Golden Globe FYC's: Television

In just under a month, the Golden Globe nominations are going to be announced. Say what you want about them, but I love the way they cater to mega stars and nominate some out-there movies and TV shows the more serious Oscars and Emmys wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. And in that spirit, I wanted to point any members of the Hollywood Foreign Press who may have wandered onto my site to some underappreciated and unknown TV shows and performances from the past year. So, without further ado,

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Best TV Show (Musical/Comedy)

Best Actor (Musical/Comedy): Joel McHale
Best Supporting Actress: Yvette Nicole Brown

Not everyone is in love with this show and I can accept that. The show's scattershot, smartass humor is a bit hit or miss, but when it hits, damn it is funny. Joel McHale, host of The Soup, is my boo so it should come as no surprise I love him on this show. The show's other highlight is Shirley, played by Yvette Nicole Brown. She's warm, generous and often hilarious with admittedly little to do sometimes. Hell, she can make silence funny.

Best Supporting Actress: Jane Lynch

The show is wildly inconsistent for me. Jane Lynch, however, is always spot on and often has me howling in laughter with her non-sensical metaphors and "Sue Says" TV spot. It's no wonder that Sue Sylvester is quickly replacing Chuck Norris as the ultimate tough guy.

Best Actress (Drama): Leighton Meester

This season so far has been a bit of a wash for Ms. Meester although things seem to be looking up for her (I loved the way she stood back and simply observed the aftermath of the "OM3"; she was far more interesting than any of the participants). My FYC is for, of course, her stellar work from the second half of last season. Do I really have to try and convince you again of her amazingness?

Best Supporting Actress: Chelsea Staub
Best Supporting Actress: Nicole Anderson

The Jonas Brothers may be the "stars" of JONAS, but the true discoveries are the main females of the show. Staub plays the band's stylist and shoulder to cry on about their various problems with an unusual combination of warmness and ferocious comedic timing unseen on any Disney show I've ever seen. Anderson is the band's obsessive fan who has slowly become my favorite reason to watch the show.

Best TV Show (Drama)
Best Supporting Actor: Sebastian Stan

This show never really had a chance on network TV, did it? Ambitious, layered and epic in scope, Kings was doomed from the start. But in its short 13 episode run, Kings had more impressive moments than some shows have had in three seasons. Ian McShane, with his booming voice and larger than life bravura, was great as the king, but I often found Sebastian Stan as doomed Prince Jack to be even more compelling throughout the show. In just a few episodes, the one-time Ed Westwick imitator became an actor to watch for in the future.

Best TV Show (Musical/Comedy)
Best Actress (Musical/Comedy): Demi Lovato
Best Supporting Actor: Sterling Knight
Best Supporting Actress: Tiffany Thornton

Who said that Disney was only for kids? One of the best shows on TV right now is on the Disney Channel and I'm not ashamed to admit that I watch it religiously. Sonny With a Chance is 30 Rock for the tweens and it's often just as groundbreaking and can't-catch-your-breath funny (when compared to its contemporaries, at least). Leading the cast is Demi Lovato as Sonny, the Liz Lemon of the show, and what's exciting about her performance is that over the course of the season, you can see her letting loose more and more, finally getting the hang of this comedy thing and truly becoming a star with each passing episode. Tiffany Thornton, plays self-obsessed diva Tawni Hart, the Jenna to Demi's Liz, and is a hoot everytime she appears on screen. Do you know anyone else who can elicit so many laughs just by repeating "Cocoa Mocho Cocoa" over and over again? And then there is trusty old Sterling Knight as tween heartthrob Chad Dylan Cooper (swoon!). His role as the romantic foil to Demi's Sonny is not particularly groundbreaking but the way he remains a complete douche even during the moments when he's supposed to be "wooing" Sonny is impressive. Less talented, "pretty boy" actors would have completely pussified CDC by episode four, but Knight is just as mean and darkly funny as he was on day one. Kudos to you!

Best TV Show (Musical/Comedy)
Best Supporting Actor: Keir Gilchrist
Best Supporting Actress: Brie Larson

Toni Collette is likely to get a nom, so it seems unnecessary to FYC her right now. Instead, I'll focus on the underappreciated children of Tara. Like I've talked about before, Gilchrist brings a clever twist to a stereotypical gay teen role. Larson is a complete bitch on the show, but she somehow brings enough humanity to her performance that I kinda wish she was my older sister.

Dame James's Golden Globe Predictions

Bright and early tomorrow morning, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announce their nominees for the 2008 Golden Globe Awards. You never know what to expect from this wacky awards body and that's part of their charm. Here are my random, stab-in-the-dark predictions as to how things will go tomorrow.

Best Picture (Drama)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

The Globes love star-power, so expect Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Doubt and Milk all to do well. Slumdog has no big stars, but its won a couple of major critic awards and that is sometimes enough for them.

Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)
Cadillac Records
Happy-Go-Lucky
Mamma Mia!
Tropic Thunder
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

This category is a tad fucked up, right? Mamma Mia! is a piece of trash but they need an "actual" musical and, apparently, everyone had so much "fun" watching it. Tropic Thunder was a big hit and VCB was Woody's best received comedy in years- plus, as an added bonus, they both are anchored by major stars. I have a sneaking suspicion that the Globes will want to go for one high-brow comedy and Happy-Go-Lucky seems to be that. A nod for Cadillac Records would be strange at this point, but it was just released so it's fresh in their minds and you must remember that this is the same group that nominated Across the Universe for no Goddamned reason.

Best Actor (Drama)
Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

The usual suspects, minus Richard Jenkins (not a big enough star) and Frank Langella (had to make room for Eastwood and Pitt).

Best Actor (Musical/Comedy)
Michael Cera, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Zac Efron, High School Musical 3: Senior Year
James Franco, Pineapple Express
Dustin Hoffman, Last Chance Harvey
Sam Rockwell, Choke

The most out-there category of the year. With W. being classified as a comedy, the one sure nomination for Josh Brolin is gone and now it's anyone's game. Hoffman is a legend, but has anyone actually seen or heard anything about Last Chance Harvey? The nods for Cera and Efron may seem like wishful thinking, but they both have huge plusses on their side (Cera has goodwill left from Arrested Development and this was Efron's "breakthrough" year). Franco has a strong shot of getting in just by the fact that he's been so ubiquitous in the past three months. I'm really not sure how well people remember Choke (if at all) so Rockwell has a high chance of getting dropped. So who the hell is there left?

Best Actress (Drama)
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas, I've Loved You So Long
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

The HFPA absolutely loves Angelina so expect her to get in over someone with less wattage such as Melissa Leo. Other than that, expect the usual suspects. Yawn.

Best Actress (Musical/Comedy)
Tina Fey, Baby Mama
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City: The Movie
Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia!
Emma Thompson, Last Chance Harvey

People still have the memory of Tina Fey's Sarah Palin so I think she has a shot with Baby Mama. Meryl Streep is Meryl Streep...enough said. Parker got a nomination here in 2005 for The Family Stone (personally, I loved her but many protested at the time) and she won multiple times for Sex and the City the TV show, so I believe she's as good as in. Hawkins is the critical darling and Thompson is a star, although, yet again, I haven't heard anything about Last Chance Harvey.

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder
James Franco, Milk
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Yawn. I would love a nice little shake up here just for the sake of competition but it's not looking likely.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Doubt
Beyonce, Cadillac Records
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Ashley Tisdale, High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Kate Winslet, The Reader

My favorite category right now. Cruz and Winslet are in just by star power and acclaim. Doubt is going to be a major player tomorrow and I think both Adams and Davis will sneak in. Beyonce has been receiving raves for her performance in Cadillac Records and since she already has two Golden Globe noms, you know they already love her. Do you remember when Emily Blunt got an out-of-nowhere nomination for The Devil Wears Prada when only the bloggers had been behind her? Well, La Tisdale could get this surprise nod (and stands an even better chance if Efron gets a Best Actor nom).

Best Director
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant, Milk

Not really sure how they're going to go on this one. I have a 4/5 match up with Best Drama Picture and Leigh as the Musical/Comedy spoiler but the HFPA can get realllly random here: Rob Reiner got one for The American President in 1996.

So That Pretty Much Sucked

I'm, of course, referring to the Golden Globes "press conference" that just took place. Who the hell does that Billy Bush think he is- Roger Ebert? I don't even know who the hell he is, but I doubt he has any reason to be judging the winners in any of the categories. And what was with that low blow to Cate Blanchett after her win in Best Supporting Actress for I'm Not There? In case you missed it, he praised Amy Ryan to high heavens (which is probably the only decent thing he did all night) and then said something to the affect of "all she did was dress like a man" about Blanchett's win. What a douche.


Want to know what else sucked? My predictions. I got a ridiculously low 6 out of 14. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that I got some wrong (namely, Cotillard in Musical/Comedy and, to some extent, Atonement in Drama), but I wish I could have done better. Oh well. Atonement's big "upset" (I should have seen it coming, especially since Babel won here last year after receiving the same number of nominations and the most out of anyone) should push it into the Top 5 after the DGA/WGA snubs earlier this week. I hope that Cotillard's win closes the gap between herself and Christie in the race for Best Actress and it turns into a real bitchfest---that would be a dream come true. Here are the winners, in case you missed them:

Best Picture (Drama)- Atonement
Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Actor (Drama)- Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Actor (Musical/Comedy)- Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Actress (Drama)- Julie Christie, Away From Her
Best Actress (Musical/Comedy)- Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Best Supporting Actor- Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
Best Supporting Actress- Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Best Director- Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Screenplay- Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men
Best Score- Dario Marianelli, Atonement
Best Song- "Guaranteed", Into the Wild (m&l: Eddie Vedder)
Best Animated Film- Ratatouille
Best Foreign Language Film- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

So, in the aftermath of the butchered ceremony, I'm watching the new American Gladiators and it's every bit as great as I remembered it when I was a child....but what the hell is with all the water? And, oh shit this final race is very dramatic.

Completely Unnecessary Golden Globe Predictions

Well, this year Golden Globe "press conference" is set to commence in a couple of hours, so I thought I would offer up my two-cents on who might win tonight. Don't expect many upsets, because the Oscar race is getting more set in stone by the minute and the winners are becoming clearer.

Best Picture (Drama)- No Country For Old Men

Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)- Juno

Best Actor (Drama)- Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best Actor (Musical/Comedy)- Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best Actress (Drama)- Julie Christie, Away From Her

Best Actress (Musical/Comedy)- Ellen Page, Juno

Best Supporting Actor- Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men

Best Supporting Actress- Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

Best Director- Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men

Best Screenplay- Diablo Cody, Juno

Best Score- Into the Wild

Best Song- "Walk Hard" (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story)

Best Animated Film- Ratatouille

Best Foreign-Language Film- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Final Golden Globes Predictions

Well, tomorrow morning bright and early, the Hollywood Foreign Press will announce their nominees for the Golden Globes this year. Here's who I think will be nominated:

Best Picture (Drama)
American Gangster
Atonement
Into the Wild
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
alternate: There Will Be Blood

Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)
Hairspray
Juno
Knocked Up
The Savages
Sweeney Todd
alternate: Charlie Wilson's War

Best Actor (Drama)
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy, Atonement
Viggo Mortenesen, Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington, American Gangster
alternate: Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah

Best Actor (Musical/Comedy)
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson's War
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Savages
Jack Nicholson, The Bucket List
alternate: Steve Carell, Dan in Real Life

Best Actress (Drama)
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Jodie Foster, The Brave One
Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley, Atonement
alternate: Ashley Judd, Bug

Best Actress (Musical/Comedy)
Amy Adams, Enchanted
Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno
alternate: Nicole Kidman, Margot at the Wedding (they do love their Kidman)

Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
John Travolta, Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
alternate: Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Julia Roberts, Charlie Wilson's War
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
alternate: Nicole Kidman, The Golden Compass (they really love Kidman)

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men
Sidney Lumet, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Joe Wright, Atonement
alternate: Ridley Scott, American Gangster

Best Screenplay
Atonement
Juno
Knocked Up
No Country For Old Men
Ratatouille
alternate: Michael Clayton or Charlie Wilson's War

Best Score
Atonement
Grace is Gone
Into the Wild
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
alternate: American Gangster

Best Song
Enchanted ["That's How You Know"]
Hairspray ["Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)"]
Into the Wild ["Guaranteed"]
Love in the Time of Cholera ["Despidida"]
Once ["Falling Slowly"]
alternate: Enchanted ["True Love's Kiss"]

Best Animated Film
Beowulf
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie
alternate: Bee Movie

Best Foreign Film
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
The Counterfeiters
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Kite Runner
Lust, Caution
alternate: La Vie en Rose

These are really nothing more than educated guesses and should be taken with a grain of salt (especially the last four categories). Still not sure about Charlie Wilson's War (right now I have it with three acting nominations but no Best Picture nomination) or the entire Best Supporting Actress (it's not as strong as it could be, but the 7 or 8 choices we have are tough to pick between). We'll see how it goes tomorrow!