Your Golden Globes Snubs and Surprises: No to ‘True Grit,’ Yes to ‘Burlesque’
The Golden Globe nominations are out, and, as always, they're filled with the odd choices and inexplicable omissions that we've come to expect from the Foreign Press Association. No "True Grit?" Three nominations for "Burlesque?" What in the heck is Halle Berry doing here? Did Johnny Depp just get nominated for both of his two worst performances? Is James Franco the only part of "127 Hours" they liked? Really, no "True Grit?" Seriously? Did they even see it? Let's take a deeper, look at the Golden Globes Surprises and the Snubs, ranging from big names like Gwyneth Paltrow and Justin Timberlake to lesser known performers like composer Clint Mansell and Armie Hammer, who plays the Winklevoss twins ("the Winkelvi") in "The Social Network."
SNUBS
"True Grit." It's possible that the Foreign Press members just
didn't get into screenings early enough, because the Coen Brothers'
film, expected to be among the big winners, was completely shut out.
Matt Damon and Hailee Steinfeld were top contenders in the supporting
categories, but the real shock was the absence of Jeff Bridges in the
lead role. (Bridges, who was on the "Today" show afterward, seemed
charmingly befuddled himself.) "True Grit" was one of the last films to
be shown to critics, so it's possible that not enough people saw it in
time, but still: To receive ZERO nominations is quite a stunner.
Gwyneth Paltrow. She has put herself through all the promotional
paces, singing at the Country Music Awards and even showing up on
"Glee," but Gwynnie's turn as an "aging" country music singer in
"Country Strong" still fell flat. She can blame her studio. Had they
promoted the film in the musical/comedy category -- as many believed they should have -- she almost certainly would have earned a nomination.
Justin Timberlake. If anyone was going to nominate the music
superstar for his fun-but-thin role in "The Social Network," it would
have been the notoriously star-struck Foreign Press. Nope. We're sure
he'll show up anyway, which is all that really matters to the Golden
Globes.
Robert Duvall. The screen legend received his best reviews in years for "Get Low" -- even if many weren't crazy about the film -- but he didn't get the Best Actor nomination many expected. (He appears to have been replaced by Mark Wahlberg.) Supporting actors Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek were also hopeful, but Duvall was the real surprise.
Armie Hammer. The most-praised performance of "The Social Network" -- save Jesse Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg, which was nominated -- ended up on the outside looking in. Maybe if he had played three characters.
"127 Hours." Considered by many a slam-dunk Oscar Best
Picture nominee, the film only earned notices for Best Actor (James
Franco) and, peculiarly, Best Screenplay.
John Legend. His song "Shine," from the documentary "Waiting For Superman," was considered a clear favorite in the Best Song category. Instead: Two songs from "Burlesque."
Clint Mansell. The composer's "Requiem For A Dream" score is still used for montages and sports highlight packages to this day, and many felt his "Black Swan" score was just as good. Today, though: Nada.
SURPRISES
"Burlesque." (!!!!) On one hand, it makes sense that "Burlesque"
would end up in the Musical/Comedy category: After all, it is a musical,
and there aren't many of those. (Honestly, it was either this or "The
Other Guys.") On the other: "Burlesque" just earned three award
nominations. "Burlesque!"
Halle Berry. Without question, the jaw-dropper of the morning. The poorly reviewed "Frankie & Alice," which has been sitting on a shelf for a couple of years, received a hasty theatrical release in a desperate attempt to get some award buzz for a trying-way-too-hard Berry. And it worked! This nomination -- big name actress in a blatant awards grab -- is exactly why people don't like the Golden Globes.
Mark Wahlberg. As much as people have enjoyed "The Fighter,"
Wahlberg's lead performance was almost seen as besides the point: His
job was to let the supporting actors do their work. (And all three of
them -- Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo -- were nominated.)
But Wahlberg receiving a Best Actor nod was a legitimate stunner. It was
a terrific morning for "The Fighter," actually, earning six
nominations, second only to "The King's Speech."
Johnny Depp. Yes, the musical/comedy category is thin, but still, it's difficult to justify Depp receiving two nominations -- "Alice In Wonderland" and "The Tourist" -- for films that garnered him the worst reviews of his career.
Michael Douglas. Douglas is apparently looking healthier, but this is an obvious sentimental pick for "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," a film that was not particularly beloved and a performance that was seen as a bit of a walk-through. (And far less textured that when he played Gordon Gekko 25 years ago.)
Randy Newman. Randy Newman wasn't nominated for anything. The world as we know it has shifted on its axis.
Jeremy Renner. His performance received much praise, but "The Town" appeared to have been forgotten about. Not so.
The Golden Globes will air live on NBC on January 16 and will be hosted by Ricky Gervais. This is the awards show that encourages its attendees to drink, so it will be theoretically "unpredictable," though only if someone slips Colin Firth a mickey.
