Golden Globes kick start awards season


With the Golden Globes Awards show on Sunday, it’s finally time to indulge in Hollywood’s illustrious awards season.

CBS aired the People’s Choice Awards on Wednesday, but who really considers that a part of awards season? It’s probably not wise to trust a group of voters who chose Water for Elephants as best drama and Maroon 5 as band of the year — no offense, America.

Aloha George · Alexander Payne’s The Descendants received a best motion picture nomination, and George Clooney (left), featured with Shailene Woodley (right), was nominated for best actor for the 2012 Golden Globes. - Photo courtesy of FOX Searchlight

And as usual, no awards show results entirely please the masses, and the Golden Globes are no exception. Here’s a list of predicted winners — and the potential losers that should win instead.

Best Motion Picture — Drama

What will win: The Descendants

What should win: Hugo

As much as audiences and critics enjoyed proclaiming their love for George Clooney’s The Descendants, the film is not all it’s cracked up to be. Clooney’s overrated — but still commendable — work does not make a better film than Hugo.

Martin Scorsese’s decision to delve into family-friendly material with Hugo was surprising and refreshing Thankfully, his risky undertaking succeeded. He visually stunned audiences and gave us something that we love, but don’t need to keep away from the youngsters — Goodfellas, anyone?

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama

Who will win: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

Who should win: Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

This is Meryl Streep’s 26th Golden Globe nomination, and based on the praise surrounding her latest release, The Iron Lady, Streep will take home her eighth Golden Globe for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

She deserves recognition for brilliantly embodying Thatcher on the big screen, but what audiences saw from Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is equally noteworthy.

Mara, who gained most of her stardom after appearing in The Social Network, plays a psychologically bruised Lisbeth Salander — a role she landed over Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. Mara is freaky as Salander, ruthlessly punishing her personal enemies on her way to seeking out a serial killer.

Best Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical

What will win: The Artist

What should win: Midnight In Paris

The Artist is riding a wave of popularity and acclaim, and rightly so. French director Michel Hazanavicius wrote the film, which takes viewers back to the days of silent movies — no 3-D, no explosions, just old-school cinematic genius.

Nonetheless, another comedy that garnered critical acclaim this year deserves this award instead: Midnight In Paris, Woody Allen’s highest-grossing film to date.

The involvement of big-name stars, such as Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, might have had something to do with the film’s success, but how about those cultural references? Allen brought Ernest Hemingway, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Salvador Dalí and F. Scott Fitzgerald to life on the screen with the same sleek style as his screenplays.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Comedy or Musical

Who will win: Tina Fey (30 Rock)

Who should win: Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)

Tina Fey had one of her best years in 2011: Her first book, Bossypants, was extremely successful and 30 Rock, the show she created and stars in, continued to air as a critically acclaimed comedy.

But 2011 was also the year in which viewers and critics finally noticed the greatness of Parks and Recreation, in which Amy Poehler stars as Leslie Knope, the neurotic Parks Department employee who can’t help being the perfect city worker.

Parks did not receive a best comedy series nomination, but here’s to hoping that Poehler wins one for the rest of the stellar cast.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical

Who will win: Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)

Who should win: Anyone else 

Baldwin’s portrayal of high-powered network executive Jack Donaghy showcases the actor at his finest on 30 Rock. And though the role is a personal best, seeing Baldwin collect accolade upon accolade for his work is getting old — it’s time to end the monopoly.

Matt LeBlanc (Episodes) is nominated in the same category, and he deserves kudos for finally making a relevant comeback in the post-Friends era.

Fans of Friends probably want his spinoff, Joey, permanently erased from their memories, but his new role in Episodes suffices for past disappointment.

Also, look out for Johnny Galecki to potentially snag the award for his role in The Big Bang Theory, an often-overlooked show.

Best Television Series – Drama

What will win: Game of Thrones

What should win: Homeland

The fantastical Game of Thrones was highly anticipated from the get-go, and its popularity has made the show a favorite among critics and viewers. But Homeland premiered to an equally strong fan-base and continues to pull in solid reviews and ratings.

Based on a television series that airs in Israel, the Showtime drama is a jarring venture, and Claire Daines and Damian Lewis make for an intriguing pair.

The current events-heavy plotline, however, will probably be a turnoff for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, making the safer choice — Game of Thrones — the likely winner.

Ricky Gervais hosts the Golden Globes Sunday, Jan. 15 at 5 p.m. on NBC.