One critic's choice: Critics' Choice Awards for fun

Sarah Silverman vents more than a little to Adam Lambert at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards.  (Courtesy:  Getty Images for VH1)

Do you prefer a wild and woolly, freewheeling, slightly boozy movie awards show over the somewhat professorial Academy Awards?

Streep and Bullock lock lips at the Critics' Choice Awards. (Courtesy:  Getty Images for VH1)

I do too.  But if you watched last night's Golden Globes on NBC, you watched the wrong show.  The real unabashed wildness broke loose at the 15th Critics' Choice Movie Awards shown on VH1 Friday night.

Sure, brilliantly sarcastic Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais had a few shining moments over on NBC Sunday night.  The awards shindig put on by the Hollywood Foreign Press has, for a reason I fail to comprehend, begun to take itself too seriously.

Sure, they still drink, and James Cameron made a joke about having to pee during his best director acceptance speech for "Avatar," which eventually also took best drama honors.

Gervais, the British comic the world needs to thank for "The Office," tried to liven up the party.

Gervais sipped on a glass of beer throughout most of the evening to set up one very funny jab at a celebrity well known for, shall we say, excesses.

“Cheers. I’ve had a couple, I’m not gonna lie to you. I like a drink as much as the next man. Unless the next man is Mel Gibson,” Gervais said as Gibson strolled out.

After feigning being a little tipsy himself, good-natured Gibson, there to present the best director award, had a little zinger of his own prepared:

"I'm here to talk about inglorious bastards.  In Hollywood, they're called directors." 

NOTE:  The following paragraphs are intended for adults only.

Did two of the biggest female acting names in show business swap spit at the Golden Globes?

Nope, but Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock, who tied for best actress honors, mixed it up deliciously at the Critics' Choice Awards after Bullock was named the second winner.  Streep, I think we can honestly say, was "Blind Sided" by Bullock's antics.

Did comedian Sarah Silverman go on an "I love penises" tirade at the Globes while standing next to a semi-stunned Adam Lambert, the raunchy and glam "American Idol" almost-winner no less?

I don't think so, but all of this did rock the house at the Critics Choice Awards.  Click here for Ms. Silverman's penis thoughts, and here for the very funny Streep/Bullock mock rumble in the Hollywood jungle.

So next year, remember this:

For unabridged fun it's The Critics' Choice Movie Awards.  (Full disclosure:  I'm a voting member of the Broadcast Film Critics Assoc.)  This is where the best-of-the-best present the rough drafts of their acceptance speeches and where occasional penis talk erupts.

The Golden Globes, while still much looser than the overly staid Academy Awards, is looking more and more like dress rehearsal for the Oscars.

The Academy Awards, unfortunately, are too much like going to the courthouse and letting a judge read the winners' list.  Maybe this year the Oscars (March 7 on ABC) will loosen up a little with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin as co-hosts.

Maybe.