The 78th Golden Globes Awards aired Sunday, Feb. 28.  Similar to how most of us are conducting our lives now, it was held virtually. While the Golden Globes are not the first virtual awards show, it was still a funny sight to see A-list celebrities in their own little virtual boxes. 

Former Saturday Night Live Stars Amy Poehler and Tina Fey hosted the show from the East and West Coast. Even with Poehler at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills and Fey at the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center in New York City, the longtime friends and co-stars managed to keep their cheeky humor and not miss a beat with their opening monologue. 

The big winners of the night were “Nomadland,” “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and “The Crown.” “Nomadland” is a movie starring Frances Mcdormand who plays Fern and follows her through her life as a modern-day nomad. The film won Best Drama Motion Picture, and director Chloe Zao won Best Director of a Motion Picture. “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” won Best Comedy Motion Picture, and star Sacha Baron Cohen won Best Actor in a Comedy Film. 

Per usual, “The Crown” got top marks, winning Best Drama TV Series. Actress Emma Corrin, who seamlessly transforms into young Princess Diana in the show, won Best Actress in a TV Drama Series. Her co-star Josh O’Connor, who plays Prince Charles, also won Best Actor in a TV Drama Series. 

Gillian Anderson, who plays Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the show, won Best Supporting Actress in a Series. For anyone that has watched “The Crown,” you can understand my shock in realizing that it was Anderson who played Thatcher in the show. Anderson made such an amazing transformation and embodied Thatcher so well that I was happy she won because her role in the newest season was so powerful. 

In an emotional turn, the late Chadwick Boseman won Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture for his role as Levee Green in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Accepting the award on his behalf was his wife, Taylor Simone Leward. Leward gave a heartfelt and tearful speech, acknowledging and thanking all the people who she thought Boseman would have. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was the last project Boseman completed before his passing on Aug. 28 from cancer. 

In a year where movie theaters were closed for months and the future of film was uncertain, it was refreshing to be able to watch new releases in the comfort and safety of my sweatpants and couch. Having every nominated film and show available on streaming platforms allows for viewers to feel more involved in the awards show because they have easy access to the content being nominated. Watching the show, it was surprising to see how many of the films and shows I had already watched, leaving me with a small list to watch next. This future for Hollywood can be bright and promising. 

Considering how many moving parts there are to put on a production of this magnitude, there were very few technical issues. The most notable was when the first winner of the night, Daniel Kaluuya for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his role as Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah,” was announced.  The audio for his acceptance speech would not work. Luckily, it was quickly fixed and Kaluuya had a funny spirit about it, saying, “You’re doin’ me dirty,” and “Is this thing on?” once the audio was restored. 

The virtual format provided some behind-the-scenes content that would normally be left at home. The virtual rectangles allowed for cameos from nominees’ family and friends. My favorite being “Minari” director Lee Isaac Chung’s daughter lovingly hugging him around the neck and saying, “ I prayed!” after hearing that her dad won Best Foreign Language Film. 

The new setting allowed for a different type of intrigue in seeing what they decided to wear and who they chose to have sitting next to them. Inevitably, the awards shows will resume their normal format within the next year or so, bringing about the age old question of, “Are awards shows still fun to watch?”