mute

There was a muted reception for Lions for Lambs, which saw him reunited with Out of Africa's Meryl Streep.

In a sign that money is tight, electioneering has been somewhat muted compared to the past.

But it was met with a more muted reception from US critics, with the New York Times calling it "a misguided attempt to resuscitate the show" while also conceding it was "buzzy".

Gaga collected four awards on the night including artist of the year, fending off competition from Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar who were all absent from this year's slightly muted event.

Of course, the new dawn I’m talking about was just last spring: The tide was turning, or so it seemed, and muted celebrations broke out among the better-informed liberal classes.