We also mean the emotional rollercoaster of surprise wins, speechmakers tearfully thankful for the sacrifices made by their supporting families, denunciations of President-elect Donald Trump, and the often cringe-worthy jokes made by emcee Jimmy Fallon and the presenters. Here are some of those highlights and lowlights.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Most were lazy barbs about Donald Trump that came off sounding like sour grapes from the comic who made Trump look like a cuddly uncle last year by tousling the Republican's hair on "The Tonight Show." The best thing about the monologue: it was mercifully brief.
Which was nicely done, but which meant that the fallen stars who meant a lot to fans worldwide got no love at all. Yet somehow, the show found time later to run a jokey montage of actors talking about their crappy first jobs -- a bit that they do live every year at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Yeah, it was a weird, dark bit, but Carell and Wiig delivered the material expertly and uproariously.
Brad Pitt, who's been keeping a low profile since the ugly allegations broke surrounding his split from Angelina Jolie, got an ovation just for showing his face in public (he was there to present the nominated drama "Moonlight," which he co-produced).
Somewhere, with his laptop plunked on a table in a dimly lit Starbucks, "Birth of a Nation" writer-director Nate Parker is busy plotting his 2027 comeback.
Whether or not you agreed with her sentiments, Streep offered the kind of unpredictable spontaneity and heart-stopping suspense that awards shows like the Globes usually go out of their way to avoid.
Plus, Stallone and Weathers had nothing much to say, except Stallone's churlish wish that he hadn't written a victory for Weathers' Apollo Creed into the "Rocky" screenplay. The only thing not anti-climactic about their appearance was their announcement of a Best Drama win for "Moonlight," a surprising choice ("Manchester by the Sea" was the crystal-ball pick) but also a richly deserving one.
