2024 Golden Globes winners predictions include major Oscars contenders

"Maestro" actress Carey Mulligan and "May December" star Charles Melton join EW's "Awardist" podcast while we make bold Golden Globes predictions.

As the twinkle of bulbous holiday ornaments fade away, the gilded glisten of the 2024 Golden Globes arrives, and EW has some bold predictions for winners in the major categories that could be handed out during Sunday's ceremony.

The latest episode of EW's Awardist podcast (below) features interviews with front-running contenders in key brackets, including Maestro's Carey Mulligan — a likely Best Actress nominee at the upcoming Oscars — and May December's Charles Melton, the critically lauded supporting actor who's also statistically a leading contestant for a nod from the Academy. Before the Oscars, though, both will contend at the Globes — but can they win those races before setting their sights on the Academy?

For Melton, his stiffest competition appears to be Barbie actor Ryan Gosling, who, in a twist of fate not unlike the one his Ken character mounts in Greta Gerwig's film, seems to be stealing a bit of the spotlight from the blockbuster movie's titular force as he surges in the run-up to the Globes and Oscars. Gosling's might in the top-earning movie of 2023 helps immensely, as does the fact that the songwriters behind his "I'm Just Ken" song are also looking at a nomination in the Best Original Song category — though Melton's work in Todd Haynes' May December appears to, at least statistically, have received more technical praise than Gosling's work has.

As for the leading men, the only Musical/Comedy actors who stand to carry over to the Academy include Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), with Giamatti holding a lead over Wright at the Globes. Among the dramatic performance set, Bradley Cooper (the director-star opposite Mulligan in Maestro) stands to ignite a streak of pure dominance at the Golden Globes if his portrayal of real-life composer Leonard Bernstein wins voters over. After all, this is Hollywood we're talking about, and Cooper's commitment to the role of an actual entertainment figure plays in his favor — plus, he has a long-overdue narrative fueling his campaign this year, and the Globes will likely anoint his final rise with a victory on Sunday.

As for the actresses, Mulligan faces a tough battle in the dramatic category against Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone, who has thus far steamrolled every major precursor, and whose presence in the race feels as vital as the film she stars in, so expect Martin Scorsese's latest muse to pick up a Golden Globe this weekend alongside either Emma Stone (Poor Things) or Margot Robbie (Barbie) on the Musical/Comedy side.

Given The Color Purple's holiday surge in December, Danielle Brooks now feels like a huge threat to Da'Vine Joy Randolph's (The Holdovers) reign over the Best Supporting Actress race. With The Color Purple igniting the box office at the tail end of The Holdovers' muted (in comparison) theatrical run, there could be a shift in the category's dynamic, enough to push her over the top at the Globes. For now, Randolph feels like the category leader, but don't be surprised if Brooks squeezes past her at the finish line, as the Screen Actors Guild will undoubtedly shower the musical film with multiple nominations in the weeks ahead.

Finally, the evening's biggest battle: Best Motion Picture. With The Color Purple shockingly not vying in the Musical/Comedy set, the road to victory feels clear for Barbie or Poor Things. Neither of those films, though, will win Best Picture at the Oscars, so all eyes are on the dramatic contenders to cement a front-running film in the race at large. The two likeliest victors are Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer and Scorsese's aforementioned Killers, with the latter likely being a movie those who exist on the periphery of the industry — and not directly working within it as movie-making Hollywood professionals — appreciate more than Nolan's film.

The 2024 Golden Globes air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ Sunday beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, live from the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Listen to EW's Golden Globes predictions in the Awardist podcast episode above.

Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best in TV.

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.