Are the Golden Globe voters idiot savants or just idiots? Or are they smart cookies with bad taste? It’s tough to say sometimes. They can give you whiplash with alternating smart and terrible choices, all lined up side by side. For every “hell, yes!” there’s an “ohmygod. No!” In my years of Oscarwatching I've come to this theory: The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is both smarter and stupider than the Motion Picture Academy.
READ THE REST...
for a rundown of the snubs, the biggest campaign boosts, and more on my hatred of Miss Potter, the beauty of supporting actress category, the f***ed up foreign category, and a John Williams-less year of film scoring.
Posts
41 comments:
I have faith Nat....eventually they will tire of lemon face.
I would love to see Clint Mansell get an Oscar nom - does anyone remember his band Pop Will Eat Itself? He's certainly come a long way.
Leo's garbage twofer slot had better get filled by Ryan Gosling. I don't see much competition.
I really need to see Babel now.
Good stuff, Nathaniel; as always, your commentary is up-to-date and penetrating. Each time I look at the nominations, I'm so torn because I find something to celebrate (BLUNT, Wahlberg, Mansell) and also mentions that flat-out disgust me (the Apocalypto "foreign film" nod, Depp, BOBBY.) What to make of it all? I feel guilty celebrating when there's so much wrong here.
And also, I know the TV nods are not being discussed, but I stated the following before the chat room konked out earlier this morning: Ellen Pompeo appearing on any acting list is LAUGHABLE. I understand that the character as written has its limitations, but come on! Especially when actors like the amazing Jeanne Tripplehorn in "Big Love" are overlooked in favour of everything "Grey's Anatomy" because it's hot right now. It's so depressing.
Ditto for the "Desperate Housewives" mentions. Let it die, please.
In the Best Actress Comedy line-up, I wish I could replace Toni Collette's nothing performance with Scarlett Johansson.
Scarlett, Beyonce and Renee competing against each other - whilst not completely indicative of great acting - would have nonetheless excited me beyond belief in a way that trivialises the whole notion of judging between good/bad performances. Does anyone understand this weird perversity of mine?!
...And, seriously, give me a phoned-in Depp over ANY of the other idiots in the Best Actor Comedy race this year.
ali --i've only seen a few episodes each of both Greys and Big Love and I hear you. Pompeo does nothing but play her unlikeable character, there is no discernable subtext or interesting actorly angles. there's just the character. and not a very interesting one.
Tripplehorn, whom I have previously thought untalented, on the other hand: yowza. Just goes to show you. sometimes it just takes the right material to unlock an actor.
the other annoying thing about the DH phenomenon is that at this point they're rewarding the wrong actors. It's Eva Longoria for me or nothing. and even that is only a marginal endorsement of support.
The Globes are always a year behind in their nominating of the right Desperate Housewife/ves. Watch Eva get a nom next year!
Loved loved LOVED your assessment, and agreed with pretty much every word you uttered (save the downer on Ejiofor, who I think is an inspired extended-memory choice for a wonderful performance in a movie I really enjoyed LAST YEAR in the UK!)
I love the nomination for Blunt, and who knows; maybe she'll get some traction from this.
They really COULD have found room for Alan Arkin and Jackie Earle Haley in Supporting Actor though.
And the failure to nominate United 93 anywhere is baffling too...
Rob
I think if Renee Z hooked up with Thom Yorke, she could shoot out an actual lemon.
Oh, and I love Ellen Pompeo in Grey's, so I'm doing cartwheels at the inclusion. She's second behind Edie Falco to me.
In fact... speaking of Falco, WHERE is The Sopranos in the other categories? I know they're maybe bored with honouring its greatness, but the sixth season got raves, and it's STILL the best thing on the box. If it's eligible, it should be there, rather than shucks-it's-a-hit-so-now-we've-got-to-drag-it-out Lost.
Rob
Just two brief comments, since I pretty much agree with everything you said. THe biggest loser today was United 93, which O was beginning to think might sneak in for Picture and/or Director. This is still not completely out of the question, but all the Babel-love didn't exactly help it either.
Furthermore on your comments for supporting actor - you fail to mention Michael Sheen who seems like a much more obvious snub in terms of oscr likelyhood than Nighy.
The sixth season of The Sopranos actually got mixed reviews in the end. I still think Gandolfini is giving one of the best performances in any medium of all time, so his snub makes no sense to me, but them's the breaks. I think Lost earned it's spot. I loathe Heroes though - condescending, pretentious and just really poorly done.
Over on the film side... you know what, I don't really care all that much. This oscar season is less interesting than I hoped it would be.
What I haven't understood since the beginning of the Oscar season: where's the love for Steve Carell? Carell is by far the most interesting thing about LMS, delivering its best performance and conspiring in the one relationship I really gave a damn about(Frank/Dwayne).
It's just so frustrating to see Collette and Kinnear rewarded for somewhat rote work (albeit, excellently done), when there's such a gem right there in the film everyone's so eager to honor.
Raj, i think Carrell is aces in it too. but having recently seen it a second time, the ensemble work is really rich. I was very pleasantly surprised by Kinnear's work the second time around.
I am so happy with Toni Collette's nominations. I have always thought her one of those actresses that would not get awards attention because they so fully embody their roles that the audience fails to notice they are 'acting'. Go Toni!!
Don't get me wrong, I think Toni Collette is a superb actress - and a generally underrated one. Muriel's Wedding, Japanese Story, In Her Shoes are all fantastic performances. And I will never ever be able to shake from my mind her 8-minute performance in The Hours. I think she gives the best performance in that film of many great performances - and she should have been nommed for it.
But in LMS (maybe it's the film?), I just think it's a very routine showing for her - nothing special.
Fantastic nominees, mostly. I'm happiest about the surprise noms for Emily Blunt, Mark Wahlberg (over extremely overrated Alan Arkin), and Toni Collette (over slightly overrated Abigail Breslin). Academy: please just copy-paste the HFPA list for Best Supporting Actress. It's perfect.
Does anyone else think it's funny thst BORAT got 2 nominations and then NOMAD getting a nomination in score?
A minor factual correction: Sacha Baron Cohen's last name is not "Cohen;" it is "Baron Cohen." He's specifically identified as "Mr. Baron Cohen" at least once in the movie's credits.
It's surprising that YOU are surprised with the United 93 total snub. The film doesn't have stars; not even his Brit director; therefore there aren't asses to kiss.
Right now, United 93, hangs by a thread. If DGA and PGA love it is in. If they forget it it's out!
By the way, love you comments Nathe. As always, witty, smart and funny. You are the best out there!
viva la streep.
hell yes
Is anyone surprised that this year has almost the SAME exact nominees two years ago?
Clint Eastwood
Martin Scorscese
Annette Benning
Leo DiCaprio
Johnny Depp
Kate Winslet
Renee Zelwegger
Thomas Haden Church
Cate Blanchett
Meryl Streep
Hans Zimmer
And those arn't including the TV noms! And most of them are in the same category (Winslet went from Comedy to Drama but is still Lead)
I just have this nagging fear that Meryl will get beaten by Beyoncé. But since they didn't love Dreamgirls anywhere NEAR as much as I thought they would, I don't fear this as much anymore. But the fear is still there... could that really happen?
I want so much to see Meryl win her first comedy globe.
Also, I always thought Collette was in the running for supporting, with Breslin in lead. Very weird that she somehow ended up lead and then got the movie's only nomination. Would've made SLIGHTLY more sense paired with a Kinnear nod in best actor (he was really good and actually should've taken Ejiofor or Depp or Ferrell's spot).
I'm also SO happy about Blunt. In general, I like these noms a lot, Z or no (though I guess now we know they officially love her more than Nicole and Scarlett... all had equal opportunity to be nommed this year).
Is Depp really that bad, though? Sure he wasn't as good as last time, but then, what performance is? Give him a break.
I also loved the Carrell/Dano relationship is LMS.
And HOW did they not nominate Jamie Foxx? That shocked me more than just about anything else. I mean, Richard Gere WON this globe for a very similar role. It must be because they just don't like Foxx. That's the only explanation that makes sense to me.
Well, Foxx is a past Globe winner, so if they don't like him, it's a new thing. I was a bit surprised he didn't get a nod, but not shocked.
Perhaps they simply didn't like the choices he made (would they get that deep?) Foxx claimed to do all his musical numbers in a single take so as not to appear like a polished performer.
It seems to have cost him here and among the critics.
I'm not sure it was a wise choice creatively. He appears a bit uncomfortabale in the musical numbers, save the ballads, which is too bad because he can actually sing quite well.
I'm surprised Condon didn't intervene. Maybe that's why he was snubbed too.
But I think I'm getting way to in-depth for HFPA.
Who can know?
If your description of Zellwegger's performance in Miss Potter is any indication, maybe her Globe nomination is for MOST acting, not necessarily best.
It's clear Renee obviously has something on every member of the Foreign Press Association, and has made a 'deal' with them, assuring herself of one nomination per every year or two (and only the "two" to keep the rigging from becoming too blatant).
Because it's so easy to blame Renee for everything, I'll also attribute Catherine O'Hara criminal absence from the list to Ms. Zellweger's hogging. It's possible to view O'Hara as part of For Your Consideration's ensemble, and therefore a supporting character, but she's really the lead, and , more importantly, I can't blame Renee if O'Hara was slighted in the supporting category, now can I? Well, maybe I can, anyway, logic be damned.
Can't think of an anything else to hate Renee for right now, but I haven't see her in Mrs. Potter yet (or whatever the hell it's called- but we don't care! We're the Globes! Nominate her for nothing! I can see the 2010 lineup now: "Kate Winslet, for Medea, and Renee Zellweger, for nothing"- sounds good to us at the HFPA!!!).
Maybe except a few ones, I love these noms. They are a lot more interesting and inspired than Academy's ideas.
But where the hell are Ryan Gosling, Patrick Wilson, Abigail Breslin and Alan Arkin /not to mention Steve Carell/?
Most people (including you Nat) have said what I would normally say, so I'll answer your question for original song:
"I've never understood why the Globes have this caetgory since the only reason Oscar seems to have it is for musical breaks. But the Globes don't do musical numbers. So why?"
More Celebrities.
This year they get Prince, Aretha Franklin, Mary J Blige and whoever sings the Pursuit and Brave songs.
Also, Beyonce is a double dipper too. She got a nod for "Listen". She can still very easily win an Oscar.
Will Ferrel in "Stranger Than Fiction" was nothing compared to the wry eccentricity of Emma Thompson. The film would have been worthless without her.
Re: United 93's total snub.
It's true that, yes, not recognizing United 93 anywhere should come as no surprise since (a) there are no asses to kiss as the film has no stars, and (b) this is the *Hollywood* Foreign Press Associate we're talking about -- not Bollywood, international cinema or anything like that. C'est la vie!
Marco
i don't dislike United 93 but I'm still a little surprised that people love it so much.
I think the biggest injustice in the nominations was the exclusion of Ryan Gosling..
And "Bobby" ?? Why?
Without having seen "Miss Potter" - and I have to say the trailers look baaaaaaad - I feel compelled to defend Renee Zellweger. Sure, she's pulled the puckered prune face one too many times. But she is capable of very good performances, e.g., "Chicago" and "Bridget Jones's Diary." And she was hands down the best thing about "Jerry Maguire," and really the main reason why I went from unimpressed to loving that movie enough to buy it.
Kinnear and Carell are both outstanding in LMS. I'm in the camp that believes the movie should just get one big collective ensemble acting award, rather than designating particular performances, but in my mind those two are the standouts.
Brava to Emily Blunt for her nomination! Yawn to Meryl Streep for hers.
United 93 is, hands down, the best film of 2006.
hi
i write from france and i just think that renee zellweger is the worst actres in the whole world
hi
i just think that renee zellweger is the worst actress in the entire world
Post a Comment