“Overture, curtain, lights. This is it, the night of nights…”
– Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck, theme song from their TV show Looney Tunes
The wait is over! The 2007 award season officially begins tonight with the Hollywood Foreign Press’ Golden Globe Awards. I admit, I’m pretty excited.
Although it doesn’t quite seem to carry the “weight” of the Oscars®, I like this awards show better because it seems more…relaxed, more fun, more informal. Maybe it’s due to their inclusion of Television Land. Maybe it’s because the nominees and their significant others are crammed into a hotel banquet room and have no choice but to be jovial. At any rate, I’d have to guess the final voting results are a little less biased than the Oscars considering non-industry insiders vote for their favorite nominees.
Unfortunately, my day job (and sometimes night job, and sometimes weekend job) as a freelance writer has interrupted my regularly scheduled movie-going during these past few weeks. Therefore, I haven’t been able to see everything that’s been nominated. On the upside, I’ll be able to pay some bills, and that’s a winning proposition in anyone’s book.
If you haven’t had a chance to check out the nominee list, click here. While it’s not logical (or perhaps, fair) to root for one particular offering over another when you haven’t seen all the other nominees in a category, I’m setting logic aside and will share with you who/what I’m rooting for.
Best Motion Picture – Drama
By all accounts, the competition seems to be quite stiff in this category. The only one I’ve seen is The Departed, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s the front-runner. Note: Blood Diamond, which to me is one of the top three movies of 2006, is conspicuously absent from this nominee list.
Best Performance, Motion Picture – Actor – Drama
I’ve seen two of the five in this category and I’m going with Leonardo DiCaprio all the way! However, based on the trailer alone, I wouldn’t be surprised if Forest Whitaker takes this category (look for my review of The Last King of Scotland in the near future).
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
I’ve seen two of the three: Little Miss Sunshine, which is by far one of my top five favorites of 2006; and Thank You for Smoking, a smart satire about the U.S. lobbyist system. My pick: Little Miss Sunshine! (my review of this film is coming soon)
Best Performance, Motion Picture – Actor – Musical or Comedy
I’d bet the votes for this category had to be recounted once or twice. I saw Pirates, Thank You and Stranger Than Fiction. For me, it’s a tie between Will Ferrell for STF and Johnny Depp for Pirates. Still, based on buzz and box office sales, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sasha Baron Cohen comes out the winner.
Best Performance, Motion Picture – Actor/Supporting Role – Drama
Hmmm… Another tough one. Ben Affleck probably gave his best performance to date in Hollywoodland. Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg were both great in The Departed. And while it’s nice to see Eddie Murphy back in a well-written role, I wouldn’t say his performance was award-winning. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Babel yet. For me, I’d say it’s between Nicholson and Pitt.
Best Director/Motion Picture, and Best Screenplay
Again, I haven’t seen them all, but again, the list is incomplete without Blood Diamond.
As for the TV awards, my picks are:
Heroes for Best Drama
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) for Best Actress, Drama
Hugh Laurie (House) for Best Actor, Drama
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) for Best Actor, Comedy (although Zach Braff is a very close second)
So, who will take home a golden statue?! I’m looking forward to finding out….
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