Monday, January 15, 2007

tonight you'll see stars...

Well as is tradition, I'll now give my Golden Globe picks. I've still yet to see several of these but am trying to play catch up.

Here we go...



The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards

FILM

Best Picture, Drama

Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Little Children
The Queen

My pick: Although I've not seen any of these yet, I'd like to see Babel get the nod, as I absolutely loved Iñárritu's Amores Perros and 21 Grams.
Who will win: While Scorsese's getting tremendous accolades for his remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, The Departed won't win here. He's a lock for Best Director and an Oscar, however. Little Children's release and the subsequent promotional fumbling by New Line Cinema have locked it out; it's the dark horse here. Bobby was primed for gold, be it of the Golden or Academy Award persuasion. As it stands now most seem to have written it off as a garish cameo party. Much like Scorsese's Director win, Mirren will take home Best Actress. That leaves Alejandro González Iñárritu's Babel.

Best Actress, Drama

Penelope Cruz - Volver
Judi Dench - Notes On A Scandal
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Sherrybaby
Helen Mirren - The Queen
Kate Winslet - Little Children

My pick: I'd absolutely love to see Gyllenhaal get this, as she's one of my favorites and proves time and again just how versatile an actress she is, no matter what the role calls for.
Will win: As previously stated, the movie royalty will take this home. Helen Mirren has it in the bag.

Best Actor - Drama

Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Departed
Peter O'Toole - Venus
Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland

My pick: In all honesty I would be elated to see Peter O'Toole get this and I think he will. After almost fifty years on screen, he sure deserves it. I also think he, much like Scorsese, are going to get nominated after being unjustly snubbed for so very long and will be clutching Oscar gold on the night of February 25th.
Will win: Peter O'Toole. No contest.

Best Picture, Musical Or Comedy

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
Thank You for Smoking

My pick: Little Miss Sunshine was a brilliant dysfunctional tale of a family growing closer after growing apart.
Will win: Sacha Baron Cohen will win Best Actor so this one's going to Dreamgirls.

Best Actress, Musical Or Comedy

Annette Bening - Running With Scissors
Toni Collette - Little Miss Sunshine
Beyonce Knowles - Dreamgirls
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Renee Zellweger - Miss Potter

My pick: Toni Collette's performance as a harried mom trying to do her best was wonderful.
Will win: Streep could read the White Pages. She won raves for her performance in The Devil Wears Prada and she'll win this award.

Best Actor, Musical Or Comedy

Sacha Baron Cohen - Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Aaron Eckhart - Thank You for Smoking
Chiwetel Ejiofor - Kinky Boots
Will Ferrell - Stranger than Fiction

My pick: Aaron Eckhart was terrific as a slimy tobacco lobbyist. I'd like to see Ejiofor win, as I've been a fan of his for a long time.
Will win: If this were any other year, Depp would walk away with the win here. However, only ONE performance in this category became a cultural phenomenon. Cohen will win this hands down.

Best Actress, Musical Or Comedy

Adriana Barraza - Babel
Cate Blanchett - Notes on a Scandal
Emily Blunt - The Devil Wears Prada
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi - Babel

My pick: I have no opinion here.
Will win: Plucked from obscurity, Jennifer Hudson will garner the gold.

Best Supporting Actor, Drama

Ben Affleck - Hollywoodland
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Jack Nicholson - The Departed
Brad Pitt - Babel
Mark Wahlberg - The Departed

My pick: Again, no opinion.
Will win: Focus Features released Hollywoodland far too early for it to register with the awards voters (September?!). Brad and Mark will split the vote and even though Eddie's performance has gotten good ink, Jack rules the roost and everyone, even The Hollywood Foreign Press, loves to see him play a villain. As this is the first time he's done so in quite a while, he'll be on stage tonight to accept this award.

Best Director

Clint Eastwood - Flags of Our Fathers
Clint Eastwood - Letters from Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears - The Queen
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Babel
Martin Scorsese - The Departed

My pick: As a fan I'm torn between Inarritu and Scorsese. However, Inarritu's career has just begun whereas Scorsese is a filmmaking legend who's been shut out for far too long. I'd love to see him get this award.
Will win: Martin Scorsese

Best Screenplay

Guillermo Arriaga - Babel
Todd Field and Tom Perrotta - Little Children
Patrick Marber - Notes on a Scandal
William Monahan - The Departed
Peter Morgan - The Queen

My pick: Yet again as a fan I'd like to see Arriaga get it and I think he will, for the sweeping multi-layered types of films he writes are always adored by the awards voters.
Will win: Arriaga

Best Foreign Language Film

Apocalypto (USA)
Letters From Iwo Jima (USA/Japan)
The Lives Of Others (Germany)
Pan's Labyrinth (Mexico)
Volver (Spain)

My pick: I'm this close from seeing Guillermo del Toro's fantasy horror epic. As much critical acclaim as Almodovar gets this time each year, I think the world that Pan's Labyrinth created will let Mexico win this one.
Will win: Pan's Labyrinth

Best Animated Feature

Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House

My pick: Not one other animated film this year was as well-written, intelligent, articulate, and thoroughly entertaining as Monster House. It was a throwback to the style of '80s films both animated and otherwise that the whole family could watch and not feel as if they'd gotten dumber after watching it.
Will win: I was going to say Pixar grabs the gold here but George Miller's Happy Feet was a runaway success, no pun intended. The penguins will waddle away with this one.

Best Original Score

Alexandre Desplat - The Painted Veil
Clint Mansell - The Fountain
Gustavo Santaolalla - Babel
Carlo Siliotto - Nomad
Hans Zimmer - The Da Vinci Code

My pick: No contest. Clint Mansell's haunting, ethereal score for Darren Aronofsky's brilliant The Fountain was a key part of immersing the viewer in this beautiful poem of a film.
Will win: I believe the world cultural aspects of Babel no doubt played a part in the creation of the score. It'll win.

Best Original Song

Unfortunately I've no opinion here at all, as I've not heard any of these songs at all.


TELEVISION

Series, Drama

24 (Fox)
Big Love (HBO)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Heroes (NBC)
Lost (ABC)

My pick: I love 24 with a fiery passion. But I'd love to see the freshman get some attention here. C'mon HFPA! Give it to Heroes. They won't, as it's not even through its first season yet, which is sad as no new series this season has been so far so consistently good.
Will win: 24. Jack Bauer and the gang at CTU won the Emmy (finally!) and now they'll pick up the win here as well.

Actress, Drama

Patricia Arquette - Medium
Edie Falco - The Sopranos
Evangeline Lilly - Lost
Ellen Pompeo - Grey's Anatomy
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer

My pick: For two seasons now, Patricia Arquette has been terrific as the harried mom and the harried psychic who someone manages to balance both. Her Emmy win was well warranted. She deserves this one.
Will win: Ellen Pompeo will win for Doctors Screwing. Harsh? Maybe. But after giving this show every chance, it has finally chosen to be about who the doctors are sleeping with and everything else be damned. Because all hospitals have their doctors making out in stairwells and supply closets, right? Um, don't you guys have...PATIENTS?

Actor, Drama

Patrick Dempsey - Grey's Anatomy
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Hugh Laurie - House
Bill Paxton - Big Love
Kiefer Sutherland - 24

My pick: Michael C. Hall's turn as the serial killer with a heart deserves this.
Will win: Kiefer Sutherland, in an echo of the Emmys.

Series, Musical or Comedy

Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Entourage (HBO)
The Office (NBC)
Ugly Betty (ABC)
Weeds (Showtime)

My pick: I really want to give this to Entourage, as it is consistently addictive and *such* a well-written series. However, The Office continues to amaze me.
Will win: America Ferrara was the talk of the town as the fall season started. I've seen an episode or two and Ugly Betty is fun and breezy. But I think the Emmy win will repeat itself here, especially since they gave this award to the original British version of The Office in 2003.

Actress, Musical or Comedy

Marcia Cross - Desperate Housewives
America Ferrera - Ugly Betty
Felicity Huffman - Desperate Housewives
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - The New Adventures Of Old Christine
Mary-Louise Parker - Weeds

My pick: As I stated above, America Ferrara has been the breakout star of the new season, aside from Masi Oka of NBC's Heroes. She deserves to win.
Will win: America Ferrara

Actor, Musical Or Comedy

Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Zach Braff - Scrubs
Steve Carrell - The Office
Jason Lee - My Name Is Earl
Tony Shaloub - Monk

My pick: Jason Lee and Steve Carell are solid as always. Each of these nominees is terrific. But Alec Baldwin has surpassed my every expectation. His Jack Donaghy is a live wire, as you never know what's going to come out of his mouth.
Will win: I think Lee will grab this, as Carell won last year (not that repeats don't happen) and I think 30 Rock might be a bit too inside for the HFPA. Sadly.

Best Miniseries Or Movie

I have no opinion here as I've not seen these. I'm rooting for Bleak House. I'm a Charles Dickens fan.

Best Actress, Miniseries Or Movie

No opinion yet again.

Best Actor, Miniseries Or Movie

No opinion. I'm rooting for Ejiofor, though.

Best Supporting Actress, Miniseries Or Movie

Emily Blunt - Gideon's Daughter
Toni Collette - Tsunami, The Aftermath
Katherine Heigl - Grey's Anatomy
Sarah Paulson - Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip
Elizabeth Perkins - Weeds

My pick: I guess this is Heigl and Paulson are thrown in here as the HFPA wanted to recognize them but ran out of room in the major category. Sarah Paulson has been stellar as Harriet Hayes and the exchanges between she and Matthew Perry's Matt character. The claws have been extended towards the show but I'm thousands of miles from Hollywood and I love Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip. The dialogue is great and I've never seen an entire episode of an Aaron Sorkin show prior to this one.
Will win: With all of that being said, look for Heigl to win for Doctors Screwing...oh, I'm sorry....I meant Grey's Anatomy.

Best Supporting Actor, Miniseries Or Movie

Thomas Haden Church - Broken Trail
Jeremy Irons - Elizabeth I
Justin Kirk - Weeds
Masi Oka - Heroes
Jeremy Piven - Entourage

My pick: Piven is electric as the acidic and viciously caustic yet endearing-at-times Ari Gold. But Oka has, as I've stated, gotten alot of buzz. Either way I'll be happy but I'm going with Piven. He's so damn fun to watch.
Will win: Piven lost to one of the masters of the medium last year, Paul Newman (Empire Falls). This time will be a charm for him.

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