After all of the verboten red carpets, will-they-or-won't-they picketing, and anti-climactic decisions about televised press conferences, I wasn't even going to write about the winners of this year's Golden Globe awards.

Of course, being the complete and utter television junkie that I am, I couldn't help but go online to find out who the winners were.

At least there were a few pleasant surprises, though there was, sadly, no love for Televisionary obsession Pushing Daisies, which depressed me a bit, but I can't fault Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's sublimely brilliant Extras for walking away with the top comedy prize, especially after its heartbreaking series finale, an astute meditation on the price of fame.

While Mad Men has its devoted adherents, I was hoping that somehow Damages would be crowned the winner in the television drama race... or, through some strange stroke of luck, that Big Love would find itself the prettiest girl at the prom. No such luck, though the gang at Lionsgate must be whooping and hollering about their win for AMC's Mad Men... and for series lead Jon Hamm, who beat out Michael C. Hall, Hugh Laurie, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Bill Paxton for the crown. (Take that, Henry VIII!)

Fortunately, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association shined their love upon Damages' luminous lead, the divinely talented Glenn Close, who walked away (well, metaphorically, anyway) with the statuette for best performance by an actress in a television series. Her Patty Hewes is manipulative, secretive, and breathtakingly ruthless, and in the hands of a virtuoso actor like Close, impossible to tear your eyes away from.

By the hammer of Thor! On the comedy side, I am thrilled that the brilliant Tina Fey beat out Christina Applegate, America Ferrera, Anna Friel, and Mary-Louise Parker for best actress for 30 Rock. If the series--or, hell, Alec Baldwin--couldn't walk away with a prize, I am glad that Fey, the series' moral and spiritual linchpin (not to mention its creator), didn't end up empty-handed.

As for Californication's David Duchovny, who won the best actor in a comedy race, I'm just flat out surprised, to say the least, especially as he was in the category with Alec Baldwin, Steve Carell, Ricky Gervais, and Lee Pace. Just... astonishing. While I like Duchovny, I would have been pleased as punch had any of his competitors won.

Finally: the less said about Jeremy Piven winning, the better.

For a complete list of the winners of the 2008 Golden Globes, click here.