Golden G-LOL-bes

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group responsible for the Golden Globe Awards, is a joke. The 90 person strong association has virtually no clout whatsoever. It is still a mystery to me what they actually do. I think (based on what I've read) that they write about films in foreign publications but I am more inclined to say (based on their year after year behavior) that they are essentially star fuckers, so keen to whore their award ceremony to staple red carpet celebs than actual deserving films and performances. Their credibility is constantly in question and they are inching closer and closer to The People Choice Awards ridiculousness.

This year may have been their lowest of lows. Seriously their list of nominees was bad! Let's look at this year's list:


Best Motion Picture, Drama:

‘Black Swan’
‘The Fighter’
‘Inception’
‘The King’s Speech’
‘The Social Network’

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy:

‘Alice in Wonderland’
‘Burlesque’
‘The Kids Are All Right’
‘Red’
‘The Tourist’

Best Director – Motion Picture:

Darren Aronofsky, ‘Black Swan’
David Fincher, ‘Social Network’
Tom Hooper – ‘The King’s Speech’
Christopher Nolan ‘Inception’
David O. Russell – ‘The Fighter’

Best Actor
in a Motion Picture, Drama:

Jesse Eisenberg – ‘Social Network’
Colin Firth – ‘The King’s Speech’
James Franco – ‘127 Hours’
Ryan Gosling – ‘Blue Valentine’
Mark Wahlberg – ‘The Fighter’

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama:

Halle Berry, ‘Frankie and Alice’
Nicole Kidman, ‘Rabbit Hole’
Jennifer Lawrence, ‘Winter’s Bone’
Natalie Portman, ‘Black Swan’
Michelle Williams, ‘Blue Valentine’

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy:

Johnny Depp – ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Johnny Depp – ‘The Tourist’
Paul Giamatti – ‘Barney’s Version’
Jake Gyllenhaal – ‘Love and Other Drugs’
Kevin Spacey – ‘Casino Jack’

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy:

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’

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture:

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’

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture:

Amy Adams, ‘The Fighter’
Helena Bonham Carter, ‘The King’s Speech’
Mila Kunis, ‘Black Swan’
Melissa Leo, ‘The Fighter’
Jacki Weaver, ‘Animal Kingdom’


I don't find the Drama nominations all that terrible. But where is True Grit? And why is Halle Berry nominated for the little seen Frankie and Alice? Oh that's right, because she'll look beautiful in reaction shots during the ceremony. And no offense to Michael Douglas, but that nomination is really a sympathy nom and everyone knows that. Mila Kunis was fine in Black Swan, but over co-star Barbara Hershey and the mesmerizing Marion Cotillard in Inception.

The Comedy nominations are beyond ridiculous. I'd actually be embarrassed to be a member of the HFPA based on that list alone. Let's start with The Tourist getting nominated for Best Picture. The Tourist is a thriller, not a comedy. It's not Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which I would have happily welcomed comedy nominations from in 2005. Let's continue with Burlesque for Best Picture. The HFPA goes gaga for musicals, but come on! Alice in Wonderland for Best Pictre? It was dreadful and completely devoid of any heart. And I don't really consider The Kids Are All Right a comedy, but to each their own. The only comedy nomination that I am fully in support of is Emma Stone in Easy A. A total break out lead comedy performance. If Bening wasn't in her category, I'd say she'd have a shot.

So who is on the up and up and who is on the outs after these nominations were announced? True Grit was no where to be seen but I don't think that's a major problem. The HFPA aren't major fans of the Coen Brothers. Lesley Manville and Mike Leigh's Another Year seems to be losing considerable steam.I think it's safe to say that Sally Hawkins/Miranda Richardson and Made in Dagenham are officially out. 127 Hours seemed at one point to be a major front runner but I think that the buzz seems to have shifted just to Franco's performance. Let's hope that it shifts back to Danny Boyle's great directorial effort in the next few weeks. Blue Valentine got a major boost with both Gosling and Williams' nominations. I think The Fighter and Black Swan have proven that they are major contenders beyond Portman and Bale's performances. And we know that The Social Network and The King's Speech are still the films, neck and neck, leading the pack.

Next up SAG.