. Many have expected either Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman and Teru Hatcher to bag the award by it was obvious that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association saw something that delighted them and gave Parker, the underdog, for her performances as a weed-peddling mother in the series Weeds, which would probably not be shown in our Malaysian shores because of it's drug content.

Nevertheless, if there's one Desperate Housewife who is not feeling the blues over the loss, it has to be Felicity Huffman, who affirmed her reputation as a character actress and defintely her chances for an Oscar come March for her Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama win for playing a transsexual in the groundbreaking, controversial indie feature Transamerica.

Philip Seymour Hoffman's win for playing famous author Truman Capote in Capote was another unexpected win in the Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama category. David Straitharn was the frontrunner for his performance as the courageous broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow who dared to oppose infamous communist hunter Senator Joseph McCarthy in Good Night, and Good Luck and also Heath Ledger for his part as one half of the gay cowboys in Brokeback Mountain. Hoffman would certainly be pleased to know that the win has put him in the lead for coveted Best Actor trophy at the Oscars.

But it won't be easy as he has a formidable opponent in the frame of Joaquin Phoenix, who bagged the Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy award for a moving portrayal of late country crooner Johnny Cash in Walk the Line. Reese Witherspoon also won the Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for her protrayal of the faithful and loving June Carter Cash in Walk the Line.

So then what would the Oscars throw up for us come March? Will Brokeback Mountain continue its winning streak or will James Mangold's Walk the Line pip the film to the Best Picture honours at the Oscars? All said and done, this years awards season has certainly been one of the most exciting and unpredictable one in many, many years. It was certainly refreshing to see so many new talents getting recognised for their efforts in Hollywood cinema rather than your usual group of A-list performers such as Tom Hanks, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Renee Zellwegger, Naomi Watts and Julia Roberts.

With that being said, allow me the opportunity to thank the winners Huffman, Hoffman, Phoenix, Witherspoon, Rachel Weisz (for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama), George Clooney (Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama) and also the rest of the nominees such as Straitharn, Ledger, Keira Knightley, Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Pierce Brosnan, Jeff Daniels and Terrence Howard for lighting up a truly magnificent year for American cinema.

For the full list of the winners of the 63rd Annual Golden Globes Awards, go here:
The Winners