The 2012 Golden Globes Were...Fine

The 2012 Golden Globes have come and gone, and unfortunately, they did little else besides that. If you asked most people to recount their favorite moments from Sunday's telecast, you'll certainly hear about Seth Rogen's poorly-timed erection or the challenge Madonna extended to Ricky Gervais. (We would have run too.) But aside from one or two memorable surprises, the Golden Globes lived up to their reputation and did little else. Gervais returned to host the show after his performance at last year's honors stirred the kind of controversy that the historically mild award show desperately need. Predictably, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association wanted Gervais back, but the Ricky we got was far more reserved than what we saw last year. If the HFPA wanted to draw attention with an edgy Gervais, they needed to let him off the leash. Now all they have to show for it are complaints that the host took it easy. Personally, I thought Gervais performed well with the (unfortunately) short amount of time he was given. You can't listen to him tell a Justin Bieber-turkey baster joke and say he lost his edge. The Globes also lacked any sense of intrigue when it came to the awards themselves, particularly in the film categories. Both the nominations and winners played to the same safe, star-hugging template the HFPA has made for itself. Meryl Streep won for "Iron Lady," a film loved by virtually no one. Predictably, "The Artist" scored wins for Best Picture and Best Actor in the comedy/drama categories. The night was not without its bright spots. Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy made a great case for themselves as co-hosts of the 2013 Globes. Scorsese took home a well-deserved Globe for directing "Hugo," an initial dark horse that only recently moved toward the front of the pack. "The Descendants" earned a Best Picture - Drama Globe and a Best Actor - Drama award for the always suave George Clooney. Though these were among the favorites in their respective categories, the wins returned some of the HFPA's credibility. What did you think of the Golden Globes? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!