Michael Smith: Golden Globe nods strangely create no 'Huh?' moments

BY MICHAEL SMITH World Scene Writer
Friday, December 14, 2012
12/14/12 at 5:08 AM

The Golden Globe nominations announced Thursday were such common-sense choices that it ran against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's reputation for creating "Huh?" moments and head-scratching.

Here's to hoping that the ceremony that is the Golden Globe Awards remains as wild and wacky a party as it always has been.

The group known for selecting winners for best movies that rarely repeat as the Academy Awards' choice - only twice in the past eight years, including last season's "The Artist" - announced nominees that have broad support across the board.

Steven Spielberg's historical epic "Lincoln" led with seven nominations, followed by the Iran-hostage-crisis drama "Argo" and Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," both with five. Along with "Zero Dark Thirty," the hunt-for-bin Laden drama with four nominations, all of these dramas appear to have a chance of winning.

Even "Life of Pi" is no oddball nominee that the HFPA is known for making, but merely an also-ran against the favorite since October ("Argo"), the nominations leader ("Lincoln"), the film whose director has foreign renown ("Django Unchained") and the picture that in the past two weeks has been racking up critics' group best-picture victories ("Zero Dark Thirty").

The group saved its oddest choice for the comedy/musical category, awarding three nominations to last spring's romance "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen." The movie has had no other awards notice, and its critics-averaging Metacritic score of 58 - on a scale between 0 and 100 - is mediocre. For this little picture, it's an honor just to be nominated in a category that should come down to two nominees - "Les Miserables" and "Silver Linings Playbook" - that will further broaden what is shaping up to be the most competitive Oscar race for best picture in years simply due to a lack of consensus so far.

Although the Golden Globe nominations found no room for performers and creative types with Oklahoma ties, the HFPA mentioned several of those who came to Oklahoma in recent months to make "August: Osage County" - which will likely be a nominee in multiple categories a year from now.

Meryl Streep, who stars as the dysfunctional mother in the movie based on Tulsa native Tracy Letts' play, scored a best actress in a comedy nomination for "Hope Springs."

Two of her "August: Osage County" co-stars also received acting nominations: Ewan McGregor for best actor in a comedy for "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" and Benedict Cumberbatch as best actor in a miniseries or TV-movie for his role in Masterpiece's "Sherlock."

In addition, the Weinstein Company - which is releasing "August: Osage County" - is the studio behind "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Django Unchained" this year.

Meanwhile, it is Smokehouse Productions, run by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, that is the production company behind "Argo" and which hopes to be a contender at next year's awards with its "August: Osage County."

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Reactions to the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards nominations, announced Thursday in Beverly Hills, Calif.:

"Don't ask me what I'm gonna wear. I don't know. I'll throw up." - Helen Hunt on getting dressed for the ceremony, where she's nominated for supporting actress for "The Sessions"

"I'm celebrating by not doing a darn thing. That's my way of celebrating right now. ... My whole day is really about Christmas and packing up stuff and not much more than that, which, believe me, with kids and grandkids and all of that, is plenty." - Sally Field, on how she plans to celebrate her supporting-actress nomination for "Lincoln"

"This is a good way to wake up." - Max Greenfield, who was awakened early Thursday with news that he was nominated for his supporting role on TV's "New Girl"

"It actually proves to be quite humorous sometimes because it will get to a point where people have had one too many cocktails and go up for an acceptance speech, and it ends up being very interesting." - Hayden Panettiere, nominated for her supporting role on TV's "Nashville," on why the Golden Globes are her favorite awards show

"We'll have cheers and lots of high fives and maybe toss around some haggis and maybe drink some scotch." - "Brave" director Mark Andrews on celebrating the film's animated feature nomination
Original Print Headline: Oddly unsurprising

Nominees for the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards

MOTION PICTURES

Picture, Drama: "Argo," "Lincoln," "Life of Pi," "Django Unchained," "Zero Dark Thirty"

Picture, Musical or Comedy: "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," "Les Miserables," "Moonrise Kingdom," "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen," "Silver Linings Playbook"

Actor, Drama: Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"; Richard Gere, "Arbitrage"; John Hawkes, "The Sessions"; Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"; Denzel Washington, "Flight"

Actress, Drama: Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"; Marion Cotillard, "Rust and Bone"; Helen Mirren, "Hitchcock"; Naomi Watts, "The Impossible"; Rachel Weisz, "The Deep Blue Sea"

Director: Ben Affleck, "Argo"; Kathryn Bigelow, "Zero Dark Thirty"; Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"; Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"; Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained"

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Hugh Jackman, "Les Miserables"; Jack Black, "Bernie"; Bradley Cooper, "Silver Linings Playbook"; Bill Murray, "Hyde Park on Hudson"; Ewan McGregor, "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"

Actress, Musical or Comedy: Emily Blunt, "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen"; Judi Dench, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"; Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"; Maggie Smith, "Quartet"; Meryl Streep, "Hope Springs"

Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, "Argo"; Leonard DiCaprio, "Django Unchained"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"; Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"; Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"

Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, "The Master"; Sally Field, "Lincoln"; Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables"; Helen Hunt, "The Sessions"; Nicole Kidman, "The Paperboy"

Foreign Language: "Amour," "A Royal Affair," "The Intouchables," "Kon-Tiki," "Rust and Bone"

Animated Film: "Brave," "Frankenweenie," "Hotel Transylvania," "Rise of the Guardians," "Wreck-it Ralph"

Screenplay: Mark Boal, "Zero Dark Thirty"; Tony Kushner, "Lincoln"; David O. Russell, "Silver Livings Playbook"; Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained"; Chris Terrio, "Argo"

Original Score: Mychael Danna, "Life of Pi"; Alexandre Desplat, "Argo"; Dario Marianelli, "Anna Karenina"; Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil, "Cloud Atlas"; John Williams, "Lincoln"

Original Song: "For You " (music and lyrics by Keith Urban), "Act of Valor"; "Not Running Anymore" (music and lyrics by Jon Bon Jovi), "Stand Up Guys"; "Safe & Sound" (music and lyrics by Taylor Swift, John Paul White, Joy Williams and T-Bone Burnett), "The Hunger Games"; "Skyfall" (music and lyrics by Adele and Paul Epworth), "Skyfall"; "Suddenly" (music by Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Schonberg and Alain Boublil), "Les Miserables"

TELEVISION

Series, Drama: "Boardwalk Empire," "Breaking Bad," "Downton Abbey," "Homeland," "The Newsroom"

Actor, Drama: Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"; Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"; Jeff Daniels, "The Newsroom"; Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"; Damian Lewis, "Homeland"

Actress, Drama: Connie Britton, "Nashville"; Glenn Close, "Damages"; Claire Danes, "Homeland"; Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey"; Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"

Series, Musical or Comedy: "The Big Bang Theory," "Episodes," "Girls," "Modern Family," "Smash"

Actress, Musical or Comedy: Zooey Deschanel, "New Girl"; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"; Lena Dunham, "Girls"; Tina Fey, "30 Rock"; Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"; Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"; Louis C.K. "Louie", Matt LeBlanc, "Episodes"; Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"

Miniseries or Movie: "Game Change," "The Girl," "Hatfields & McCoys," "The Hour," "Political Animals"

Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Nicole Kidman, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"; Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story: Asylum"; Sienna Miller, "The Girl"; Julianne Moore, "Game Change"; Sigourney Weaver, "Political Animals"

Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Kevin Costner, "Hatfields & McCoys"; Benedict Cumberbatch, "Sherlock (Masterpiece)"; Woody Harrelson, "Game Change"; Toby Jones, "The Girl"; Clive Owen, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"

Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Hayden Panettiere, "Nashville"; Archie Panjabi, "The Good Wife"; Sarah Paulson, "Game Change"; Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey"; Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"

Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Max Greenfield, "New Girl"; Ed Harris, "Game Change"; Danny Huston, "Magic City"; Mandy Patinkin, "Homeland"; Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family"

Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award (previously announced): Jodie Foster

Associated Images:

"Lincoln" led Golden Globe movie nominations with seven, including a best actor nomination for Daniel Day-Lewis (center). Twentieth Century Fox/Courtesy

Sally Field wasnominated for a GoldenGlobe for best supportingactress for her role in“Lincoln.” Courtesy