I never gave a rat's ass about the Golden Globe Awards--until this year.

The Globes, of course, are the ugly stepsister of the only film awards that really matter: the Oscars. Who cares what the hacks over at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) thought were the best films and performances of the year?

That all changed last night when the illustrious members of the HFPA proved themselves to be—for the most part—deeply insightful, naming Brokeback Mountain as the Best Drama of 2005, Ang Lee as Best Director, Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana for Best Screenplay. Brokeback also won for Best Song.

It wasn't a complete victory for Brokeback. Capote's Philip Seymour Hoffman beat out Heath Ledger for Best Actor in a Drama, and Michelle Williams lost the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama to Rachel Weisz for The Constant Gardener. Brokeback's soundtrack also lost in its category to Memoirs of a Geisha.

Rounding out the near-queer sweep of the film awards was Felicity Huffman's Best Actress win in a drama for her part as a transsexual in Transamerica. She also provided one of the evening's more touching acceptance speeches when she said, “I would like to salute the men and women who brave ostracism, alienation, and a life lived on the margins to become who they really are.” She could just have easily been speaking of Brokeback or Capote.

Brokeback's final tally was four out of seven. Are those foreign correspondents brilliant or what?

Of course, that became apparent back when the nominations were first released and Brokeback Mountain racked up its seven nominations. Clearly, the Golden Globes have come light years since Pia Zadora's husband finagled her a little gold globe for her “star” turn in Butterfly. Back then the Golden Globes were mired in scandal and found itself to be widely considered a joke.

The awards weren't entirely without controversy. Dennis Quaid made a tasteless joke about Brokeback being the movie that rhymed with “chick flick”. And the clip for Brokeback was introduced by the scene where Jake and Heath are fighting, as opposed
to one portraying the movie's love elements.

As for gay television, the Golden Globe for Best Comedy went to the queer-friendly Desperate Housewives as Best Comedy. In a surprise win, Mary Louise Parker (who starred in the 1990 AIDS flick Longtime Companion) bested the four nominated Housewives for Best Actress in a comedy (Weeds).

While the HFPA may not have a whole lot in the way of “street cred” with movers-and-shakers in Hollywood , the awards have definitely drawn the public's attention in recent years. The association signed a new TV contract with NBC in 1996, and interest has increased every year thereafter. The Globes are now the third most viewed awards show after The Academy Awards and the Grammys. (Last year was a notable exception when the Globes got clobbered by Desperate Housewives.)

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