It’s been two years since the Golden Globes aired on primetime television in 2021, but the award show will be broadcast live from Beverly Hills on Tuesday night on NBC.
Last year, the network pulled the plug on the telecast due to a lack of diversity within the voting membership of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which the L.A. Times exposed for not having a single Black voter in its 87 members from over 40 countries.
The association has since issued an apology and announced new members of color, but many in the film industry remain skeptical of its sudden “change of heart.” I can’t wait to hear host Jerrod Carmichael crack jokes about the Globes being forced to take a “timeout.”
Television
Expect a course correction as ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” will likely win Best Comedy over “Only Murders in the Building,” “Wednesday” and “Hacks.” This isn’t mere award-season reparations; it also happens to be the funniest show on TV. The only potential alternative is “The Bear,” which is more stressful than funny, so it might be hard to earn comedy votes.
Instead, “The Bear” will more likely earn acting prizes like Jeremy Allen White winning Best Actor (Comedy) as a frantic Chicago chef. Bill Hader is tough to beat for HBO’s “Barry” and Donald Glover hopes for a final-season send-off win for FX’s “Atlanta,” while Steve Martin and Martin Short will cancel each other out for Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building.”
Best Actress (Comedy) will likely go to Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), and a deserving win it would be. I’m also noticing recent buzz for Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”), while Jean Smart (“Hacks”) boasts several Emmys for her role. Rounding out the group are Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”) and Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”).
On the TV drama side, Zendaya is on fire with “Euphoria,” but Imelda Staunton (“The Crown”) has momentum from the Queen’s real-life death. Emma D’Arcy joined midseason for “House of the Dragon,” so I doubt she’ll win, but it would be cool to see Laura Linney finally win for the last season of “Ozark.” There’s also Hilary Swank (“Alaska Daily”).
For Best Actor (TV Drama), I’m expecting Bob Odenkirk to get a well-deserved curtain call for his final season of “Better Call Saul,” beating other veterans like Jeff Bridges (“The Old Man”) and Kevin Costner (“Yellowstone”). Adam Scott (“Severance”) and Diego Luna (“Andor”) have the benefit of rave reviews, but both will probably have to wait their turn.
Movies
On the movie side, I’m curious to see if Steven Spielberg’s intimate “The Fabelmans” can fend off blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of the Water.” After all, Spielberg invented the modern summer blockbuster before ironically becoming specialty cinema in his later years, so it would be ironic if he were swallowed by sequels.
Cate Blanchett is a deserving Best Actress (Drama) front-runner for her riveting title role in “Tár,” while Michelle Williams could triumph as Spielberg’s home-wrecking mom in “The Fabelmans.” Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) and Olivia Colman (“Empire of Light”) have no shot because their films bombed, but I’m rooting for a Viola Davis upset for “The Woman King.”
Best Actor (Drama) is really a two-person race between Austin Butler’s uncanny turn as the King of Rock & Roll in “Elvis” and Brendan Fraser’s obese professor in “The Whale.” This is the toughest to call, but my money is on Butler. It’s odd how “Elvis” isn’t on the “musical” side, which is why the Globes remain so weird in how they categorize things.
For Best Actor (Comedy), I’m rooting for Colin Farrell in the bittersweet “The Banshees of Inisherin,” a performance that is more complex than Daniel Craig in “Glass Onion.” The latter could benefit from recency bias; same with Ralph Fiennes in “The Menu.” While Diego Calva and Adam Driver are talented, their films stunk (“Babylon” and “White Noise”).
Best Actress (Comedy) better go to Michelle Yeoh for playing multiple versions in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Of the other nominees — Emma Thompson (“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”), Lesley Manville (“Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris”), Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Menu”) — her only real competition is Margot Robbie in a bad movie (“Babylon”).
Finally, Best Picture (Comedy) will either go to “The Banshees of Inisherin” or “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Keep an eye on the supporting actor categories for early clues. If Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis beat Kerry Condon and Brendan Gleeson, you’ll know which way it’s leaning. Who knows, maybe we’ll get “Triangle of Sadness” as a fun spoiler?
Nah, probably not. I have a hunch it’ll be the year of the multiverse, especially when you factor in the Asian cast of “EEAAO” as a way to address the ceremony’s diversity crisis.
Let the Oscar race begin.
