Golden Globe Nominations

The Golden Globes, which honor both film and television, will be handed out on Sunday, January 15, 2012, and cheeky funny man Ricky Gervais will once again be hosting the ceremony. (Remember that the Globes are administered by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which is comprised of all sorts of foreign press, including tabloid rags.)

Here are some of the nominees. I’m very pleased to see that 50/50 and Drive (and both films’ actors) got some love; Ryan Gosling is nominated twice this year (as is Kate Winslet); Aaron Sorkin is a nominee; and Chris Cornell, Soundgarden’s frontman, is nominated for Best Original Song (for “The Keeper” from Machine Gun Preacher). On the TV front, there aren’t too many surprises, though I do, of course, have my favorites.

Film

Best Picture, DramaBest Picture, Comedy or Musical
  • 50/50
  • The Artist
  • Bridesmaids
  • Midnight in Paris
  • My Week with Marilyn

    I'm surprised by the classification of some movies as dramas and others as comedies. Obviously, The Ides of March is a drama and obviously Bridesmaids is a comedy (even though I didn't think it was funny). But from everything I've read and all the clips I've seen of My Week with Marilyn, I thought it would be in the drama category. And Moneyball had plenty of funny moments while 50/50 had tons of pathos. Oh well. At least having both categories allows for a broader range of films to be nominated.
Best Actress (drama)
  • Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
  • Viola Davis, The Help
  • Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  • Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
  • Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk about Kevin
Best Actor (drama)
  • George Clooney, The Descendants
  • Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
  • Michael Fassbender, Shame
  • Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
  • Brad Pitt, Moneyball

    I've already seen three of the five nominees, and by the end of the month, I will have seen the other two. Of course, I'm always rooting for Leo, but Gosling and Pitt were exceptional in their films, and I hear that Clooney and Fassbender are also pretty tough competition. This is one talented (and handsome!) group of nominees. Also, it's interesting to note that this now pits Gosling against his director, Clooney.
Best Actress (comedy)
  • Jodie Foster, Carnage
  • Charlize Theron, Young Adult
  • Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
  • Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
  • Kate Winslet, Carnage

    From this group, I've only seen Wiig's performance, which was fine. But, I know Carnage from when it was God of Carnage and playing on Broadway; so I know the roles and both are great. Seeing as the talented Foster and Winslet are playing the parts, my guess is that these nominations are well deserved.
Best Actor (comedy)
  • Jean Dujardin, The Artist
  • Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
  • Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
  • Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love
  • Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

    Yay! Joseph Gordon-Levitt was nominated. He was nominated in this category two years ago for (500) Days of Summer. He was terrific in 50/50, and I'm really glad he's being recognized for it. I'm also glad that Ryan Gosling's abs are being recognized for their performance in Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Best Supporting Actress
  • Berenice Bejo, The Artist
  • Jessica Chastain, The Help
  • Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
  • Octavia Spencer, The Help
  • Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Best Supporting Actor
  • Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
  • Albert Brooks, Drive
  • Jonah Hill, Moneyball
  • Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
  • Christopher Plummer, Beginners

    I just watched Beginners last night and loved it, so I'm glad to see Plummer is nominated. I'm most excited, however, about Albert Brooks's nomination for his against-type character in Drive.
Best Director
  • Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
  • George Clooney, The Ides of March
  • Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
  • Alexander Payne, The Descendants
  • Martin Scorsese, Hugo

    Having only seen The Ides of March thus far, I don't really have a favorite, but I'm really curious to see what the prolific Scorsese did with first foray into 3-D film making.
Best Screenplay
  • Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
  • George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Wilimon, The Ides of March
  • Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
  • Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Descendants
  • Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Moneyball

    You know how I feel about Aaron Sorkin, dear readers, but since I haven't seen all of the nominated films, I can't objectively say that Sorkin and Zaillian should win. I plan on seeing all these before the Globes are handed out, so check back in.

Television


Best Series, Drama
  • American Horror Story
  • Boardwalk Empire
  • Boss
  • Game of Thrones
  • Homeland

    What’s interesting about this category is that all the shows are on cable, with all but American Horror Story on premium cable channels. The big three networks need to step up their game!
Best Series, Comedy or Musical
  • Enlightened
  • Episodes
  • Glee
  • Modern Family
  • New Girl

    New Girl? Really? That show is bad. Can I please exchange New Girl's nomination for some Community love?!? I’m glad that both Modern Family and Episodes were nominated, though. (I’m still deciding whether or not I like Enlightened. I’m about five episodes in, and I’m leaning toward “I like it.”)
Best Actress (drama)
  • Claire Danes, Homeland
  • Mirelle Enos, The Killing
  • Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
  • Madeline Stowe, Revenge
  • Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness
Best Actor (drama)
  • Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
  • Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
  • Kelsey Grammer, Boss
  • Jeremy Irons, The Borgias
  • Damian Lewis, Homeland
Best Actress (comedy)
  • Laura Dern, Enlightened
  • Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
  • Tina Fey, 30 Rock
  • Laura Linney, The Big C
  • Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

    I like of the nominees except for Deschanel. Let me be more specific: I don't like her character or performance on New Girl. I've watched Deschanel in plenty of movies and have liked her just fine. (Example: Our Idiot Brother) I don't know who I'd nominate in her place (since the Modern Family folks are in the supporting category), but I really don't think a performance that says, "Look at how cute I can be" deserves a nomination.
Best Actor (comedy)
  • Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
  • David Duchovny, Californication
  • Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
  • Thomas Jane, Hung
  • Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

    This seems like such a mixed bag, and I guess I'm a little surprised that Steve Carell wasn't nominated for his final season of The Office, but really - no complaints.
Best Supporting Actress (series, mini-series, etc.)
  • Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
  • Kelly MacDonald, Boardwalk Empire
  • Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
  • Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
  • Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce

    I really don't like the way drama, comedy and mini-series are combined into this one category because trying to compare what Sofia Vergara does on Modern Family to what Kelly MacDonald does on Boardwalk Empire to what Evan Rachel Wood did in Mildred Pierce is like comparing apples to a chalkboard, but that's the way the Globes go...
Best Supporting Actor
  • Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
  • Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
  • Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
  • Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite
  • Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Best Mini-Series, etc.
  • Cinema Verite
  • Downton Abbey
  • The Hour
  • Mildred Pierce
Best Actress, Mini-Series, etc.
  • Romola Garai, The Hour
  • Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
  • Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey
  • Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult
  • Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Best Actor, Mini-Series, etc.
  • Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
  • Idris Elba, Luther
  • William Hurt, Too Big to Fail
  • Bill Nighy, Page Eight
  • Dominic West, The Hour

So there you have it, the Golden Globe nominees. (Some of them.) HBO leads the pack with 18 nominations, while The Artist is the most nominated film (six nominations). Tune into NBC on January 15 to see who wins (and what everyone’s wearing!)

View the full list of nominees at goldenglobes.org.

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