Virtual 2021 Golden Globes better than the usual

I know a lot of people who don't bother with any of the Hollywood award shows, and I get it. I watch them mostly because it informs me on what productions made a splash and sometimes you get to witness some funny moments and hear some inspiring speeches from the winners.

This year, the Globes were conducted mostly virtually. How that worked was the two hosts were on separate stages in Los Angeles and New York, which was smart, because it enabled physical participation from actors on both coasts. The audiences in both locales were made up of essential workers, physically distanced of course, as opposed to stars, which I thought was a nice touch. Although most of the presenters came onto the stage, some presented via videoconference, and all the nominees who were available participated via videoconference.

That I think made for a faster show, because we didn't have to wait for the winner to make their way onto the stage before we heard their speech. The first acceptance speech suffered a technical glitch, but after that it was pretty smooth sailing. I really appreciated that the nominees could be in the comfort of staying in place and in many cases they were surrounded, on or off camera, by their loved ones. That was special and for me, made for more intimate and genuine moments.

Another thing this virtual award show made possible was not forcing everyone to waste money and unnecessary fuel getting to Los Angeles for the show. Of course, the nominees didn't have the luxury of heading off to various after-show parties either. But I'm sure they'll find some way to make up for that once the pandemic is over. In the meantime, it was a better production than I imagined it could be and I liked it just as much if not more than the usual presentation.

Let's see how the Oscars do.