I just now finished watching the tape of the Golden Globes awards presented tonight. Being someone who loves and follows movies as much as I do, the award shows are exciting and very often heartwarming for me as artists in the industry talk about their work and celebrate each other.

I haven’t yet seen any reactions to the event, but I don’t think I am off-base with this observation and will be interested to see the follow-up. The host, comedian Ricky Gervais, started the show and continued with cruel joke after cruel barb directed at people, performances and movies. I was so sick listening to it and wondered how people in the audience, and especially those who were targets, were able to sit with it all. Soon enough, the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, in his regular appearance, said something back to host, and I thought, “Whew, well done.”  Then soon after Robert Downey Jr. nailed it with his ever-ready brilliance and quick-wittedness when he spoke what I was guessing was on most people’s minds saying, “Aside from the fact that it’s been hugely mean-spirited with mildly sinister undertones, I’d say the vibe of the show is pretty good so far, wouldn’t you?”

After that, and I can’t imagine what chagrin he must have felt, Ricky Gervais mostly had to read only what was apparently quickly scripted for him. I am guessing he wasn’t on as much as he might have been otherwise, and his tone was forced to change dramatically.

Good job, I say, to the people who managed to stop it. I truly love satire and smart comedy that causes us to see our foibles, to laugh at ourselves, and that causes us to reflect, but just plain meanness and bullying – why was that even there in the first place? I hope the fall-out causes some good conversations. I felt proud of the people in that arena that apparently put an end to it. My guess is that you are not going to get most of those people to laugh or applaud at cruelty directed at each other. There is too much decency and kindness in those people to allow it to continue. Whew.