Salon.com > Ben Affleck http://www.salon.com Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:24:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Naomi Watts, “Argo,” “Wonderstone” among bizarre Teen Choice Awards nominees http://www.salon.com/2013/05/22/naomi_watts_argo_wonderstone_among_bizarre_teen_choice_awards_nominees/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/22/naomi_watts_argo_wonderstone_among_bizarre_teen_choice_awards_nominees/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 18:17:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13305819 Who knew teens were such big Oscar-bait fans?

Among the nominees, announced today via press release, for the Teen Choice Awards are Naomi Watts and her tsunami drama "The Impossible"; Ben Affleck and his Iranian hostage caper "Argo"; Bradley Cooper in the plagiarism melodrama "The Words" (remember "The Words"?); and Carey Mulligan for "The Great Gatsby." Outside the prestige categories, things got even weirder, with Jessica Biel nominated for two little-seen films: the science fiction remake "Total Recall" and the romantic comedy "Playing for Keeps." The box-office disappointment "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" got three nominations.

Plus ça change, though: the final "Twilight" film led the field with the most nominations, and Justin Bieber was nominated for "Choice Male Hottie." Good luck, Justin -- and say hi to beloved teen icon Naomi Watts on the red carpet!

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/22/naomi_watts_argo_wonderstone_among_bizarre_teen_choice_awards_nominees/feed/ 2 “SNL’s” uncomfortable Garner/Affleck moment http://www.salon.com/2013/05/20/s_n_l_s_uncomfortable_garneraffleck_moment/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/20/s_n_l_s_uncomfortable_garneraffleck_moment/#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 16:45:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13303478 Ben Affleck got inducted into the Five-Timers Club on "Saturday Night Live," alongside the likes of great hosts like Justin Timberlake and Alec Baldwin, but it was a one-time host who provided the show's biggest moment.

Instead of the traditional Five-Timers welcome (one that Timberlake received earlier this year, with "SNL" icons dropping by), Affleck was visited by his wife, Jennifer Garner. That's the same Jennifer Garner whom Affleck told, while accepting this year's Best Picture Oscar, that marriage with her was "work, but the best kind of work!"

Affleck used his monologue to rehabilitate his image somewhat (and it's a well-worn path -- just ask Lindsay Lohan, who time after time would step out onstage and gingerly mock her partying ways), but Garner's appearance was startling in many senses.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/20/s_n_l_s_uncomfortable_garneraffleck_moment/feed/ 10 Watch Bill Hader’s last “SNL” promo, featuring Ben Affleck http://www.salon.com/2013/05/15/watch_bill_haders_last_snl_promo_featuring_ben_affleck/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/15/watch_bill_haders_last_snl_promo_featuring_ben_affleck/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 17:47:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13299528 "SNL" has released the promo for the last episode of its 38th season, which bids farewell to comedian Bill Hader after eight seasons. Ben Affleck guest stars, with music from Kanye West:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/15/watch_bill_haders_last_snl_promo_featuring_ben_affleck/feed/ 1 George Clooney teaming up with “Argo” journalist for another film http://www.salon.com/2013/04/26/george_clooney_teaming_up_with_argo_journalist_for_another_film/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/26/george_clooney_teaming_up_with_argo_journalist_for_another_film/#comments Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:41:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13282900 George Clooney and Grant Heslov, the team behind 2012's best picture, "Argo" are in talks to develop another film, "Coronado High," based on a not-yet-published article by Joshuah Bearman, the journalist whose 2007 "Wired" story inspired the Oscar-winning film set in Iran.

The Wrap reports:

Bearman's article has not been published yet so details remain thin, but those familiar with the story say it involves a group of teenagers who are used to smuggle drugs in Coronado, which is an affluent resort city near San Diego, California.

Clooney and Heslov will produce with David Klawans, who executive produced "Argo." He's also producing an adaptation of Bearman's 2010 Wired magazine article "Art of the Steal."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/26/george_clooney_teaming_up_with_argo_journalist_for_another_film/feed/ 0 Pick of the week: Terrence Malick’s rapturous, religious love story http://www.salon.com/2013/04/11/pick_of_the_week_terrence_malicks_rapturous_religious_love_story/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/11/pick_of_the_week_terrence_malicks_rapturous_religious_love_story/#comments Thu, 11 Apr 2013 23:59:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13268331 Terrence Malick has followed the six-year creative struggle of his universe-spanning, would-be masterpiece “The Tree of Life” with a period of unprecedented, unexpected and indeed unexplained productivity. For whatever set of reasons, the famously reclusive director who had made five feature films in the previous 38 years has apparently completed four more since 2011. The first of these to reach the public is an abstract and perhaps allegorical story of love and heartbreak called “To the Wonder,” and even in beginning to speak about it I run the risk of leading you down the wrong path. Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko are in the movie, as a man and woman who meet in Paris, fall in love and move to America, and then drift apart, for reasons we (and they) only partly understand.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/11/pick_of_the_week_terrence_malicks_rapturous_religious_love_story/feed/ 25 Ben’s right: Marriage is work. That’s not necessarily a bad thing http://www.salon.com/2013/02/27/bens_right_marriage_is_work/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/27/bens_right_marriage_is_work/#comments Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:02:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13213903 When Ben Affleck picked up the Oscar Sunday night for "Argo," the actor/producer/director/Jimmy Kimmel love slave turned those boring last minutes of the broadcast into a memorably strange statement about marriage. As he looked out at his beautiful wife, Jennifer Garner, he told her – and the world – "I want to thank my wife, who I don't normally associate with Iran. I want to thank you for working on our marriage for 10 Christmases. It’s good. It is work, but it’s the best kind of work, and there’s no one I'd rather work with." And if nothing else had happened the entire broadcast, it would have been worth it for the pinched, "Honey, whaaaaaa?" smile on Garner's face as he said that.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/27/bens_right_marriage_is_work/feed/ 20 What was Ben Affleck thinking? http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/pity_the_poor_oscar_spouse/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/pity_the_poor_oscar_spouse/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:41:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13211218 Ben Affleck is a very likable guy. And his marriage to Jennifer Garner seems genuinely down to earth in some ways. She wears mom jeans and very uncool white running sneakers on school pickups. He is outnumbered by females in his home and has to decorate the occasional tiny cake. Their kids pick their noses. Life, man!

So I think it's commendable that Affleck wanted to keep it real in his Oscar acceptance speech Sunday night. But his "marriage is work" shout-out to Garner was maybe a little too real.

I want to thank my wife -- who I don't normally associate with Iran, but. I want to thank you for working on our marriage. I don't ten -- it's it's it's good. It is work, but it the best kind of work -- and there's no one I'd rather work with!

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/pity_the_poor_oscar_spouse/feed/ 7 Oscars: They were dreary, desperate and insincere. But it had its moments! http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/oscars_dreary_desperate_and_insincere_with_some_good_points/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/oscars_dreary_desperate_and_insincere_with_some_good_points/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:55:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13211140 I don’t know that Daniel Day-Lewis’ deadpan gag about switching roles with Meryl Streep – “I was all set to play Maggie Thatcher, and she was Steven’s first choice for ‘Lincoln’” – was actually the funniest joke in the world, but it pretty much brought down the house just before midnight on Sunday. It was one of the few occasions during the Oscars when someone who seemed to have an adult sensibility and an education was speaking on that stage, and I for one felt almost pathetically grateful. Most of the rest of the overextended, hit-and-miss spectacle formerly known as the Academy Awards went back and forth between dreary and desperate to please, which is a pretty good description of host Seth MacFarlane as well.

Of course it’s standard operating procedure for someone in my position (or yours, for that matter!) to mock the Oscars for all kinds of reasons: The terrible musical numbers, the doomed attempts to seem hip and relevant, the amazing empty stretches in the middle of the evening occupied only by technical awards no one outside the film industry understands and commercials for “financial products.” In a year when the most famous awards ceremony in the history of show business changes its name in a last-minute branding panic, that’s all way too easy. It wasn't clear that the Oscars had any further to fall after the legendary James Franco-Anne Hathaway debacle of two years ago and the emergency Billy Crystal early-'90s flashback of last year -- and indeed I suspect this year wasn't worse -- just cruder, stranger and more detached from the Oscars' alleged and theoretical purpose.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/oscars_dreary_desperate_and_insincere_with_some_good_points/feed/ 65 It’s Ben Affleck’s evening http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/liveblog_the_2013_oscar_award_ceremony/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/liveblog_the_2013_oscar_award_ceremony/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2013 01:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13208056 [liveblog id=66]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/liveblog_the_2013_oscar_award_ceremony/feed/ 5 Oscar loves a white savior http://www.salon.com/2013/02/21/oscar_loves_a_white_savior/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/21/oscar_loves_a_white_savior/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:10:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13207135 According to oddsmakers, Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" does not have the best chance of winning the 2013 Academy Award for best picture. That top spot right now goes to Ben Affleck's "Argo" — but it shouldn't. If history is any gauge, "Lincoln" has to be the front-runner thanks to its status as this year's only Oscar-nominated White Savior film.

If you've been to the movies in the last half-century, you know the White Savior genre well. It's the catalog of films that features white people single-handedly rescuing people of color from their plight. These story lines insinuate that people of color have no ability to rescue themselves. This both makes white audiences feel good about themselves by portraying them as benevolent messiahs (rather than hegemonic conquerors), and also depicts people of color as helpless weaklings -- all while wrapping such tripe in the cinematic argot of liberation.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/21/oscar_loves_a_white_savior/feed/ 164 Is “Lincoln” just a big yawn? http://www.salon.com/2013/02/20/lincoln_too_boring_for_the_oscars/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/20/lincoln_too_boring_for_the_oscars/#comments Wed, 20 Feb 2013 21:15:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13206829 If Ben Affleck’s “Argo” is indeed named best picture in Sunday night’s Oscar ceremony, as most people in and around the movie business now expect, then one of the lingering questions for Academy-watchers will be: What the Sam Hill happened to “Lincoln”? Steven Spielberg’s historical opus seemed like a film perfectly constructed to win awards – which may, in a sense, have been the problem. A gorgeously detailed and beautifully photographed recreation of a pivotal moment in American history, it features a star-studded cast anchored by a great performance from one of the leading screen actors of our day. Tony Kushner’s glittering screenplay is alive with ideas, Lincolnian anecdotes, philosophical collisions and parables about politics and power.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/20/lincoln_too_boring_for_the_oscars/feed/ 38 Who should win the Oscars (but probably won’t) http://www.salon.com/2013/02/19/who_should_win_the_oscars_but_probably_wont/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/19/who_should_win_the_oscars_but_probably_wont/#comments Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:35:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13205656 It’s been an unusually dramatic Oscar race this year, with a remarkably strong roster of films – most of which are actually popular with the general public! – and several unexpected switchbacks. Here we are, five days away from the big night, and nearly everyone expects the big winner to be “Argo,” a movie that was given up for dead after Ben Affleck wasn’t nominated for best director. So let’s stipulate that while three of the top six categories appear to have been decided beyond any reasonable doubt, there’s probably one big surprise out there somewhere that no one sees coming.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/19/who_should_win_the_oscars_but_probably_wont/feed/ 25 “Argo’s” winning political strategy http://www.salon.com/2013/02/19/how_argo_did_it_the_state_of_the_oscar_campaign/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/19/how_argo_did_it_the_state_of_the_oscar_campaign/#comments Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:45:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13202767 The biggest headline of Oscar nomination morning wasn't the 12 nominations garnered by "Lincoln." It was the one nomination that didn't happen: Ben Affleck's anticipated best director nomination for "Argo" didn't materialize, likely at the expense of two unexpected nominees (Benh Zeitlin for "Beasts of the Southern Wild" and Michael Haneke for "Amour"). This would seem to have doomed "Argo's" chances in the nine-film best picture race, where it was nominated; the last time a film won best picture without a nomination for its director was in 1989, when "Driving Miss Daisy" triumphed after surprising nominees Woody Allen and Kenneth Branagh crashed the best director party. Since then, a film without a best director nod has rarely even been taken seriously as a contender to win it all.

But everything is poised to change for "Argo." The precursor awards for Affleck and his film have been rolling in and building momentum for his Oscar campaign: The actor-turned-director picked up trophies for directing from the Critics' Choice Awards, the Golden Globes, the Directors Guild of America, and the UK's BAFTA Awards. As voting ends today, "Argo" is perceived to be in the lead: the aggregate Oscar prognosticators at Movie City News's authoritative Gurus O' Gold have overwhelmingly declared "Argo" the film to beat for best picture.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/19/how_argo_did_it_the_state_of_the_oscar_campaign/feed/ 4 “Argo” doesn’t deserve the Oscar http://www.salon.com/2013/02/18/why_argo_doesnt_deserve_the_oscar/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/18/why_argo_doesnt_deserve_the_oscar/#comments Mon, 18 Feb 2013 20:10:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13205033 Hello, Academy members – you’re about to make a mistake. Not quite a world-historical, “day that will live in infamy”-type mistake on the order of “Crash” or “Dances With Wolves” or the lifetime snubbing of Stanley Kubrick, but a mistake nonetheless. You’re about to give your best-picture award to Ben Affleck’s movie “Argo” – or so everyone thinks right now; we’ll get to the doubt and wild speculation in due course – and it’s just not that good. I mean, look, it’s not terrible, and there are plenty of years when we’d be grateful for that. Your average barstool commentator could probably identify at least half a dozen best-picture winners that are clearly worse. (I won’t pretend that I’ve seen, say, “The Life of Emile Zola,” from 1937.)

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/18/why_argo_doesnt_deserve_the_oscar/feed/ 68 “Argo” wins BAFTA for best pic http://www.salon.com/2013/02/10/argo_wins_bafta_for_best_pic/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/10/argo_wins_bafta_for_best_pic/#comments Sun, 10 Feb 2013 23:28:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13196959 "Argo" nabbed the British Academy film award (BAFTA) for best picture and its director-producer Ben Affleck also nabbed an award for best directing, reports the L.A. Times. Affleck was snubbed by the Academy for a best director nom.

"Argo" got three BAFTAs total, including one for editing, for William Goldenberg’. “Lincoln,” which was favored to sweep,  with 10 nominations — came away with only one, for Daniel Day-Lewis, for leading actor.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/10/argo_wins_bafta_for_best_pic/feed/ 5 Connecticut congressman bashes Spielberg — and has ties to Affleck http://www.salon.com/2013/02/07/connecticut_congressman_bashes_spielberg_and_has_ties_to_affleck/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/07/connecticut_congressman_bashes_spielberg_and_has_ties_to_affleck/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:50:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13193415 Representative Joe Courtney, D-Conn., has called for director Steven Spielberg to re-cut "Lincoln" in order to correct an inaccuracy; the film, he says, depicts Connecticut lawmakers voting against the 13th Amendment. This runs counter to the northeastern state's pro-abolition votes.

"[W]hen two of three members of the Nutmeg State’s House delegation voted to uphold slavery, I could not believe my own eyes and ears," said the Nutmeg State lawmaker in an open letter to Steven Spielberg that arrives just as Oscar voting begins. (The letter was released on Tuesday; final Oscar voting begins on Friday.)

"Lincoln" is only the latest movie this year to come in for criticism as to its veracity -- "Zero Dark Thirty," about the killing of Osama bin Laden, and "Argo," about the rescue of American hostages in Iran, have both been scrutinized. And historians have questioned the framing of "Lincoln" for portraying the president as too instrumental in ending slavery, an institution that was collapsing throughout the South.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/07/connecticut_congressman_bashes_spielberg_and_has_ties_to_affleck/feed/ 0 “Argo” wins at SAG and PGA awards http://www.salon.com/2013/01/28/argo_wins_at_sag_and_pga_awards/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/28/argo_wins_at_sag_and_pga_awards/#comments Mon, 28 Jan 2013 13:45:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13183751 Even though Ben Affleck is not eligible to win best director in this year's Oscar race, his 1979 Iranian-hostage movie "Argo" seems poised to win big at the 85th Annual Academy Awards, making it a viable contender against other season favorites: "Zero Dark Thirty," "Lincoln," and "Silver Linings Playbook." So far, "Argo" has won two Golden Globes and this weekend won awards at two of the three major industry awards ceremonies, the Producers Guild Awards and the Screen Actor Guild Awards. The Directors Guild Awards takes place next week. Industry awards, along with the Golden Globes, are among the best predictors of the Oscar race.

Affleck, however, stayed modest. When asked about what the Oscar winners could be, Affleck said: "I don't do handicapping or try to divine what's going to happen down the road with movies." The 85h Annual Academy Awards will take place on Feb. 24, 2013.

A complete list of winners at Sunday's 19th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards:

MOVIES:

Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"

Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"

Supporting actor: Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"

Supporting actress: Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables"

Cast: "Argo"

Stunt ensemble: "Skyfall"

---

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/28/argo_wins_at_sag_and_pga_awards/feed/ 0 “Argo” on a roll with big win at SAG Awards http://www.salon.com/2013/01/28/argo_on_a_roll_with_big_win_at_sag_awards/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/28/argo_on_a_roll_with_big_win_at_sag_awards/#comments Mon, 28 Jan 2013 07:32:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/2013/01/28/argo_on_a_roll_with_big_win_at_sag_awards/ LOS ANGELES (AP) — A few weeks ago, the Oscar race looked wide open. The stately, historical "Lincoln" seemed like the safe and likely choice, with the provocative "Zero Dark Thirty" and the quirky and inspiring "Silver Linings Playbook" very much in the mix for the Academy Award for best picture.

But now, an "Argo" juggernaut — an "Argo"-naut, if you will — seems to be rolling along and gathering momentum as we head toward Hollywood's top prize.

The international thriller from director Ben Affleck, who also stars as a CIA operative orchestrating a daring rescue during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, received the top honor of best ensemble cast in a movie at Sunday night's Screen Actors Guild Awards, their equivalent of the best-picture Oscar. It's a decent indicator of eventual Academy Awards success, with the two matching up about half the time.

The film, which also stars John Goodman and Alan Arkin as Hollywood veterans who help stage a fake movie as a cover, has received nearly unanimous critical raves and has proven to be a box-office favorite, as well, grossing nearly $190 million worldwide.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/28/argo_on_a_roll_with_big_win_at_sag_awards/feed/ 0 Affleck on “Argo” — and a dig at “ZDT”? http://www.salon.com/2013/01/16/affleck_on_argo_and_a_dig_at_zdt/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/16/affleck_on_argo_and_a_dig_at_zdt/#comments Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:05:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13172417 Terry Gross' interview with Ben Affleck on Tuesday's "Fresh Air" is a uniformly interesting discussion about the making of Affleck's "Argo," and the effort and ethics that go into bringing quasi-historical depictions to the big screen. But it becomes particularly interesting about halfway in, when Gross asks Affleck about his approach to handling history in a motion picture. He admits to taking creative license with the movie:

Affleck: It's OK to embellish, it's OK to compress, as long as you don't fundamentally change the nature of the story and of what happened.

Gross: ... As a viewer whenever I see a biopic or a historical film, I'm always wondering what's true and what's false, and what can I trust. Because I think movies that are historical have usually a dual goal, one is to like enlighten you about this really interesting story that actually happened and the other is to entertain you, because it's a movie. As someone who is interested in historical accuracy and journalistic accuracy I know that movies aren't journalism except for documentaries . . .

Affleck: Unless they say they're journalism, yeah.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/16/affleck_on_argo_and_a_dig_at_zdt/feed/ 13 The 10 most award-worthy moments of the 2013 Golden Globes http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/the_10_most_award_worthy_moments_of_the_2013_golden_globes/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/the_10_most_award_worthy_moments_of_the_2013_golden_globes/#comments Mon, 14 Jan 2013 12:55:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13170192 Last night's Golden Globe Awards saw top honors go to "Les Misérables," "Argo," "Girls" and "Homeland" — and big laughs for co-hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (who were somewhat absentee after the monologue). Here are the top 10 moments worthy of a Globe themselves.

 

 

 

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