Everyone knows that the primary benefit of being nominated for a Golden Globe award is that it provides one with an opportunity to get drunk on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s dime. After all, it’s not that these awards actually mean anything; when was the last time you saw an ad for a movie that touted an actor or actress as being a “six-time Golden Globe nominee� That’s right, the next time you see an ad like that, it will be the first time. Still, don’t take our lack of respect for the actual awards themselves to mean that we don’t care about the ceremony. Quite the opposite, in fact! Not only is it our favorite awards show because of the truly tremendous open bar, but we also get to see television stars recoil in shame when their more famous and better paid Hollywood peers breeze right past them on the red carpet, taking the Seacrests and Lopezes of the world right along with them. Oh, and there is the little ol’ matter of the G.G. nominations being a semi-important bellwether to help everyone determine who is going to get an Oscar nod this year. With that last point in mind, let’s figure out this morning’s big winners and losers.
WINNERS!
• The Weinstein Company: After battling bankruptcy rumors for the better part of 2009, Harvey and Bob are no doubt sitting around this morning drinking champers and lighting fancy imported cigars with $100 bills (this is what rich people do when they’re happy, right?). While they’re no doubt a little dismayed that A Single Man seems to have fizzled out (Colin Firth’s Best Actor nomination aside), the brothers Weinstein couldn’t be happier at the love that the HFPA showed for both Inglourious Basterds and Nine. Their once-struggling upstart led the way with twelve total nominations today, which only leaves one question: Which film will Harvey decide to concentrate his unrivaled campaigning efforts on?
• Up in the Air: It emerged as an Oscar favorite during the Toronto Film Festival but, over the last few weeks, has ceded the conversational tide to upstarts like Avatar and The Hurt Locker. However, Paramount’s strategy to temporarily allow other films to hog the spotlight seems like it could be a good one for the long haul; rather than burn their energy too quickly, they’re going to wait until January to really ramp up their promotional efforts. Air snagged six nominations this morning, more than any other film or television show.
• Glee: The most popular freshman series of the year may have just started what seems to be a break that’s going to last for all eternity, but the HFPA saw enough of Glee to make it this season’s breakout hit. Both Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele grabbed noms for their lead performances, and don’t be surprised if Glee steals the award for Best Comedy Television Show from Tina Fey’s grasp.
• Sandra Bullock and Quentin Tarantino: They’re two of the biggest cinematic icons of the nineties who spent the better part of the naughties trying to convince people that their best days weren’t already behind them. Bullock scored nominations as Best Actress in both the Drama and Musical/Comedy categories, which significantly increases her chances at landing her first ever Oscar nod. And with the across-the-board success of Inglourious Basterds, Quentin has proved that he’s still got what it takes to put together a movie that scores both at the box office and with critics.
LOSERS!
• Invictus: Aside from acting nods for Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood’s film about apartheid and rugby didn’t seem to resonate at all with members of the FOREIGN press (meaning, people who might actually understand the rules of rugby). You can only imagine how well it’s going to do with people who don’t know the difference between a scrum and a lineout. Sorry, Clint, looks like maybe you should’ve pulled a Kirk Lazarus and played Mandela yourself! (Addendum: Looks like Eastwood got a directing nod, too, which clearly means that I should’ve had my morning coffee before frantically writing this post. Still, the HFPA is notorious for nominating people based on name recognition alone; we still think that Invictus might score a Best Picture nom at the Oscars, but it probably doesn’t have a strong shot at actually winning.)
• Peter Jackson and The Lovely Bones: It remains to be seen how the film will do when it opens wide in January, but as of right now, any potential Oscar momentum the film may have had is dead in the water.
• Chuck Lorre: His hit CBS sitcoms Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory continue to be recognized by the Emmys, but the HFPA’s television contingent snubbed Bang in favor of Fox’s Glee. You know what this means, don’t you? An episode where Sheldon and the crew hit a karaoke bar is no doubt on its way.