“They’re so good at it, it’s weird.” So said nominee Melissa McCarthy on the red carpet tonight, when asked about 2014 Golden Globes hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey — emceeing Hollywood’s most unpredictable (or at least its most inebriated) kudosfest for the second year running.
Of course, given the funny ladies’ absolutely killer reviews for their 2013 gig, the question loomed: Was there any risk of a sophomore slump? Could the weight of great expectations sink Poehler and Fey’s seemingly unstoppable streak of hilarity? (Heck, the duo ruled the 2013 Emmys opener — and they weren’t even hosting!)
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The answer to those questions: OF COURSE THEY WERE AMAZING! Poehler and Fey proved as sharp and sly and current as expected — and maybe even funnier than their first go-’round — navigating the tricky task of poking fun at their compatriots (telling Matt Damon that in this A-list crowd, he was merely “a garbage person”) and acknowledging the inherent ridiculousness of the awards-season process (Fey joking that they’d been invited back to host because in Hollywood, when something “kinda works, you keep doing it till everybody hates it”) without coming off as unseemly or unkind.
Among the best bits:
* Poehler and Fey razzing dual nominee Julia Louis-Dreyfus for sitting in the movies section, rather than with her TV cohorts, as the actress played along for the cameras by smoking an e-cigarette, then brushing off a shocked Reese Witherspoon.
* A joke about Matthew McConaughey losing 45 lbs for his role in Dallas Buyers Club, “or what actresses call ‘being in a movie.'”
* Poehler’s zinger that “Masters of Sex is the degree I got from Boston College.” (Badum bum!)
* Fey’s brutal one-liner, presented without comment: “Gravity is nominated for best film: It’s the story about how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age.”
* Fey acknowledging Poehler’s nomination for Parks and Recreation, followed by the latter actress asking for a Poehler closeup — which naturally landed on a giddy Jennifer Lawrence.
* Fey’s introduction of the telecast as “71st Annual Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s Lee Daniels’ The Butler Golden Globe Awards,” and Poehler’s welcome to “all the women and gay men watching at home.”
But that’s just our take. What did you think of the 2014 Golden Globes opening monologue? Take our poll below, then sound off in the comments! And for all the Globes coverage your heart desires — from backstage quotes to winners/losers to best and worst moments and red-carpet video — follow us on Twitter @TVLine.
