Next "Legends of Hollywood" Grace Golden Globes

The next generation of Hollywood legends swept across the stage last night at the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards. Hollywood's first big awards party of the year, the Globes are selected by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and herald the run up to the Oscars.

The casual atmosphere of the Globes makes it my favorite awards show. The glitz and glamour draw me in from first swish of designer gowns on the red carpet to the final tearful acceptance speech. For one golden night we mere mortals are allowed a seat at the table of the gods. From our armchair sidelines, we can gather with our friends from the big (and small) screen, laughing at their jokes, getting teary-eyed at the stuttering acceptance speeches, feeling just a bit embarrassed by their tears, and smiling at the unbridled exuberance as entire casts surge onto the stage, hugging and cheering behind their producers.

For one golden night the luminaries of Hollywood seem accessible, part of our fantasy family. We share their joy and wonder that people so polished and glib on the screen can in such an endearingly human way fumble and stumble over something so basic as "thank you." We enjoy their little inside jokes and jabs as if we were best friends, smiling at references to Leo, Jack and Clint.

Why do the denizens of Hollywood fascinate us so? Is it that through them we strive to better understand and experience life? In accepting the best drama award for Babel, producer/ director Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu perhaps had the answer, "The power of cinema is unique, and at the end, emotion doesn't need translation. That's the beauty of it."

That power grants the stars of movies and television a certain immortality with a special few becoming legends that define an era. Will American Idol star and Hollywood ingenue Jennifer Hudson become the next Judy Garland? Winner of a best supporting actress award, she wowed audiences with her powerful voice in Dreamgirls. Will her rags to riches story eventually become the stuff of tinsel town legends? Perhaps one day, her face will grace a first day cover in the Hollywood Legends series available at County Stamp Center.

Luminaries like Judy Garland are immortalized in a series of four first day covers illustrated by award-winning illustrator Nirlay Kundu. Individually drawn, each envelope is handmade from 100% cotton paper. Sold in a set of four, each cachet is unique, featuring the star at various stages of her career, a portrait stamp, a defining quotation, and her signature. Click the post title for a detailed view of all four Judy Garland covers and to order. Greta Garbo, John Wayne, and a patriotic Mickey Mouse with President Ronald Reagan are among the other Legends of Hollywood covers issued to date. Visit the County Stamp Center website to view the entire series. Just enter Legends of Hollywood or Kundu in the quick search box. Come to County Stamp Center for all your philatelic needs.