On March 2nd the Pierre Berton Resource library decided to bring back the Golden Age of Hollywood to celebrate the movie industry’s biggest night, the Academy Awards.  Librarians and circulation staff came out in their most glamorous threads (seen here) to celebrate the occasion, providing photo and interview opportunities to customers, refreshments, trivia and a screening of Best Picture nominee Up (which took home the award for Best Animated Film on Sunday).  It was fun for film buffs and novices alike, as everyone got the red carpet treatment. 

The Awards themselves aired this past Sunday, and there were enough surprises, laughs and touching moments to make the time fly by.  The Hurt Locker took home the top prize for Best Picture, upsetting Avatar fans everywhere (and there are a lot of them, given the records-shattering box office draw the film has so far taken in).  Locker’s director, Kathryn Bigelow, became the first woman to ever win Best Director.  Acting awards went to Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart, Mo’nique for Precious, Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds and, in a big surprise, Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side.  Especially surprising seeing as how she had won a Razzie a few days before for All About Steve.  Still, if Halle Berry can win both awards, so can Bullock.

And now, gentle readers, what were your impressions on the awards?  Did hosts Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin leave you in stitches?  Did you enjoy the special tribute to John Hughes, and the shout-out to horror movies?  How about Neil Patrick Harris quickly cementing his status as award-show-go-to-guy by kicking everything off with a big musical number?  And the red-haired lady pulling a Kanye West moment?  Please share your thoughts below, and keep your eyes peeled for more movie programs at VPL.

The Golden Globe Awards were on this past Sunday night.  You know what this means?  The awards season has officially kicked off!  We’ll have the Oscars, the Grammy’s, the Emmy’s, the Tony’s, etc. to look forward to before too long.  Ahhh, heaven.

Award shows may seem glitzy, long, and over-hyped, but I like to look at them as the few times of the year where people and projects are given attention and recognition that actually deserve it.  The rest of the year belongs to the Kardashians and Jersey Shore.  At a venue like the Globes, that film or TV show you may never have heard of or only know a little bit about, but actually has a message or a point to make or is gripping or funny, gets it’s moment in the spotlight.  That is what makes award shows worthwhile.  They celebrate real accomplishment in popular culture.

You can find the winners and nominess from Sunday at the Globes’ official website, many of which you can find either on DVD (some of which we have at VPL), still playing at a movie theatre near you, or on TV.  Some of my favorite winners include Robert Downey Jr. for Sherlock Holmes, Up for best Animated Feature and Glee for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy (that’s the cast pictured above).

During the broadcast the stars were out in their finery, there were some emotional moments, and Ricky Gervais proved a biting and funny host.  All in all a good night.  Now we can gear up for the Oscars, and VPL is hoping to do that the first week of March with an Oscar party at the Pierre Berton Branch.  Stay tuned for more information.  In the mean time, feel free to post your favorite winners or most glaring upsets in the comments section below.