Golden Globe Nominations

The Golden Globes are coming! The Golden Globes are coming!

That’s right, the Golden Globe awards, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which is comprised of all sorts of foreign press (including tabloid rags), are just around the corner. The awards, which honor both film and television, will be presented and broadcast on Sunday, January 16, 2011, and the ceremony will once again be hosted by Ricky Gervais (who has a new special on HBO this Saturday and whose animated show will be back on HBO this January).

Nominations were announced today: (This is a slightly abridged list; visit goldenglobes.org for the full list of nominees.)
Film:

• Best Picture, Drama: Black Swan; The Fighter; Inception; The King’s Speech; The Social Network
  (I haven’t seen Black Swan or The Fighter yet; still, my vote’s for The Social Network. As amazing and visionary as Inception is, The Social Network is absolutely perfect and au courant. It’s a tight race and I won’t be devastated if Inception wins but I’m rooting for The Social Network.)
  
  
• Best Actress, Drama: Halle Berry, Frankie and Alice; Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole; Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone; Natalie Portman, Black Swan; Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
  (I haven’t seen any of these performances yet, so no comment at the moment.)
  
  
• Best Actor, Drama: Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network; Colin Firth, The King’s Speech; James Franco, 127 Hours; Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine; Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter
  (I’ve seen the first three performances; Ryan Gosling always gives a solid performance; and Marky Mark is getting good reviews. It’s a tight race but buzz says the real race is between Firth and Franco, with most of the money on Firth. I’m not sure who I’m rooting for; I think I’ll try to decide once I’ve seen all the performances.)
  
  
• Best Picture, Comedy or Musical: Alice in Wonderland; Burlesque; The Kids Are All Right; Red; The Tourist
  (Not so sure that I’d categorize The Kids Are All Right as a straight up comedy, though I’m not so sure it’s a straight up drama, either. Regardless, it’s my favorite in this crowd and my guess is that it’ll win.)
  
  
• Best Actress, Comedy or Musical: Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right; Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs; Angelina Jolie, The Tourist; Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right; Emma Stone, Easy A
  (I’m surprise Bening and Moore are both nominated; I thought Bening would be nominated in the best actress category and Moore would be recognized as a supporting actress. Still, though I haven’t seen The Tourist or Easy A, my vote is for Bening. That scene at the dinner table where she starts singing Joni Mitchell is beautiful, thanks to Bening’s bravura performance.)
  
  
• Best Actor, Comedy or Musical: Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland; Johnny Depp, The Tourist; Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Vision; Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs; Kevin Spacey, Casino Jack
  (I think the HFPA is sweet on Johnny Depp. I’m surprised John C. Reily wasn’t nominated for Cyrus. I didn’t like the movie, but I thought he might have been nominated. I’ve only seen Gyllenhaal’s performance, so I can’t say I have a favorite in the bunch.)
  
  
• Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, The Fighter; Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech; Mila Kunis, Black Swan; Melissa Leo, The Fighter; Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
  (Having only seen one of these performances, I can’t say who I would choose; Bonham Carter won at the British Independent Film awards but critics are raving over Leo.)
  
  
• Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter; Michael Douglas, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps; Andrew Garfield, The Social Network; Jeremy Renner, The Town; Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech
  (Guess who I’m rooting for. Andrew Garfield, obviously! Not sure that he’ll win, but he impressed me so much; I’m asking Thespis to put in a good word. Even though I'm rooting for Garfield, I'm really surprised and bummed to see Mark Ruffalo left off this list. His performance in The Kids Are All Right was great; in lesser hands, this guy (the character) would have been a creep, but Ruffalo made him charming and thoroughly likable. What do you say we kick Michael Douglas off this list (sorry, Mom) and nominate Ruffalo instead?)
  
  
• Best Director: Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan; David Fincher, The Social Network; Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech; Christopher Nolan, Inception; David O. Russell, The Fighter
  (Big surprise: No nomination for 127 Hours’s Danny Boyle. I’m actually rather shocked at this, and since I didn't really care for the direction in The King's Speech, I'm a little upset that Hooper was nominated and Boyle wasn't. Still, my vote is for Christopher Nolan. His vision is what makes Inception work. I cannot imagine any other director pulling this off with such aplomb. While I think The Social Network is the movie of the year and very well directed, I think Nolan’s vision is incomparable and deserving of this award.)
  
  
• Best Screenplay: Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy, 127 Hours; Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, The Kids Are All Right; Christopher Nolan, Inception; David Seidler, The King’s Speech; Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
  (Is this even a contest? Aaron Sorkin, Aaron Sorkin, Aaron Sorkin. Do you think anyone else could have even approached this subject? Do you think anyone else could have presented Facebook on Celluloid and made it worth watching? Exactly. Aaron Sorkin for president. ...Or least winner of this award.)
  
  
• Best Original Score: Alexandre Desplat, The King’s Speech; Danny Elfman, Alice in Wonderland; A.R. Rahman, 127 Hours; Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network; Hans Zimmer, Inception
  (My vote is for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, but I’d be okay with Hans Zimmer walking away with this.)

Television

• Best Series, Drama: Boardwalk Empire; Dexter; The Good Wife; Mad Men; The Walking Dead
  (I’m rooting for Boardwalk Empire, with The Good Wife coming in at a close second. I don’t watch any of the other shows but I know people are fanatical about it.)
  
  
• Best Actress, Drama: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife; Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men; Piper Perabo, Covert Affairs; Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy; Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
  (Julianna won this last year; my hope is that she repeats.)
  
  
• Best Actor, Drama: Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire; Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad; Michael C. Hall, Dexter; Jon Hamm, Mad Men; Hugh Laurie, House
  (Since I don’t watch any of these performances except for Buscemi’s I’m not really in a position to say who should win, though I will say that I want Buscemi to win.)
  
  
• Best Series, Comedy or Musical: 30 Rock; The Big Bang Theory; The Big C; Glee; Modern Family; Nurse Jackie
  (Glee won last year. Based on the fact that several of the episodes in the back nine of the first season and this first 13 of season two were more tributes and music videos, I’m rooting for Modern Family. Also because Modern Family is hilarious.)
  
  
• Best Actress, Comedy or Musical: Toni Collette, United States of Tara; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Tina Fey, 30 Rock; Laura Linney, The Big C; Lea Michele, Glee
  (This is almost the same pack as last year except instead of Courtney Cox for Cougar Town we have Laura Linney for The Big C. Still, Toni Collette will probably win, like last year.)
  
  
• Best Actor, Comedy or Musical: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock; Steve Carell, The Office; Thomas Jane, Hung; Matthew Morrison, Glee; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
  (Though it’s a long shot, I’m rooting for the dreamy Matthew Morrison. Baldwin and Carell are reliably funny, but it’s the same shtick now. Let’s reward a true triple threat and newbie to the group.)
  
  
• Best Supporting Actress (Series, Mini-series, made for TV movie): Hope Davis, The Special Relationship; Jane Lynch, Glee; Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire; Julia Stiles, Dexter; Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
  (I’m a little torn: Jane Lynch is ridiculously funny; I don’t know if anyone else could handle that role and make Sue seem so devilishly likable. I also think Sofia Vergara does a great job as a fish out of water. But, I think I’m rooting for Kelly MacDonald, simply because I like her character so much: She’s not some pushover; she’s a strong modern woman, even if she is living in the 1920s.)
  
  
• Best Supporting Actor (Series, Mini-series, made for TV movie): Scott Caan, Hawaii Five-O; Chris Colfer, Glee; Chris Noth, The Good Wife; Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family; David Strathairn, Temple Grandin
  (Scott Caan is nominated but no one from Boardwalk Empire? Not one of the incredible Michaels (Pitt, Shannon, Kenneth Williams and Stuhlbarg) who are all giving riveting performances? For shame, HFPA!)

And there you have it. The Golden Globe nominations. HBO and Glee are leading the television pack with 12 and 5 nominations, respectively, while The King’s Speech leads the movie pack with 7. (The Social Network is close behind with 6.)

Tune in to NBC on January 16, 2011 to find out who the winners are (and to see what everyone’s wearing!)