Pop Culture Princess

Pop Culture Princess
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Monday, December 19, 2011

What do the Golden Globe nominations tell us about the 2012 Oscar race?



The Golden Globes nominations for movies and TV were announced last week,with the awards ceremony to take place on January 15th of next year.

Since Emmy season has already come and gone,the immediate influence of a GG win will be felt at the Academy Awards,whose nominees will be known on January 24,2012.

Sometimes,you can get a sense early on from the Globes about which way the Oscar winds are blowing and by taking a good look at some of the choices made at this stage of the game,you'll have an advantage when it comes time to place your bets in the office Oscar pool:



TWO HELPFUL LADIES

Usually,a double nomination in the acting categories can cancel out a win for both parties but I hope that's not the case for the Best Supporting Actress section this time around. Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer are both up for The Help,which has five nominations in total for the Globes and should be even better when the Academy Awards roll in.

With Chastain's character,the ditzy outcast newlywed Celia,and Spencer's,the far from shy maid Minny,having a good deal of interaction onscreen together,it's a shame to have to choose one over the other. Regardless of who wins the Globe,seeing both of these ladies up for the Oscar would be the best of both worlds:






THE PROOF IS IN THE SONG

One of the five noms for The Help includes Best Original Song,which is written and performed by Mary J. Blige. She wrote the song "The Living Proof" not long after watching a special preview of the film and being inspired by the positive messages of female empowerment and encouragement showcased in the story.

The song is old school inspiring and with any luck,we'll hear Mary J. Blige perform it live on Oscar night. As much as Oscar voters have been favoring more modern music acts for the past few years,giving some respect to a well done number with classic style shows true appreciation of the art:





THE INESCAPABLE CLOONEY BIN

While some of us(me for one)are pretty much over the whole George Clooney star power bit,folks out there in award show land are clearly not. Clooney is so far up for a few Globes for his directorial turn and screenplay contribution to The Ides of March and Best Actor for The Descendants.

When it comes to the Oscars,I certainly won't begrudge Clooney a nod for The Descendants,mainly because he does appear to be right for the part as Matt King,the laid back husband and father who must take charge of his family when his wife becomes comatose.

The movie is sure to garner a good number of noms in most of the major categories,including Shailene Woodley as the distraught daughter who winds up revealing an awful truth to her dad about his marriage. While I haven't seen the film yet,you can tell from the clips that Clooney's performance is well enhanced by working off her powerful emotional range:





COMEDY IS ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID

The surprise comedy hit,Bridesmaids,did get mention in a few of the Globe categories such as Best Comedy or Musical(which also has My Week With Marilyn up as well,which is more of a drama but let's not walk into that sticky wicket right now)and Best Performance by an Actress for Kristin Wiig.

I know that many people are disappointed that Melissa McCarthy wasn't included here and that they're looking to see this movie grab some glory during the Oscars. Sorry to rain on your parade, Bridesmaids fans,but when it comes to comedies,the Academy tends to treat them like the proverbial red headed step child. Nothing personal,it's just how those people tend to roll.

That doesn't mean that the movie won't get any love from the Globes. In fact,it has a better chance there and if Wiig is called to the stage,perhaps she'll give the crowd a very "relaxed' acceptance speech:





SILENCE MAY BE TRULY GOLDEN

Although the movie The Artist is up for Best Comedy or Musical at the Globes,the reception that this tribute to the end of the silent movie era is getting is more akin to the red carpet laid out for big league dramas.

The Artist is up for six Golden Globes,making it the front runner for most of the major movie races. It's been honored at most of the main film festivals and critics are putting it on top of their Best of the Year lists.

Let's face it,folks,The Artist is the Hollywood darling of the year,destined to rake in many more industry accolades before it's departure to home video. To be fair,it does sound like a great movie yet I wouldn't want any other deserving nominee to be crushed in it's wake:



At least there is one thing that you can count on at the Golden Globes for next year and that is a slew of controversial remarks by returning host Ricky Gervais. I'm sure that's the only reason he got the gig for the third time in a row. Don't get me wrong,I like a nice sharp stinger of a line thrown in the face of a celebrity audience used to being indulged there but there is such a thing as carrying a joke too far,even for this crowd:

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