2007 Golden Globes Nominations

First of all, thanks for all the responses to my look at the AV Club's Best Music of 2006. I'm intrigued by a few of your recommendations regarding music on the list, especially Neko Case and the Thermals, and maybe Midlake, though to the Decemberists and the Hold Steady, still I say thee nay. Guess List of the Week is a pretty good idea after all -- 30 comments and counting! Sweet. That's my favorite thing about this blog, that kind of interaction. Keep it up!

Next order of business: the Golden Globes! They're simply awful, and I'm going to watch them!

The 64th Annual Golden Globes Ceremony airs this Monday, January 15, and I'll be doing the usual Minute-By-Minute recapping/bitching that I tend to do with these awards shows (check the sidebar for a list of the many other awards ceremonies with which I have punished myself). Last year, Ian Brill and Silver Batman (and much alcohol) were on hand to help me get through the Globes. If you're still in town, Ian, you're welcome to join me again, if you can take it. Silver Batman and several bottles of liquor have already RSVPed.

In preparation for my semi-liveblogging event (remember, it's tape-delayed on the West Coast), I'm making my picks in the major categories, by which I mean "whatever categories I feel like writing about."

Best Motion Picture - Drama

Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Little Children
The Queen

I suspect Babel is a little like last year's Crash, an overrated intertwining story which Oscar will love, but which the Golden Globes won't quite fall for. The nomination for Bobby has to be somebody's idea of a joke. I'd like to think it'll be The Departed, which I loved, or The Queen, which has been getting insanely huge rave reviews for Helen Mirren, but... you know what? Unlike with Crash, there's no accompanying Brokeback Mountain, no overwhelmingly obvious frontrunner competing against it. I'm going with Babel after all.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

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

As with Reese Witherspoon in last year's Walk the Line, this one is a done deal. Mirren wins the Golden Globe, Mirren wins the Oscar. Bet the farm. Surest pick of the awards.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - 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

I don't know whether to pick Leo, or Leo! Interesting that Forest Whitaker is in the lead actor category; all Oscar talk about his performance has him in the supporting category. This could be a wacky upset, with Will Smith taking it -- the Globes like proving they're "hip" like that. But, despite his vote-splitting nomination vs. himself, I think it goes to DiCaprio in The Departed.

Best Motion 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

Dreamgirls isn't getting near the traction as did the last major award-winning musical, Chicago (remember, though they were nominated in this category, neither Walk the Line nor Ray were really musicals, they were dramas about musicians). It has huge pre-release buzz, which seems to have faded greatly since then (except supporting acting categories). Borat would be the "hip" choice, but I think it's too out there even for the Globes. I'm picking Little Miss Sunshine.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

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

Miss Potter? What the hell? Was that even released? No to that. And Beyoncé has been way too bitchy in the press recently for her to get considered here. (Believe me, that's taken into consideration, especially at the Globes.) Toni Collette is a strong contender, as is Annette Bening, if only in her own self-congratulatory mind. But I'll take Streep.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy

Sacha Cohen -- Borat
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

Even if the voters don't go for Borat as Best Musical Or Comedy (and they still might, who knows), I think Cohen's insanely funny and devoted performance in that movie gets the win here. Though I'd personally prefer his Talladega Nights co-star, Will Ferrell, to pick it up for Stranger Than Fiction. I just hope Depp doesn't win. He's awesome, but seriously, that pirate shit is not what he should be winning awards for.

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

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

Haven't seen any of these. I'm surprised to see Emily Blunt here for Prada instead of Anne Hathaway, though she probably should've been in the lead actress slot, which was taken instead by Streep. Going from buzz alone, I'll take Jennifer Hudson. The shine is off Dreamgirls, but her personal stock keeps rising.

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

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

Same here for Eddie Murphy. Nicholson and Wahlberg were both terrific in The Departed, and Brad Pitt -- well, he's just dreamy. But I've gotta go with Murphy.

Best Animated Feature Film

Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House

My guess is Cars, which was very fun, another Pixar winner. I tried watching Monster House, and that style of animation is seriously disturbing, just like it was in Polar Express. It's the Uncanny Valley effect. The motion-capture animation used in both those movies turns the characters into hideous mockeries of humanity. I don't see how any child could watch those things and not get horrible nightmares.

Best Foreign Language Film

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

I love that two of the Foreign Language nominees are American productions. It's gotta be Letters From Iwo Jima, though Pan's Labyrinth isn't without a chance.

Best Director - Motion Picture

Clint Eastwood -- Flags Of Our Fathers
Clint Eastwood -- Letters From Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears -- The Queen
Alejandro Iñárritu -- Babel
Martin Scorsese -- The Departed

I love Clint Eastwood (politics aside), but seriously, is he going to deprive Scorsese of an Oscar again? The winner of this Golden Globe will be a solid indicator -- and I think it'll be Eastwood for Iwo Jima.

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Babel
The Departed
Little Children
Notes On A Scandal
The Queen

Honestly, I'm surprised not to see Stranger Than Fiction here. I think The Departed and The Queen are more beloved for their performances than for their scripts -- not that the performances could exist without the scripts, but that's just the way things are perceived. I think this is Babel's category.

Best Television Series - Drama

24
Big Love
Grey's Anatomy
Heroes
Lost

Much as I hate to say it, it'll be 24. I think any of the other series are probably more worthy -- except maybe Grey's Anatomy, which I have yet to be convinced is more than a trashy hospital-based soap opera. It's disgraceful that Big Love, while admittedly very good, is HBO's representative in this category, rather than the excellent Deadwood or (I'm basing this on, like, every TV critic's recommendations, since I haven't watched it myself) The Wire. But against Lost's generally-considered weak second year, and Heroes' fledgling status, and especially considering last year's Emmys, I think 24 takes it walking away.

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama

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

Still hate to see Arquette's name up there. And, though she's mostly very good, has anyone actually heard Kyra Sedgwick's accent on The Closer? Not even close. This is a really tough call, because of the poor reception to the most recent season, but I'll take Falco.

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama

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

Disgraceful. No Ian McShane? No Forest Whitaker or Michael Chiklis? Their roles on Deadwood and The Shield were so astronomically fantastic, it's simply criminal they're not included here. Especially Whitaker, who may have given literally the finest performance I have ever seen in television. The only puffball I see here is Dempsey -- really? You're putting Loverboy up against Dexter and House? -- but I think again it's 24's award. Sutherland wins.

Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy

Desperate Housewives
Entourage
The Office
Ugly Betty
Weeds

God DAMN, what does it take to get Desperate Housewives off this list, a stake through the heart? I'm a big fan of Entourage, and I'm becoming a big admirer of Ugly Betty, but if The Office doesn't win this, the fix is in.

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - 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

I'm really, really hoping America Ferrera gets recognized here. Whatever problems I have with her show, none of them are with her. She's wonderful, just a pure delight. In fact, I'm going out on a limb here: I'm picking Betty.

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy

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

Wow, tough call. I'd have put Baldwin in the supporting category, because even though he's got enough screentime to be considered the lead, I guess, his role on the show is of the supporting variety. Not that he's not brilliant in it; it's just not the category I'd have expected. He'd have been a slamdunk in the supporting race. I could see him stealing it from Carell here, who richly deserves the award, but Carell is my pick and I'm sticking with it. But I swear to you, if that goddam Shalhoub wins again... I like Tony Shalhoub, I do, but that show, and his role on it, have become excruciatingly bad, just mockeries of how entertaining they once were. And still, the awards shows seem to love him!

Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Gillian Anderson -- Bleak House
Annette Bening -- Mrs. Harris
Helen Mirren -- Elizabeth I
Helen Mirren -- Prime Suspect: The Final Act
Sophie Okonedo -- Tsunami, The Aftermath

This is so Helen Mirren's year, I wouldn't be surprised if they gave her two awards in this category. I'm calling the Elizabeth one-two punch: a Globe for her title role in Elizabeth I, and a Globe for Elizabeth II in The Queen.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

André Braugher -- Thief
Robert Duvall -- Broken Trail
Michael Ealy -- Sleeper Cell: American Terror
Chiwetel Ejiofor -- Tsunami, The Aftermath
Ben Kingsley -- Mrs. Harris
Bill Nighy -- Gideon's Daughter
Matthew Perry -- The Ron Clark Story

I love that the Globes just nominate as many people as they feel like! If only the Oscars would loosen up and let, say, six Best Actor nominees in when they deserve it, or cut it down to four when they don't. That said, I've got no idea here. I'll pick Duvall, just because.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

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

Hey, it's Emily Blunt again! And holy CRAP, Sarah Paulson?? Her character is possibly the worst thing in a show where everything and everyone is a candidate for worst thing. I'll take Toni Collette, because I like her. Though it could also be Perkins.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

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

If Alec Baldwin were in this category, he'd win. He's not, so Piven will. Which is fine with me.

[EDIT, about 15 minutes before the Globes begin, I swear: I picked just about every category, I might as well throw in my picks for the three remaining. Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television seems pretty likely to go to Elizabeth I. And the two music categories -- I have no clue on these, so I'll just randomly take Babel for Original Score and Dreamgirls for Original Song.]

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And there you go! Stop by the blog on Monday evening and follow along with my semi-liveblogging, where you'll get to see just how far off base these picks are. In real time! (Not counting the three-hour delay. Or my laziness with updates.)