Golden Globe co-hosts, actresses Tina Fey (L) and Amy Poehler, arrive at the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, January 13, 2013. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni Foster 'comes out' at Golden Globes Globes ratings best in six years 'Argo,' 'Les Miz' triumph at Globes Golden Globes live chat recap Golden Globes one giant party

There are three reasons why this year’s Golden Globe Awards were more entertaining than next month’s Oscars can possibly hope to be: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and alcohol.

The genius move of tapping comedy queens Fey and Poehler to host the 70th annual Golden Globes, combined with the awards’ general atmosphere as a loose, fun and booze-fuelled prelude to the Oscars, made this one of the most bearable Hollywood backslap-o-ramas in recent memory.

Seriously, Fey and Poehler’s 10-minute opening monologue had more laughs than last year’s entire Oscars. And they somehow managed to land some gasp-worthy zingers without ever crossing over into genuine cruelty, a technique Ricky Gervais might have tried when he hosted last year. In the first 10 minutes alone:

Poehler: “Only at the Golden Globes do the beautiful people of film rub shoulders with the rat-faced people of television.”