Globes-Trotting: Following the Buzz
The best thing you can say about the Golden Globes nominations is that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association isn't afraid about welcoming new kids to the party, especially if they've made a little noise along the way.
On the plus side, that means shining some love on deserving candidates like America Ferrera and
Ugly Betty, a show and a performance that would seem tailor-made to the Foreign Press's presumed concerns about diversity in entertainment. Likewise Masi Oka, who gives one of the most endearing supporting performances in all of television as Hiro of
Heroes (which also got a nod as best drama series).
Other freshman acts in the nominee pool include: Michael C. Hall (yay!) of Showtime's
Dexter, Alec Baldwin (yay!) of NBC's
30 Rock, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (yay!) from
The Old Adventures of New Christine, Bill Paxton and
Big Love from HBO (beating out
The Sopranos and
The Wire, among other more deserving HBO dramas; and besides, where are Paxton's wives in the grabbag supporting category?), Sarah Paulson alone from the cast of NBC's
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (Matthew Perry, who was among the announcers at the nominations, got his nod for his title performance in TNT's
The Ron Clark Story).
But, somewhat surprisingly, nothing from ABC's steadily improving Sunday drama
Brothers & Sisters, with the sort of starry ensemble cast (including tremendous work each week from Sally Field and Rachel Griffiths, at the very least) you'd think the Globes would at least notice.
Oh well. It's not like there's any figuring out this group or fretting unduly over the snubs and surprises. To me, the Globes are a big party, a fun TV special, and if some unexpected fresh face or underdog show can walk away with an award, possibly improving their chances at the Emmys down the line, so much the better.
Some final reflections:
Except for
Thief (again submitted as a miniseries instead of a failed drama series), FX was shut out. Nothing for
The Shield (not even Forest Whitaker), nothing for
Rescue Me. Boo.
The Globes' well-known penchant for going for glamour can be seen in the nominations (not entirely undeserved) for
Lost's Evangeline Lilly and, in the supporting category,
Grey's Anatomy's Katherine Heigl over former winner Sandra Oh. (Heigl was terrifically moving in some very pivotal episodes this year, so good for her.)
Showtime is a real player this year, with major nominations for
Weeds, Dexter and
Sleeper Cell: American Terror. If the upcoming costume drama
The Tudors lives up to expectations, look for another contender a year from now.
In the movie/mini categories, kudos to AMC for landing nominations for its first major production effort, the magnificent
Broken Trail, as TV movie and for the performances of Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church. And finally, one last salute to Helen Mirren for her triple-threat assault on the Globes this year. She's a front-runner in the movie category as
The Queen, and she's up twice in the TV division, for both
Elizabeth I and
Prime Suspect: The Final Act. How cool if she tied with herself and walked away with three Globes? It's not like she doesn't deserve it.
Now it's your turn to weigh in.
