Golden Globes: Thanking your spouse

Sunday's Golden Globes didn't contain any acceptance speech shockers. Few honorees used the opportunity to bolster their shock value, or make a controversial political statement.

And nobody forgot to thank their significant other.

I think it's a little odd how much we expect celebrities to acknowledge that being married is a central part of winning best actress or best director.

Sean Penn didn't thank his wife while accepting a 2009 Oscar for his role in "Milk." He reportedly said they discussed the issue beforehand and decided it'd be better for him to use the air time to speak in favor of same-sex marriages. Robin Wright Penn filed for divorce a couple months later.

Also, we all remember how much criticism Hilary Swank got for forgetting to thank her husband after winning her first Oscar. They're divorced now.

On the surface, having a spouse doesn't directly bear on your ability to be a good actor, actress, journalist or whatever. If I won a big journalism award, I'd like to think it was a result of my own dedication and diligence -- not some guy holding my hand and patting my back along the way.

But at the same time, especially in artistic professions like acting, your personal happiness can directly affect your professional performance.

What's more, spouses who deal with those professions deserve at least a slight "thanks" for putting up with their significant other's erratic hours and lapses in inspiration.

Weigh in: Is thanking your spouse an acceptance speech "must"?

(For more Golden Globes info, check out my co-worker Dawn's excellent coverage here.)